Whether it’s a long-term relationship or a whirlwind holiday romance, the end of any relationship can be painful. However, it happens to the best of us and is often an unavoidable part of life.

Sadly, some things aren’t meant to be, but as much as we’d like things to be amicable, sometimes, they’re difficult and even distressing. Fortunately, no matter how heart-wrenching a breakup might be, there are plenty of ways to help you move on.

Some people prefer going out on their own to visit new places and people, others need time to internalise things and come to terms with what’s happened. But regardless of how you process the situation, almost everyone uses music as a crutch to help them through tough times; and breakups are no different.

If you’re in need of some support, or are simply curious as to what the most popular breakup songs are, we’ve sifted through Spotify’s data to find the current top 20 breakup songs for you to listen to.

And not only that, but we also reached out to psychologist and relationship advisor, Barbara Santini, and clinical psychologist, Dr Tony Ortega, who are experts in helping people to move on from bad breakups.

The most popular breakup songs in the world

There are plenty of songs out there that could be classed as popular breakup songs, but right now, the number one spot is held by Carrie Underwood’s ‘Before he cheats’. While not a recent song, it’s a classic for a reason, remaining popular even 16 years after its release.

Following this, our number two and three spots are claimed by Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Traitor’ and Tate McRae’s ‘You broke me first’. Both are more recent songs, and they’re perfect for matching all the emotions that might be running through you right now.

In spots 4, 5, and 6, we again have Olivia Rodrigo, with ‘Good 4 u’, followed by Lewis Capaldi’s ‘Someone you loved’, and Ariana Grande’s ‘Thank u, next’. As for spots 7 and 8, Olivia Rodrigo makes the cut once more with ‘Happier’, trailed by Little Mix’s ‘Shout out to my ex’.

And no breakup song list would be complete without a Taylor Swift song. Despite being older than some of the other top songs we’ve mentioned, ‘We are never ever getting back together’ is as popular as ever.

Last, but not least, and rounding out the top 10, we’ve ‘I hate u, I love u’ by Garrett Nash, featuring Olivia O’Brien. However, this is a top 20 list, and you can see the other brilliant breakup songs we haven’t covered below:

Break up songs 2022 desktop

The most popular artist for getting over a breakup

A healthy variation in music is a must to help you get over your ex, but it seems most of us have one beloved artist in mind when it comes to the best breakup songs.

Though she didn’t sing the top breakup song, Olivia Rodrigo featured in the top 20 list a whopping 6 times! No one else in the top 20 appeared more than once, making Olivia the clear favourite when it comes to breakup music.

And with songs like ‘Traitor’, ‘Good 4 u’, ‘Happier’, ‘Favourite crime’, ‘Driver’s license’, and ‘Déjà vu’, it’s not hard to see why. We’d definitely recommend adding her to your breakup playlist if you have one.

Expert tips on how to get over a breakup

While music can be great for healing the soul, it’s not enough on its own to truly help anyone move on fully.

That’s why we reached out to experts Barbara Santini, a psychologist and relationship advisor, and Dr Tony Ortega, a clinical psychologist with 28+ years of experience, for advice on what else you can do.

Together, they shared their 8 important pieces of advice to help you move on after a difficult breakup.

1. Focus on recovery

It’s fairly common to want to feel normal again as soon as a breakup happens, instead of dwelling on the past and the way you feel. But setting yourself a point in the future by which you have to be back to normal can actually be detrimental in helping you recover.

Even though setting yourself a timeline can feel like a source of hope and guidance right now, it’s far more likely to disrupt the healing process. So, instead of thinking about how you might feel better in three months’ time, actively focusing on what you can do in the recovery process right now is far more beneficial.


2. Don’t ignore feelings

It’s completely normal for us to experience feelings of betrayal, sadness, embarrassment, rejection, fear, or relief after a breakup. You shouldn’t worry about feeling any mix of these emotions, but neither should you repress or ignore them.

Repressing these emotions is just going to delay the healing process, in some cases perpetually, and it won’t help you get over an ex in the long run.

So, rather than suppressing what you’re experiencing in order to get over a breakup faster, you should instead try to welcome what you are feeling instead. It might be painful, but acknowledging these emotions is the first step toward recovery.

From here, you can try strategies like journaling or meditation to help connect with these feelings on a deeper level and process how and why you feel the way you do. Some of these strategies may work better than others, so trying a couple of different ones can be a good idea to help find the best one.


3. Be kind to yourself

A particularly important thing to acknowledge when getting over a breakup is that you need to be kind to yourself. This means taking care of yourself, but also not being hard on yourself if you need a day where you indulge or feel overwhelmed.

Self-care involves focusing on your hobbies or things that make you happy, spending time alone to combat negative feelings, or maybe even taking time to help support others. But most importantly, make a point to do things for you, and only you, as and when you feel the need.


4. Don’t overdo it

In counter to our third piece of advice, while staying busy looking after yourself is a good idea, you don’t want to overdo it. It can be tempting to always keep busy, but breakups are exhausting, so ensure to not forget about those much-needed rest days where you can just unwind without the hecticness of life getting in the way.


5. Forgive your ex, but more importantly, yourself

Perhaps the most challenging step in recovering from any breakup is accepting that you need to forgive both your ex, and more importantly, yourself.

It’s incredibly challenging to get over a breakup if you don’t forgive either of you. In forgiving your ex and yourself, you’re laying the groundwork to avoid frustration and resentment later in life that can disrupt the healing process and even affect future relationships.

Taking this step forward and starting the process to forgive can be a huge help towards healing, and you don’t need to worry about doing this in person. Just a simple internal acknowledgement and acceptance of forgiveness can go a long way.


6. Find a new direction in life

This is another important step to take. If you were living with your partner, it’s often a smart idea to move out and relocate so you can give yourself the separation and space you need.

Finding a new direction in life can also mean changing your circle of friends, especially if they’re closer to your ex than you. It can be difficult to make a decision like this at this time, however, so it is important for you to take your time while slowly pushing yourself to take small new steps.


7. A clean break

Unhealthy relationships have a tendency to consume a large portion of our identity. This makes it so important to have a clean break by minimising or eliminating contact with your ex, and potentially waiting some time before you seek out a new relationship. Even if it’s just temporary, it’s important to give yourself space to reset and recover.


8. Gossip

Last, but not least, it’s important to avoid as much gossip as you can about your ex. Avoiding their social media is a good start, but it can also include telling mutual friends to not update you on what your ex has been up to.

This is a key step in helping you to disassociate from your ex-partner and subsequently helping you to move forward. For a successful break, unfollow, mute, or block them on social media, and don’t lurk on their social media pages or stalk them online.

Doing this will go a long way in helping you to re-establish your personal identity as a single person - this may only be necessary for a short time but vital to one’s well-being.

With these breakup songs and breakup advice to hand, we hope your current or future breakups will be that much easier to handle. There’s nothing to be ashamed of if you do break up with someone; the important thing is to take the time you need to recover to your old self.

Of course, not every relationship ends because of a breakup. The passing of a loved one is another unfortunate and painful fact of life; one many of us will have to face. While the pain of their passing can't ever be avoided, you can give yourself and your family peace of mind by taking out a life insurance policy.

At Reassured, we offer both family life insurance and senior life insurance for those who want to provide for their significant others should the worst happen.

Speak to our expert team today and they’ll be happy to walk you through the process.

Methodology

Research is based on analysing 1,000 Spotify playlists with the title including ‘break-up’ to reveal the most popular break-up songs.

Source - http://playlistminer.playlistmachinery.com/

Please note, the data displayed in this article is correct at the point of publication 15/08/22

Related articles:


Our customers love us
Trustpilot Star Rating

Very easy to understand and very quick

Yes very pleased with my choice very helpful easy to understand and very pleasant transaction all good!

Mrs M Rushworth

Very professional and reassuring

Very professional and reassuring. Life insurance sorted in about 10 minutes.

Stephen Davies

very courteous and friendly

very courteous and friendly. Polite professional and empathic.

Stedroy Fenton

Another happy customer

Another happy customer I am. They are very professional and kind. Fully communicative. I recommend.

Piotr Stepien

Really attentive during the call

Really attentive during the call, good clear guidance throughout. Well done.

Michael Reynolds

Amazing service

Amazing service quick fast and easy and Joey was a star on the phone really help me thanks.

Sera Woolley

I made the right choice and now I feel…

I made the right choice and now I feel relieved that I did.

glyn

Really genuine kind and compassionate…

Really genuine kind and compassionate team with great knowledge and friendly approach highly recommend them!

Katelia Merritt

I must say Jake took me through every…

I must say Jake took me through every step and was brilliant, recommend them anytime.

Allan Green

Very happy and everything explained…

Very happy and everything explained well, so glad a took the time to take the call, normally I would say I'm busy. But compared to other company's we save so much more money.

Jenny Berry
We’re rated as 'Excellent' with 80,301 customer reviews