[2026] Western breakup songs: tear-jerking tracks to listen to when love ends
The more precious the relationship, the more painful the sorrow when it comes to an end.
Of course, some people choose to part ways on a positive note, and everyone’s feelings after a breakup are different.
In this article, we introduce classic Western songs that can help you face forward and take a new step after heartbreak, as well as sad songs that will sink right down with you.
From the latest hits and popular tracks to timeless breakup anthems, we offer a wide-ranging selection that crosses eras and genres.
If you’ve found this article right in the midst of heartbreak, you’re sure to discover the songs you need.
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[2026] Western breakup songs: Tear-jerking tracks to listen to when love ends (131–140)
GirlfriendAvril Lavigne
The title is “Girlfriend,” but it’s a song I want both men and women to listen to.
It helps you forget all the annoying stuff.
It’s up-tempo, so maybe clear your mind and sing along together! It’s great for karaoke, too!
Sometimes I cryEric Benét
Eric Benét is a veteran and popular singer who began his career in the 1990s and captivates listeners with his beautiful vocals over timeless, classic neo-soul.
The song featured here, “Sometimes I Cry,” is an adult soul ballad released in 2010.
Benét’s stunning, powerful falsetto is so extraordinary that first-time listeners may even find it shocking.
In Japan, it also drew attention when w-inds.
released a Japanese cover titled “Yume de Aeru noni ~Sometimes I Cry~.” Many listeners can likely relate to the protagonist’s helpless feelings—two years have passed since the breakup and life should be back on track, yet the emotions for the former lover still linger.
What do you mean?Justin Bieber
Why do you want to break up with me? Why? What does that even mean!? Sometimes you get dumped without knowing the reason, right? This is a song I want you to listen to at times like that.
It’s got a pretty upbeat tempo, so for you who want to lift your spirits and start fresh again tomorrow.
SelfishMadison Beer
It opens with elegant strings, and the beautiful voice that follows alongside a gentle acoustic guitar belongs to Madison Beer, a young singer born in 1999.
After Justin Bieber tweeted about her music, she quickly became a focal point for media attention.
Selfish is a track released ahead of her long-awaited debut album, scheduled for release in the summer of 2020.
It’s a beautiful ballad that suggests a major breakthrough for this new-generation singer with a rich, deep voice, yet a look at the lyrics reveals a deeply aching state of mind.
The melody, sung in the past tense—“I wanted you to change”—is truly heart-wrenching.
Goodnight GoodnightMaroon 5
The refrain’s “So goodnight, goodnight, goodnight…” is a striking, melancholic line in this breakup song.
As the opening of the chorus—“I’m so sorry, I did not mean to hurt my little girl”—suggests, the song is sung from the perspective of a man who’s done something irreversible.
For anyone who has deeply hurt an ex and ended the relationship, this is a song that will resonate.