37 Best Angry Breakup Songs
Contents
26. “This Love” by Pantera
Song Year: 1992
“This Love” starts somber and reflective. The speaker would have done anything to keep their ex with them.
As the song progresses, it gradually becomes an angry break-up song. The initial melancholy gets replaced by outrage that all that time and effort was for nothing.
By the time the song ends, happiness is a distant daydream. The speaker would much sooner forget their old love.
27. “Take A Bow” by Rhianna
Song Year: 2008
Rhianna’s “Take a Bow” was a staple angry break-up song of the early 2000s.
Its melody is slow and even lugubrious. But the degree of vitriol she doles out over the percussive rhythm is unmatched. It’s earned too, because the ex hanging around her front door uninvited would get even the most patient person’s hackle’s up.
28. “Done” by The Band Perry
Song Year: 2013
This country song makes ideal listening after a breakup. Its lyrics are as angry as many abandoned partners are.
The lyrics are also memorable. The most striking quips about the advice the speaker’s mother gave. It stressed the importance of manners and is, apparently, irrelevant and inapplicable confronted with the sheer cheek of the speaker’s late lover.
29. “Cry Me A River” by Justin Timberlake
Song Year: 2002
Timberlake wrote “Cry Me A River” following a split with Brittany Spears.
Allegedly, Spears didn’t want the relationship to end, but Timberlake was adamant. The song became a way to work through his feelings.
It starts slow, and almost sounds choral, becoming angrier and faster as it goes.
30. “Same Old Love” by Selena Gomez
Song Year: 2015
Gomez’s delivery of this angry break-up song is astonishing. It blends anger with vulnerability and the result is a passionate and memorable performance.
It sizzles and pops under the vocal line, making it ideal for moments when you want to indulge in anger-fueled fantasies about an ex.
31. “Forget You” by Cee Lo Green
Song Year: 2010
What’s immediately striking about this R&B song is its sound. The opening bars sound bubbly.
But the lyrics are undeniably angry. They’re full of resentment for how cavalierly they were treated by their ex, and anyone who has been dumped without warning will sympathize.
32. “How Many Times, How Many Lies” by The Pussycat Dolls
Song Year: 2005
“How Many Times, How Many Lies” is an anthem to anyone who ever ignored advice from friends to get out of a relationship.
The speaker rattles off grievance after grievance and demands to know how many lies they have heard over the years. They might have been fooled once by their ex, but they won’t be again.
33. “The Bleeding” by Five Finger Punch
Song Year: 2007
“The Bleeding” is not only atypically lyrical for a heavy metal song, but it’s also more tuneful than normal for Five FInger Punch.
But don’t underestimate the song. It might be light on guitar riffs, but it’s one of the angriest songs on this list.
What gives the song an extra poignancy is that it’s obvious there’s real love fizzling away under the surface of the anger. These are people who care about each other, even as they make each other furious. Despite that, there’s no way for them to reconcile. They’ve done too much damage and come too far to turn back and reconnect now.
34. “Hung Up” by Madonna
Song Year: 2005
Lots about “Hung Up” feels slow. The initial tempo has hesitancy to it, and even the lyrics reflect how slowly time goes.
That’s appropriate for a song that starts by evoking how waiting for someone makes time feel suspended or even paused.
Eventually, the waiting becomes untenable and the speaker snaps. The result is a song that bristles with fury even as it delineated the faults of the person who failed to show up. It’s the kind of cataloging we all do of our exes, and it’s a relief to know it’s an integral part of human nature.
35. “Sorry” by Beyonce
Song Year: 2016
While it's inarguably an angry break-up song, “Sorry,” by Beyonce, is also an optimistic one.
It unapologetically lambasts the speaker’s ex for their failings. But that’s not its only focal point.
It’s also a song about how liberating it can be to be newly single and recognize the virtues and even advantages of that life.
It ends with a reminder to celebrate what you have, making it an excellent way to work through your anger and towards acceptance.
36. “Bust Your Windows” by Jazmine Sullivan
Song Year: 2008
“Bust Your Windows” has an amazing and distinctive rhythm. It uses a tango rhythm to channel the speaker’s anger into something painfully elegant.
With each lilting snap of the orchestration, the speaker’s temper boils hotter and the vocals become warmer and more sultry.
It’s a textbook example of controlled, exacting vengeance. The speaker is unapologetically irate and they detail their revenge in exacting detail, all while keeping time to the tango.
37. “Ex’s and Oh’s” by Ellie King
Song Year: 2015
Finally, “Ex’s and Oh’s” is a fascinating angry break-up song, because the anger isn’t completely directed at the ex in the situation.
The speaker is also angry at themselves for getting drawn into the relationship.
But it’s not only about self-directed anger. It’s also a song about female empowerment and learning to embrace and accept your choices.
Top Angry Breakup Songs, Final Thoughts
Nothing is as emotionally cathartic as listening to music that feels the same way you do. It’s a healthy way to work through feelings, whether you are sad, hurt, or angry.
Angry breakup songs are a particularly effective way to work through a break-up because of how human their speakers are. Many of them exhibit behaviors we recognize. Some even indulge in behavior we wish we could participate in but can’t, either because of manners, morals, or some other boundary.
But undeniably listening to someone indulge in our fantasies is satisfying, imbuing angry break-up songs with emotional catharsis for irate listeners everywhere. So, spare your dishes. Don’t throw any stones. Instead, gear up a Spotify playlist and let someone else get up to hot-tempered mischief on your behalf.
