Recurring Themes

Song	Overarching Theme
“Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”	The pain of being left
“Cathy’s Clown”	Pain of seeing an ex move on
“I’m Sorry”	Personal regret
“Big Girls Don’t Cry” (Four Seasons)	Big girls don’t cry
“I Heard It Through The Grapevine”	Frustration with the other person
“Maggie May”	Frustration with the other person
“Alone Again (Naturally)”	The pain of being left
“You’re So Vain”	The pain of being left
“I Will Survive”	The pain of being left / self-empowerment
“Total Eclipse of the Heart”	The pain of a failed relationship ending
“Every Breath You Take”	The pain of being left
“Careless Whisper”	Personal regret
“Nothing Compares 2 U”	The pain of being left
“It Must Have Been Love”	The pain of being left
“Love Takes Time”	Personal regret / the pain of being left
“I Will Always Love You”	Leaving someone
“End Of The Road”	The pain of being left
“The Sign”	Leaving someone
“Nobody Knows”	The pain of being left
“Un-break My Heart”	The pain of being left
“Foolish Games”	The pain of a failed relationship ending
“Foolish”	The pain of a failed relationship ending
“Burn”	Leaving someone
“We Belong Together”	The pain of being left
“Irreplaceable”	Big girls don’t cry / leaving someone
“Apologize”	Leaving someone
“Big Girls Don’t Cry” (Fergie)	Big girls don’t cry / leaving someone
“Need You Now”	The pain of being left
“Love The Way You Lie”	The pain of a failed relationship ending
“Rolling In The Deep”	The pain of a failed relationship ending

Assigning a single theme to each song is a very simplistic lens, but it is helpful for tracing the thematic trends of the most successful breakup songs over time. The majority of these songs express the pain of being broken up with, which makes perfect sense. However, the theme that becomes more common as time progresses is what I deemed “the pain of a failed relationship ending.” I distinguished this theme from “the pain being left” because these songs focus more on what each side did: the mistakes each made, the pain inflicted on one another, etc. Therefore, they are less one-sided than a lament over being dumped since they assert blame to both sides. I believe that this provides insight on a possible change in how people express heartbreak. I think that this is a reflection of the two sexes having more equal roles in a relationship as time goes on and therefore being more willing to share the blame.