10 Songs About a Relationship Falling Apart You’ll Love
Whether you’re someone who loves the catchy melodies of pop music, the driving guitars of rock n’ roll, or the rapid-fire rhymes of hip hop, chances are you’ve been through some relationship trouble before. And if you have, you know one thing for certain: it’s never a fun thing to go through.
Thankfully, music can get us through some tough times. So in this article, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best songs about a relationship falling apart. Hopefully, you’ll connect with a few of these songs, and perhaps add one or two to your playlist as well.
Rap Songs About Relationships Falling Apart
Let’s begin with a Juice WRLD track called Robbery.
Robbery – Juice WRLD
Rap music is very versatile, so a song conveying the pain of heartbreak and relationship trouble, isn’t necessarily a stretch. But that doesn’t mean that what Juice WRLD does with this song isn’t impressive.
The song, now certified 5x platinum, exudes pain and regret, as the young Juice WRLD tearfully laments a girl who once stole his heart and now uses that position to hurt him: “She told me put my heart in the bag / And nobody gets hurt / Now I’m running from her love, I’m not fast / So I’m making it worse.”
Underpinned by an addictively catchy trap beat and a simple, heartbreaking piano melody, “Robbery” is the perfect song for any hip hop fan going through their own relationship trouble.
Changes by XXXTentacion
“Changes” by the late XXXTentacion throws you off from the start. It’s technically a rap song—on a rap album—but from the track’s opening seconds all that can be heard is a single, mournful piano line, playing softly and solemnly like a funeral march.
No drums fill the silent gaps between piano notes, no beat establishes a groove. The song is deceptively simple, and XXXTentacion leans into this simplicity in his powerfully understated lyrics: “Baby, I don’t understand this / You’re changing, I can’t stand it / My heart can’t take this damage.”
I Fall Apart by Post Malone
Post Malone is a powerful, affecting vocalist, and this fact is on full display in this song from the superstar’s debut album, Stoney.
While the song’s verses are slow and simply constructed, everything quickly comes to life in the chorus: the bass line begins to boom out into the air, the hi-hats bounce and crash with frantic energy, and Post Malone belts out his lines in an emotional, warbling vocal delivery.
The effect is powerful: “Oooh, I fall apart / Down to my core,” Post sings, and you can almost feel yourself falling apart right there with him.
Pop Songs About a Relationship Falling Apart
Let’s begin by digging into a Dean Lewis song.
Be Alright by Dean Lewis
“Be Alright,” the 2018 song by Australian singer-songwriter Dean Lewis, tells the story of a relationship falling apart in the span of a single moment. “You look away from me,” Lewis sings in the song’s opening moments, “And I see there’s something you’re trying to hide.”
And when it’s revealed that this significant other has cheated on Lewis with one of his own friends, the pain and hurt pours through him: “It’s the feeling of betrayal, that I just can’t seem to shake.” The content here is potent and visceral, and the song’s backing guitar and piano adds to this emotional atmosphere for a powerful overall effect.
When You’re Gone by Shawn Mendes
“When You’re Gone” by pop superstar Shawn Mendes taps into a relationship dynamic that’s as hard to describe as it is to go through: when you need to let go of someone, but you don’t want to—or can’t—let go of them.
This conflicting, confusing set of emotions finds voice in a number of Mendes’ lyrics in this song: “It’s hard for me to let go of you / So I’m just tryna hold on,” he sings at one point, “Starting to feel like you don’t need me / Wanna believe it’s all for the better,” he tries to convince himself at another.
The song itself is upbeat, even catchy, but Mendes’ emotional pain still manages to make itself heard throughout.
All We Know by The Chainsmokers ft. Phoebe Ryan
The Chainsmokers, the EDM-pop duo from New York City, are known for making upbeat, catchy songs that can get a crowd moving, and in many ways, “All We Know” is no different: the drums and electronic synths bounce throughout the song, rising and falling in that familiar EDM pattern, and the vocals delivered by featured artist Phoebe Ryan ride that wave through addictive, catchy melodies.
But hidden behind the song’s upbeat, positive exterior lies the story of a relationship in dire trouble: “Are we fading lovers? / We keep wasting colors / Maybe we should let this go.”
Alternative Rock Songs About Relationships Falling Apart
Let’s kick off this section by talking about “The Scientist,” a song by the band Coldplay.
The Scientist by Coldplay
Perhaps no song on this list fits the theme of relationships falling apart better than Coldplay’s “The Scientist.” Backed by a heart-rending piano melody that later gives way to reverberating electric guitars, frontman Chris Martin puts forth the performance of a lifetime as he sings out the pain of wanting to keep together a failing relationship:
“Come up to meet you, tell you I’m sorry / You don’t know how lovely you are / I had to find you, tell you I need you.”
Unlike many of the songs on this list, it’s clear that “The Scientist” is all about genuine regret that a cherished relationship is coming to an end. As Martin sings at one point, “It’s such a shame for us to part.”
It Ends Tonight by The All-American Rejects
More regularly known for their hard-driving, high-energy alternative rock, “It Ends Tonight” by The All-American Rejects reveals a side to the band that many may not be familiar with. Backed by a solemn piano melody, along with laid back, strategically implemented drums and guitars, frontman Tyson Ritter lets loose all the baggage of a relationship that’s been dragging him down:
“Your subtleties / They strangle me / I can’t explain myself at all.”
No doubt a deviation from the band’s normal sound, it’s a welcome change, as “It Ends Tonight” hits—and it hits hard.
Songwriting Legends
Let’s begin by discussing a song by The Beatles.
I’m Looking Through You by The Beatles
Coming off of their critically acclaimed, commercially electric Rubber Soul, The Beatles’ “I’m Looking Through You” tells the story of a relationship which, although the same on the surface, has somehow managed to change dramatically:
“I’m looking through you / Where did you go?” Paul McCartney sings out in the chorus. “I thought I knew you / What did I know?”
Despite the confused, disheartened lyrical content, however, the song is generally quite upbeat: the guitars and bass strum along at dizzying speed, and McCartney delivers his lines with a hint of edge.
Say Yes by Elliott Smith
A song by Elliott Smith almost seems too obvious for the theme of relationships falling apart, so it’s only fitting that we’ve selected one of the more optimistic tracks the famously morose singer-songwriter ever put to pen.
“Say Yes,” simply yet artfully crafted in true Elliott Smith fashion, tells the story of a relationship that is in a state of disarray: on again, off again, maybe there’s a chance, now there’s no chance. The relationship, in every sense of the word, is falling apart.
And yet over the gentle chords of a softly-played guitar, Smith remains optimistic: “They want you or they don’t / Say yes.”
Conclusion
Whether you’ve come here for the pop music, the rap, the alternative rock, or maybe just any song that can relate to your situation, we hope you’ve enjoyed this list of songs about a relationship falling apart and we hope that the songs mentioned here might give you a small amount of comfort, in good times and in bad.
No doubt relationship troubles can be a heavy burden to carry, but as the old saying goes, this too shall pass.
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