Top 10 Classic Rock Songs To Send To Your Ex

Feature Photo: Aija Lehtonen / Shutterstock.com

Breaking up is hard to do, and most of us turn to music at some point to get through it. Classic rock is filled with songs that can say what we are too angry, hurt, relieved, or exhausted to say ourselves. Some of these tracks are about heartbreak, some are about finally walking away, and a few are pure revenge. If you cannot find the words to send to your ex, one of these songs might do the talking for you.

# 10 – Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) – Mötley Crüe

Mötley Crüe’s “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)” is one of the great breakup titles because it says everything before the song even starts. The track appeared on the band’s 1989 album Dr. Feelgood and was released as a single in 1990. Instead of turning the breakup into one more screaming match, the song accepts that the relationship has run its course and both people need to move on. There is still hurt in the lyric, but there is also a sense that dragging things out would only make the damage worse. If you want to send your ex a message that says you are done without starting another war, this one gets the point across.

Read More: Top 10 Mötley Crüe Songs

# 9 – Love Hurts – Nazareth

Nazareth’s version of “Love Hurts” appeared on the band’s 1975 album Hair of the Dog and turned an older song into one of rock’s great heartbreak anthems. Dan McCafferty sings it like somebody who has already learned the hard way that love can be beautiful and brutal at the same time. The song does not dress heartbreak up or pretend there is some easy lesson waiting at the end. Sometimes love simply hurts, and that is the entire point. If your ex left you carrying the pain while they walked away, there are very few songs that say it more directly.

# 8 – Every Rose Has Its Thorn – Poison

Open Up And Say...Ahh! (20th Anniversary Edition)

Poison’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” from Open Up and Say… Ahh! became the band’s signature ballad in 1988. The song looks back on a relationship after the damage has already been done, with the singer wondering what went wrong while the other person has begun moving on. The title gives Poison the perfect metaphor: love can be beautiful, but sooner or later somebody usually gets cut. What makes the song work is that it is not only angry at the other person; there is regret and self-questioning in there too. Send this one when you are still hurting and wondering whether the relationship could have ended differently.

# 7 – I Hate Myself for Loving You – Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

“I Hate Myself for Loving You” appeared on Joan Jett & the Blackhearts’ 1988 album Up Your Alley, and the title captures one of the ugliest parts of a bad relationship. You know the other person is wrong for you, you know they have hurt you, and somehow you still want them anyway. Jett sings the conflict with exactly the kind of toughness the song needs, but underneath all that power is somebody furious with herself for going back. That is what makes the record more than just another angry breakup song. Send this one when you finally understand that loving somebody does not mean they deserve to stay in your life.

Read More: Our 10 Favorite Joan Jett Songs

# 6 – Already Gone – Eagles

“Already Gone” came from the Eagles’ 1974 album On the Border and is one of the best songs ever recorded about realizing the relationship is over before the other person does. There is heartbreak in the story, but the record sounds far more like liberation than misery. The narrator has reached the point where the arguments no longer matter because mentally and emotionally he is already gone. Glenn Frey’s vocal gives the song exactly the right mix of confidence and relief. If your ex keeps trying to pull you backward after you have finally found your way out, this is the song to send.

# 5 – Time for Me to Fly – REO Speedwagon

REO Speedwagon’s “Time for Me to Fly” appeared on the 1978 album You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish and remains one of Kevin Cronin’s finest breakup songs. The narrator has tried to make the relationship work, but the effort has become exhausting and there is nothing left to fix. He still feels the pain of leaving, which is what keeps the song from sounding cold or triumphant. Sometimes walking away is not about winning; it is about admitting that staying is destroying both people. If your ex needs to understand that you tried and simply reached the end, “Time for Me to Fly” says it beautifully.

# 4 – Your Time Is Gonna Come – Led Zeppelin

“Your Time Is Gonna Come” appeared on Led Zeppelin’s 1969 debut album and turns betrayal into a promise that karma will eventually settle the score. Robert Plant sings from the point of view of someone who is finished being lied to and cheated on, while John Paul Jones’ organ gives the track an almost churchlike opening before the band settles into the groove. The anger is there, but the song does not need to chase after revenge because the narrator believes the other person will eventually pay for the way they behaved. That makes it a perfect record for anybody who was treated badly and no longer feels the need to argue about it. Send it to your ex and let Led Zeppelin deliver the warning for you.

# 3 – Love Bites – Def Leppard

Def Leppard’s “Love Bites” came from the band’s 1987 album Hysteria and was released as a single in 1988. The song lives in that uncomfortable place where love, desire, jealousy, and mistrust all become tangled together. Joe Elliott keeps asking whether the relationship is real or whether he is the only person taking it seriously, which makes the record hit especially hard when one person has already checked out emotionally. The massive Mutt Lange production makes it sound like a power ballad, but the lyric underneath is full of insecurity. Send this one when the relationship left you wondering whether the other person ever loved you the same way you loved them.

Read More: Top 10 Def Leppard Love Songs

# 2 – You Give Love a Bad Name – Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” came roaring out of Slippery When Wet in 1986 and turned betrayal into one of the decade’s biggest singalong choruses. The narrator fell for somebody who looked perfect and promised everything, only to discover that the relationship was built on manipulation and lies. Jon Bon Jovi does not spend the song quietly processing what happened; he puts the blame right on the table and sings it loud enough for an arena to answer back. That is why the track works so well when you are past sadness and have moved directly into anger. If your ex made you question the whole idea of love, this song will make the message very clear.

# 1 – You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette

“You Oughta Know” from Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album Jagged Little Pill is still one of the angriest breakup songs ever to break through on mainstream radio. Morissette does not pretend she is over the relationship or wish her ex well; she wants him to understand exactly how much damage he left behind while moving on with somebody else. The performance is raw, bitter, wounded, and completely fearless, which is why so many listeners recognized themselves in it immediately. Sometimes you do not want closure, maturity, or a peaceful goodbye—you just want the other person to know what they did. If that is where you are, there is no better number-one song to send to an ex.

Read More: Top 10 Alanis Morissette Songs

SPECIAL NOMINATION FOR LEGENDARY STATUS

You’re Breakin’ My Heart – Harry Nilsson

Harry Nilsson’s “You’re Breakin’ My Heart” deserves a category all by itself because there is not much left to explain after the song’s opening seconds. The track appeared on his 1972 album Son of Schmilsson, produced by Richard Perry, and Nilsson used language that guaranteed many radio stations would never play it. The recording features an extraordinary group of musicians, including George Harrison on slide guitar as George Harrysong, Nicky Hopkins on piano, Klaus Voormann on bass, and Peter Frampton on guitar. It is funny, furious, crude, melodic, and completely fearless in the way only Harry Nilsson could be. If every polite breakup song has failed to say what you are thinking, press play on this one.

Read More: Top 10 Harry Nilsson Songs