Famous Break Up Songs — and Who They're About

Miley Cyrus

When most of us experience heartbreak, we might head to the karaoke bar to belt out a ballad. Celebrities do something similar after their breakups ... except they actually write that ballad you'll one day be belting.

From somber piano songs such as "Someone Like You" by Adele to more raucous bangers such as "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette, the song just hits different when you know who it's about and why.

Here's a compilation of some mega breakup songs and the stories behind them.

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"Someone Like You" — Adele

This massive hit (along with the other songs on "21") was reportedly about the end of her relationship with photographer Alex Sturrock, though neither has confirmed that. Regardless of who the heartbreaker was, Adele told the audience at Royal Albert Hall in 2011 that she had a soft spot for him and now that they're on better terms, she looks at the time they spent together quite fondly.

"This next song I'm going to do changed my life when I wrote it and when I first sang it," she said. "I know it's a break up record and I'm really b---y on it, but the guy who it's about changed my life and we were so in love and we had so much fun. It was brilliant, our time together ... As bitterly as it ended ... I forgive him."

Who can blame her, considering what a hit it became? "When I was writing it—I had eight songs on the album—but I didn't have one sing that I believed myself on," she continued. "I wrote this and I was very proud of it and I knew it would resonate with people."

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"I Will Always Love You" — Dolly Parton

The tale of "I Will Always Love You" is a storied one. Dolly Parton first wrote the song in 1973 as a farewell to Porter Wagoner, who had been her longtime colleague and mentor. At the time, Parton was leaving their group in pursuit of a solo career.

The country ballad was a hit, going number one on Billboard Hot Country Songs.

Years later, Elvis Presley heard the song and wanted to record it for himself, but Parton couldn't agree to the terms his team offered.

"Elvis loved the song, that was when he and Priscilla were having their problems," she explained while on The Big Interview. "But during that time—and it's no fault of Elvis'—but Tom Parker, his manager…calls me the day before and says, 'Now you do know that Elvis is recording your song and Elvis don't record anything that he don't publish or get half publishing on."

This would mean that Parton would have had to give up all or at least half her publishing rights to Presley, a deal she simply couldn't strike.

"I said, 'I can't do that. This song has already been a hit with me, this is in my publishing company and this is obviously going to be one of my most important copyrights. I can't give you the copyrights.'" The recording session was canceled and the King of Rock and Roll never revisited the ballad.

As fate would have it, Kevin Costner requested that Whitney Houston sing it on The Bodyguard soundtrack. Her interpretation of the song as a soulful ballad was a massive smash hit, breaking the record at the time for most weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

Does it bother Parton that many think of Houston's rendition as the definitive one? Not at all, she told Katie Couric in 2016: "A lot of people say, 'Oh, that's Whitney's song.' And I say, 'That's fine, she can have the credit, I just want the cash!' " (She also later revealed that she used the profits to build an office complex in a historical Black area of Nashville to benefit the community.)

"Thank U, Next" — Arianna Grande

Ariana Grande in Thank U, Next

Some stars play it coy when it comes to who inspired their breakup songs. And then there's Ariana Grande, who boldly name checked all of her former flames (Big Sean, Ricky Alvarez, the late Mac Miller and Pete Davidson) in 2018's "Thank U Next."

Scathing as that may sound, the singer revealed she actually gave everyone a heads up before the song hit the waves.

"I had sent it to [Big] Sean and he loved it," she told Zach Sang while on his show in 2019. "He was like 'Dang, I'm the first one huh?' and I said, 'I mean, I went kind of in order,'" she joked.

Grande also revealed that Ricky Alvarez had a bit of a bone to pick with her about her choice of lyrics.

"He was like, 'Why'd I get the worst line?...Everyone else's line is so nice and mine is like 'F--- him he's trash'," she recalled.

She publicly told him the line (which was changed to "wrote some songs about Ricky/now I listen and laugh) was meant "v lovingly" and later said all her exes were very supportive of the song.

"Survivor" — Destiny's Child

Before Destiny's Child achieved its final form with Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, the group went through a series of members.

Destiny's Child initially started with Beyoncé, Kelly, LaTavia Roberson and Letoya Luckett. However, the other two members wound up suing Beyoncé and Kelly, claiming that being managed by Beyoncé's dad Matthew led to favoritism within the group.

After they parted ways with the group, Williams and Farrah Franklin joined, but the latter also dropped out because she was also having issues with management.

After Franklin's exit, the group decided they would remain a trio, and Beyoncé went in the studio and wrote this empowering anthem that's applicable for any situation.

"[The press were saying] Destiny's Child is like the Survivor series, trying to see which member is gonna end up the last on the island, which one is gonna get voted off. It was a joke," she told MTV.

"But it was actually cute and it inspired me to write a song. I was like, 'We can use that negative thing and turn it into a positive thing and do a whole Survivor video and laugh at them.' And that's what we did."

"Flowers" — Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus

This banger by Miley Cyrus had fans combing the video and lyrics for context clues when she released it in early 2023.

Several lyrics and imagery in the video appeared to point to the life she once shared with Liam Hemsworth, who filed for divorce from Cyrus in 2019 after years of on-and-off dating and eight months of marriage.

The opening verse ("We were good, we were gold/Kinda dream that can't be sold/We were right 'til we weren't/Built a home and watched it burn") appeared to refer to the pair's Malibu home which they lost in the Woolsey fires of 2018.

The chorus on "Flowers" also seems to echo Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man," a song that fans believe Hemsworth reportedly dedicated to Cyrus at one point in their relationship — as well as some other clues.

"Forever and Always" — Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift's lyrical tributes and takedowns to her loves are the stuff of legend, and towards the beginning of her career, she was much more open about her inspiration (far from the Easter egg-hiding queen of today).

Ahead of the release of her second studio album, Fearless, Swift visited The Ellen DeGeneres Show to promote the record. At the time, she was fresh off a break up with Joe Jonas and when host Ellen DeGeneres asked about their relationship, the singer was surprisingly candid.

"That guy is not in my life anymore, unfortunately," she said, pointing to a picture of her and the Jonas brother. "That guy, that's an ouch."

She went on to reveal that she recorded Forever and Always right as she was wrapping her album. "I got a last minute recording session right when the relationship [was going downhill]," she revealed. "That's a good thing because my label let me record that song right before the album had to be done and it's completely on there. It's called 'Forever and Always.'"

It was in that same interview that Swift delivered the burn heard around the world, stating, "When I find that person that is right for me, he'll be wonderful. And when I look at that person, I'm not even going to remember the boy who broke up with me over the phone in 25 seconds when I was 18."

My Dear Melancholy—The Weeknd 

The Weeknd barely says anything about his music, let alone his romantic relationships, so when he seemingly confirmed that his EP My Dear Melancholy was about Selena Gomez, the public was intrigued.

The Canadian-born crooner—real name Abel Tesfaye—dated the former Disney star in 2017, in between his on-again-off-again relationship with Bella Hadid.

According to Esquire, the project took two and a half weeks to complete, which the artist explained was because he was actively purging his thoughts on their split into the music.

"The reason why it was so short is like, I think I just had nothing else to say on this… whatever . . . . It was just like this cathartic piece of art," he told the magazine. "And yeah, it was short, because that's all I had to say on this situation."

Lemonade — Beyonce 

When Beyoncé teased Lemonade during the Super Bowl in 2016, the BeyHive thought they were getting another album full of uptempo club hits, given that "Formation" was the lead single.

It turned out, however, that Queen Bey was getting more personal than ever. While neither she nor JAY-Z have gone in depth about what exactly went on in their marriage, the rapper conceeded to the fact that he had been unfaithful and that Lemonade, along with his album, 4:44, were about healing from the aftermath of his infidelity.

"We were sitting in the eye of that hurricane…And it was uncomfortable. And we had a lot of conversations," he told The New York Times. "You know. [I was] really proud of the music she made, and she was really proud of the art I released. And, you know, at the end of the day we really have a healthy respect for one another's craft. I think she's amazing. You know, most people walk away, and like divorce rate is like 50 percent or something 'cause most people can't see themselves. The hardest thing is seeing pain on someone's face that you caused, and then have to deal with yourself."

Lemonade featured songs like "Hold Up" and "Pray You Catch Me," the lyrics of which express hurt, rage, betrayal, anger and eventually forgiveness.

"Cry Me a River" — Justin Timberlake

One look at that Britney Spears lookalike in the video and it didn't take much to convince millennials that "Cry Me a River" was about the demise of Timberlake's relationship with the princess of pop.

Though Timberlake has never admitted to writing the hit about Spears, she admitted to giving him the go-ahead to use her lookalike without knowing the context of the song.

"He called me up and asked me if it was OK. I can't believe I'm telling you this right now. But who cares," she told Rolling Stone.

"He called me up and wanted to supposedly get back together or whatever, but behind it was, 'And by the way, you're in a video that's coming out.' That kind of got slipped in. 'Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal.' So the record label called and said, 'If you want to change this, you can.' I had the power to say no to the video. But I didn't, because I thought, "Hey, it's your video."

Spears went on to reveal that had she known what the video was about, she wouldn't have consented.

Years later, Timberlake would apologize for using the breakup to further his career.

"So What" — Pink

"I guess I just lost my husband/ I don't know where he went," Pink starts the 2009 hit, letting listeners know exactly where the song is headed.

Pink and husband Carey Hart met in 2001, got married in 2006 but had separated by 2008, which is when she wrote the song. Though the two had reconciled by the time the song came out, Pink tried to keep the lyrics under wraps to convince him to star in the music video.

"We were broken up and he came to do the 'So What' video, and I didn't want him to know I was calling him a tool. 'Cause I thought maybe he'd leave," she explained on ET Canada.

"I was like ... 'Play line three, then skip to line five. Definitely do not play line 10,' " she recalled, adding that director Dave Meyers "was like, 'Uh, you want to do this piecemeal?' And I was like, 'We have to, because [Carey] can't know all these names I'm calling him'."

Two kids (and 22 years together) later, Pink and Hart are still going strong and laughing about the tough times. (She hilariously admitted to slashing one of Hart's tires sometime during the Thanksgiving break in 2019).

"Without Me"— Halsey

Halsey/Youtube

Halsey and G-Eazy were the self-proclaimed Bonnie & Clyde of 2017. However, they split in 2018 after about a year of dating.

Following the breakup, Halsey, who was 23 at the time, released "Without Me," a heartbreaking track which was the first single off her album Manic.

Though she felt pressure to speak publicly about their split, Halsey decided the best way to address the situations was through her music.

"The biggest lesson I learned was to make art, not headlines," she told Glamour. "Because it can become quite easy, in the social media generation, to go from being a musician to becoming a personality."

"The One That Got Away" — Katy Perry

Before Katy Perry was engaged to Orlando Bloom, she briefly dated Josh Groban in 2009.

Though they were together for a short amount of time, Groban apparently had such an impact on Perry that she dubbed him "the one that got away" and penned a tune of the same name in honor of their time together.

Fans theorized that the pop hit was about the "You Raise Me Up" singer, until she appeared tp confirm it herself during a three-day livestream in 2018.

Groban responded on Watch What Happens Live, joking that he didn't think it could be about him: "I listened to the lyrics of the song. And I'm like, 'I never owned a Mustang. I don't have a tattoo. Are you sure that's about me?'"

But, he said, he appreciated their time together and they were on good terms.

"We were both very private and we realized we were better as friends and we've been very, very good friends to this day. She's the best," he said. "I think we're both very taken at the moment, but it's very sweet."

"Still Feel Like Your Man"— John Mayer

Perry wasn't just writing breakup ballads — she also served as the muse for some heartbreak jams as well.

In 2017, rumors had been circulating that John Mayer wrote this smooth tune about his ex, Katy Perry. The two dated from 2012 and called it quits in 2015.

Asked to confirm the rumors, Mayer told The New York Times, "Who else would I be thinking about? And by the way, it's a testament to the fact that I have not dated a lot of people in the last five, six years. That was my only relationship. So it's like, give me this, people."

"Dear John" — Taylor Swift

Whether "Dear John" off Speak Now is about John Mayer, Taylor Swift has never confirmed. However, Mayer certainly thought so; he admitted to Rolling Stone that he took the song personally and didn't like it.

"It made me feel terrible," he told the magazine. "Because I didn't deserve it. I'm pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that. It was a really lousy thing for her to do."

He continued, "I never got an e-mail. I never got a phone call. I was really caught off-guard, and it really humiliated me at a time when I'd already been dressed down. I mean, how would you feel if, at the lowest you've ever been, someone kicked you even lower?"

"You're So Vain" — Carly Simon

Ed Caraeff/Getty

There is no doubt that Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" is one of the best breakup songs to ever be written — despite (or perhaps because of) the central mystery as to whom the song is actually about. In recent years, the iconic singer answered that question ... sort of.

In a 2015 interview with PEOPLE to promote her memoir Boys in the Trees, she "confirmed that the second verse is Warren," referring to ex Warren Beatty.

Asked whether the Bugsy actor knows the verse is about him, she replied, "Warren thinks the whole thing is about him!" (We see what she did there.)

As for who the other "vain" gents might be, Simon has refused to kiss and tell.

"Ms. Jackson"— Outkast

Outkast's "Ms. Jackson" is one of the most quoted hip-hop songs of all time. At one point or another, we've all found ourselves going, "forever, forever, ever, ever/ forever, ever, ever?" That is, all of us except for the woman who inspired it, Erykah Badu.

Badu and Andre 3000—real name Andre Benjamin—dated from 1995 to 1999. After they called it quits, Benjamin and fellow bandmate, Big Boi released "Ms. Jackson" as the second single off Stankonia. The song went global, but for Badu, it was bittersweet.

"I still had kind of a sore spot," Badu said while on the Rap Radar podcast. "I didn't wanna hear that. Especially when I heard Big Boi's verse. When I heard Andre's verse, I felt very good because his verse was really, really inspiring. He just said how he felt and it was his honest feelings and I always respected that and listened to what he felt and appreciated it."

Though Badu may have felt a bit slighted, her mother, the titular Ms. Jackson, absolutely loved the song.

"How did my mama feel? Baby, she bought herself a 'Ms. Jackson' license plate," she joked. "She had the mug, she had the ink pen, she had the headband, everything. That's who loved it."

"7 Things"—Miley Cyrus

The Nick Jonas and Miley Cyrus relationship era was the stuff Disney dreams were made of. (Who can ever forget when the Jonas Brothers made an appearance on Hannah Montana?) So when the two stars broke up at the peak of their powers, it was only right that the split be immortalized in song.

Cyrus dropped "7 things," a modern day rock song that everyone assumed was about Nick, including the Jonas brother himself.

"I've heard that rumor, I've never directly heard that from Miley but she does wear a dog tag that I gave her when I was 14 (in the video)," the singer said in a 2018 interview. "I was actually kind of flattered, to be honest, because it's there forever and I know it's about me."

Cyrus kept mum for 13 years, at which point she posted an Instagram carousel celebrating the song's anniversary, which included a snapshot of the then-couple with his face scribbled out (and Jonas himself tagged) and an excerpt from her memoir, Miles to Go, which read, "I was angry when I wrote '7 Things.' I wanted to punish him, to get back at him for hurting me. It starts with a list of what I 'hate.' But I'm not a hater. My heart knew from the start that it was going to turn into a love song."

"You Oughta Know" — Alanis Morisette

"You Oughta Know'' is one of those songs you play in your car as you rage about your ex with your besties.

Unfortunately, in the car is also how Dave Coulier discovered the song and immediately realized it was about him.

"I'm driving in Detroit and I hear the hook for 'You Oughta Know' come on the radio and I'm like, 'Wow, this is really cool,'" the Full House actor said while on SiriusXM's Jim Norton & Sam Roberts. "I'm like 'Wow, this girl can sing!' and I had no idea that this was the record. And then I'm listening to to the lyrics going, 'Oh no. I can't be this guy.'"

He went on to reveal that he bought and listened to the entire Jagged Little Pill album in one sitting and found several references about their relationship in that album.

In the same interview, Coulier did reveal that he and Morissette were on good terms and she gave him the green light to "say whatever you want" when people ask him about the relationship. "She was really sweet about it. She was kind," he concluded.

"Out of Your League" — Shakira 

Shakira and her long term boyfriend Gerard Piqué split in June 2022, but as details about Piqué's infidelity began to leak, the pop superstar decided to take control of the narrative.

In January, Shakira released "BZRP Music Session 53," which was loaded with references to their former relationship.

"Sorry baby, I should have thrown you out a while ago / A she-wolf like me is not for rookies / A she-wolf like me is not for guys like you," she sang in part, nodding to her 2009 hit "She Wolf," released shortly before the pair met in 2010.

Referencing all the drama, Shakira sings, "You left me my mother-in-law as my neighbor / Media outlets at my door and in debt with the government," sang the musician, appearing to mention her ongoing tax fraud trial in Spain. "You thought you hurt me, but you made me stronger / Women don't cry anymore, they cash in."

In the chorus, repeated multiple times throughout the song, Shakira declares, "I'm too good for you, and that's why you're with someone just like you."

"Perfect Illusion" — Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga/Twitter

Taylor Kinney and Lady Gaga's love was a showstopper — just like that massive heart-shaped engagement ring he gave her.

The pair began dating in 2011 and got engaged in 2015. However, it seemed as they hit a rough patch as they announced their split in 2016, before she began filming A Star Is Born. 

Putting her pain to paper, as always, she wrote "Perfect Illusion," inspired by the Chicago Fire actor. Though she didn't directly say the song was about him, she told E! News, "I would just say that my music on my album as well as all my albums is inspired by my personal life and this one more than others. I have said it before—I love Taylor so much and he's my best friend."

Speaking specifically about "Perfect Illusion" she elaborated, "This video is a performance of a song that I wrote of that moment about how I feel, but how I'm sure he's felt sometimes, how you have felt sometimes, how other people feel in relationships, how I see my friends struggle and become just full of rage and anger as they try to figure out how to date during a time when everybody's sort of creating these perfect illusions of themselves on the Internet and nobody really knows what's real and what isn't," she explained. "It's about all of that."

"Easy on Me" — Adele 

"Divorce babe, divorce!" Adele famously answered when a fan asked what her album 30 was going to be about.

It wasn't until recently though, that she gave a bit more insight into the thought behind this piano ballad.

While accepting the Grammy for best pop solo performance earlier this year, the singer revealed she wrote the song for her son right as she was making the decision to leave ex-husband, Simon Konecki.

"I just want to dedicate this to my son Angelo," she tearfully said. "I wrote this first verse in the shower when I was choosing to change my son's life and he's been humble and gracious and loving to me the whole time."