Breakups can be painful and messy, but that doesn’t mean they should leave you a desolate mess. This list of happy breakup songs shows you that there’s something positive to come out of a breakup. Whether you’re getting rid of a toxic person, finally finding the confidence to stand up for yourself, or just learning to love being single, there’s a song in here for you!
Lily Allen – Smile
Lily Allen wrote this song for a guy who not only treated her badly, but also allegedly went around sleeping with other women behind her back. There’s no place for that kind of man in her life, so she kicked him right out and wrote him this sweet little song. And while Smile seems like the title for a cheery song, it’s actually about not being help but break into a mischievous grin whenever she sees that her ex is crying.
Happy breakup lyrics: At first when I see you cry,
Yeah, it makes me smile, yeah, it makes me smile
At worst I feel bad for a while,
But then I just smile, I go ahead and smile
Robyn – Dancing on My Own
This electro pop ballad may make you think it was released in the 80s, but it was actually released in 2010. Dancing on My Own is a song about how Robyn saw the man she loves dancing with another woman and kissing her in a corner where he thinks he won’t be spotted. In retaliation, Robyn goes out on her own for a night of partying and fun.
Happy breakup lyrics: I’m just gonna dance all night
I’m all messed up, I’m so outta line
Stilettos on broken bottles
I’m spinning around in circles
Blood Orange feat. Samantha Urbani – You’re Not Good Enough
It could be a case of sour graping, but it could be the truth. In this song that’s incredibly reminiscent of the disco pop songs of the 80s, we hear Blood Orange sing about how he once had a lover who was never good enough for him. He says he never really loved her, even though there were times when he’d take her back.
Happy breakup lyrics: I never was in love
You know that you were never good enough
Fall asleep right next to me
You know that you were never good enough
N’Sync – Bye, Bye, Bye
What better way to break up with someone than by simply playing this song as you walk out on them? This pop song has inspired many a dance step, and we can’t blame people for loving its catchy tune and snarky lyrics. Bye, Bye, Bye is about a guy who’s fed up with a girl who never treated him right. He’s sick of doing everything for her, but now is his moment to quit being her little toy.
Happy breakup lyrics: Don’t wanna be a fool for you
Just another player in your game for two
You may hate me but it ain’t no lie
Baby bye bye bye
Bye Bye
Don’t really want to make it tough
I just wanna tell you that I’ve had enough
It might sound crazy but it ain’t no lie
Baby bye bye bye
Beyonce – Single Ladies
Ah, the anthem for single ladies by Queen Bey herself. Single Ladies is a song that’s perfect for ladies who have just broken up with someone. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, the song urges all the ladies out there to hit the club and have fun. And if your scumbag ex tries to crawl back into your life, tell him that he should have put a ring on it when he had the chance.
Happy breakup lyrics: I need no permission, did I mention?
Don’t pay him any attention
‘Cause you had your turn, but now you gon’ learn
What it really feels like to miss me
Two Door Cinema Club – Changing of the Seasons
Have you ever that ex whom you just kept on coming back to for reasons unknown? And then one day you realize that you’re better than this and decide to let them go for good? It’s a situation not unfamiliar to the boys at Two Door Cinema Club, which is why they penned this song. One day, after doing all the chasing, you’ll be too tired to even remember why you even loved this person!
Happy breakup lyrics: And I’ve worn out all the reasons
To keep on knocking at your door
Could be the changing of the seasons
But I don’t love you anymore
Wet – Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl
Let’s take it slow for a moment with a song by Wet. Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl is about a woman who realizes that she deserves so much better. She takes a look at her life and sees that she’s not living right, and thus decides that enough is enough. It’s a soft, ambient song that’s perfect for taking a long, hard look at how your previous relationship was bad for you and how it was a good decision to break it off.
Happy breakup lyrics: You can’t do me right
So I, decide that
I don’t wanna be your girl no more, no
I just wanna see you up and out
Out of the door
I’m not living right
So I, decide that
I don’t wanna be your girl no more
La Roux – Bulletproof
Here’s another electro pop song that you can dance to as you celebrate your newfound freedom. Bulletproof is a song about a woman who’s had enough of her ex, and thus burns bridges with him. She no longer wants to be the vulnerable girl he could put down. And thanks to their breakup, she’s found that she’s stronger than ever.
Happy breakup lyrics: I won’t let you in again
The messages I’ve tried to send
My information’s just not going in
Burning bridges shore to shore
I’ll break away from something more
I’m not turned on to love until it’s cheap
Queen – I Want to Break Free
While this song was written for the women’s liberation movement, it can very well still be fitting for those going through a breakup. I Want to Break Free is about breaking free from someone’s lies and being single. Use this song to celebrate your newfound freedom as you dance to your heart’s content!
Happy breakup lyrics: I want to break free
I want to break free
I want to break free from your lies
You’re so self-satisfied I don’t need you
I’ve got to break free
God knows, God knows I want to break free
Lesley Gore – You Don’t Own Me
We included this song on our list of empowering songs for women, and we can’t help but include it here too. In this song, Lesley finds herself in a relationship with a man who treats her like she’s his property. However, she reacts by telling him that she’s her own person who’s allowed to do as she pleases. In this song, it’s not explicitly implied that a breakup happened, but it can be interpreted as a woman breaking free from a man who doesn’t treat her the way she should be treated.
Happy breakup lyrics: I’m young and I love to be young
I’m free and I love to be free
To live my life the way I want
To say and do whatever I please
Katy Perry – Roar
If your ex used to treat you like your opinion doesn’t matter, this is the perfect song for you. Roar is about a woman who has practically been conditioned into submission. However, she finds the strength to get back up and speak for herself. Katy Perry says that she wrote the song when she finally got fed up with keeping all her feelings to herself, and that’s pretty fitting if your ex has been keeping you under his thumb.
Happy breakup lyrics: You held me down, but I got up (hey!)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, your hear that sound
Like thunder, gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up
Get ready ’cause I had enough
I see it all, I see it now
David Guetta feat. Sia – Titanium
Have you ever felt like every word your ex says is a bullet aimed right at you? In this song, that’s exactly what’s happening. The protagonist finally finds the strength to not let her ex’s words get to her. She’s making a stand and declaring she’s titanium – someone who can’t be hurt by the words of someone who doesn’t matter to her anymore.
Happy breakup lyrics: I’m bulletproof nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won’t fall, I am titanium
Kelly Clarkson – What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)
Kelly Clarkson’s album Stronger has many kiss-off songs like this one wherein she tells someone off. She admits that she doesn’t exactly have a filter, and thus would just tell someone if they irritated her. Stronger, the song, is exactly like that with her thanking her ex for making her the strong person she is today.
Happy breakup lyrics: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone
What doesn’t kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn’t mean I’m over cause you’re gone
The Pussycat Dolls – I Don’t Need a Man
Some women who have been through a breakup start to panic because there’s no longer someone there to love them and treat them like a queen. However, The Pussycat Dolls have the perfect song to change that perspective. I Don’t Need a Man is an empowering song about how it’s okay to be single. You can do for yourself what a man might do for you, and it’s feels a million times better because it’s borne out of your hard work!
Happy breakup lyrics: I don’t need a man to make it happen
I get off being free
I don’t need a man to make me feel good
I get off doing my thing
I don’t need a ring around my finger
To make me feel complete
So let me break it down
I can get off when you ain’t around
Jessie James – I Look So Good (Without You)
A breakup may make us feel unwanted and unloved. It might make us so stressed that it starts to show on our face. But if you really think about it, breaking things off with someone who’s not right for you is the best thing you can do for yourself. So when you feel like your confidence is taking a nosedive because someone left you, listen to this song and remind yourself that making a good decision can end up making look better than you did before!
Happy breakup lyrics: I look so good without you
Got me a new hair do
Lookin’ fresh and brand new
Since you said that we were through
Done with your lies
Baby now my tears dry
You can see my brown eyes
Ever since you said goodbye
What better way to kick start a path to happiness than with a breakup song that uplifts your spirits and makes you just love your newfound freedom?
