19 Songs For Ex-Boyfriend

Some relationships last forever while others last for just a season. People break up for a wide variety of reasons and some find it easy to move on while for others it may be an uphill task. Below is a list of songs specifically targeted at ex-boyfriends:

1. Little Mix – Shout Out To My Ex

The members of Little Mix share a farewell message to their ex-boyfriends but with a sarcastic twist. The central theme of the song is all about moving on after a relationship ends to bigger and better things. They offer sarcastic thanks to the men for helping make them who they are today. They have gotten rid of the photos they took together and blocked their numbers since they don’t want to be tied to their exes in any way.

The members of the group have undergone different breakups at some point in their life. Perrie Edwards and Zayn Malik dated for four years before their relationship ended.

 

2. Taylor Swift – Back To December

Taylor Swift apologizes to her ex-boyfriend Taylor Lautner for ending their relationship without any solid reason. In an interview with Comcast, she revealed that this was the first time she had ever apologized on a song. She admitted being careless with him since their relationship was perfect. Taylor felt insecure about their relationship and didn’t trust him. At present, Taylor now sees he was trustworthy and she wishes she could go back in time and tell herself to trust him so they can be together again.

The song was part of Speak Now (2010) and was certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA. The song peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It went on to win two BMI Awards which are ‘Publisher of the Year and Award Winning Songs’ and ‘Choice Break-Up Song’. Taylor Swift wrote the song while in the bathroom of her plane.

 

3. Taylor Swift – Dear John

The track is about Taylor Swift’s short relationship with fellow musician John Mayer. We see her getting frustrated over how he treated her and how she disregarded the warnings from others.

On her website, Taylor stated that the song is like the last email you would ever send to someone that you used to be in a relationship with. You vent and say everything that you want to say to them and then you don’t send it.

Another indication that the song was about her ex-John, is that she added guitar slurring to the background instrumentals. This is a guitar-playing technique that Mayer often uses.

4. Taylor Swift – We Are Never Geeting Back Together

Taylor Swift sings about her ex-lover Jake Gyllenhall after they broke up. He had a habit of calling her whenever they broke up till she had enough of him and refused to get back with her. Should he try to use her friends to get to her, she lets him know that this time it won’t work.

The song is part of Taylor’s fourth studio album Red. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Record of Year and was Swift’s #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100. She stated in an interview that she was trying to portray what she felt when she finally stopped caring what her ex thought of her. He made her feel like she wasn’t as good or relevant as the hipster bands he listened to. So she made a song that she hoped would be played a lot.

5. Fletcher, Kito – Bitter

Bitter is Fletcher’s debut single from her sophomore album The S(ex) Tapes. It was first played in an episode of the television series The L Word.

Fletcher described that the song is about the moment when you want to move on to a new person but you know you aren’t ready. You experience a tug-of-war within yourself since breaking up with someone that you still care about is painful. Moving on starts to become really hard.

In the song, Fletcher taunts her ex claiming that he still thinks about her when he kisses his new girlfriend. She is bitter that he has moved on with his life.

 

6. Taylor Swift – I Knew You Were Trouble

In this track, Taylor Swift expresses her guilt due to a relationship that is destined to fail. She told MTV that it is based on an experience she had in a previous relationship. She knew from the second she saw him that the relationship would be interesting and dangerous. Despite the danger signs, she still went ahead with it. She didn’t want to regret not seeing where it would go.

The song is off the album Red and ended up spending seven weeks at the #1 spot on the Hot 100 chart.

 

7. Adele – Send My Love

The upbeat pop record was directed toward the guy Adele dated between the subject of much of 21 and her husband, Simon Konecki. She delivers the message that she no longer cares about the relationship anymore since they are both now grownups and thus they should be old enough to move on for a relationship that ended a long time ago.

Adele is ready to move to the next chapter of her life and no longer wants to pine over something that has already been lost. She no longer wants to write music about her ex and is no longer angry about whatever happened between them.

 

8. Adele – Someone Like You

This is the second single off of Adele’s sophomore album, 21 and was inspired by the broken relationship which led to the creation of most of the album. It speaks of Adele coming to terms with its end. She would like to get back with him but in the end, all she can do is reminisce about the good times they had. She wishes him all the best.

The song was able to win the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012.

 

9. Camila Cabello – Cry For Me

This is the third single from Camila’s sophomore studio album, Romance (2019). Lyrically, we see her coming from a breakup and wanting her ex to feel as melancholic as she herself is feeling. She didn’t like it that he moved on so fast and became happy while she is still mourning the end of the relationship.

Camila revealed that she first wrote a version of this song back when she was 16 and she called it I’m pissed off you’re happy. It was inspired by a personal experience when her ex-boyfriend moved very fast and she was engulfed with the feeling of jealousy.

 

10. Paula DeAnda – Walk Away

This is one of Paula’s biggest songs and it ended up peaking at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100, #4 on Billboard’s To 40 Mainstream chart and #10 on the Billboard Pop 100.

Lyrically, Paula compares her ex’s new girlfriend to herself in terms of things they do for him. She tells him that even though his new girlfriend is very attractive she would never match up to her.

 

11. Olivia Rodrigo – Deja Vu

This is the second single from Olivia’s debut album SOUR. Here we see her at a different stage post the breakup. She is beginning to move on from the heartbreak. However, she questions how authentic her ex-boyfriend’s new relationship is. She asks him is he is feeling deja vu when she does stuff with the new girl since he had already done them with her. She ends up wondering if he actually moved on or is simply in the rebound phase trying to replace her since he is dating a girl with a similar background to hers.

Before the making of the album SOUR, Olivia was dating Joshua Bassett whom the album is based on after their breakup. He moved on to Sabrina Carpenter who is an actress just like Olivia. She is known for her role in Disney’s Girl Meets World.

 

12. Olivia Rodrigo – Happier

Olivia wishes the best for an ex-lover and their new relationship but on the other hand, hopes to remain a significant memory in their life. She openly admits that she is selfish and won’t ever let him go. Even if he found someone new, she wishes that they are not as happy as compared to when he was with her.

Olivia wants him to know that even though she is letting him go, she wants him to remember that she was the best he could ever get. She reminds him that all the sweet things the is telling his new girl, he told her first.

 

13. Olivia Rodrigo – Good 4 U

This is the third single from Olivia’s debut album SOUR. She uses sarcasm in the hook of the song as she addresses her ex-boyfriend for quickly moving on from the relationship without much of an issue or any care towards her at all. She is bitter about the whole scenario and wishes him all the best sarcastically plus hopes she will have the last laugh.

In the music video, she plays a high school cheerleader who is feeling vindictive over her former partner. She purchases gasoline and goes ahead to destroy her ex’s bedroom.

 

14. Mariah Carey – Up Out My Face (Remix)

The song is part of Mariah’s remix album Angels Advocate (2010) where she remixed a number of songs by collaborating with major artists such as Ne-Yo, Gucci Mane, T-Pain, Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj and OJ da Juiceman.

Lyrically, Mariah delivers a message to her ex-boyfriend asking him not to try and interact with her whenever she sees him. When she breaks up with someone it’s fully over and even went ahead to inform all his friends of their current situation.

 

15. Beyonce – Best Thing I Never Had

The track was released as the second single off Beyonce’s 2011 album 4. It peaked at #4 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Beyonce sings about her boyfriend experiencing karma. During the early period of their relationship, he did everything right and she saw him as perfect but he eventually revealed his true self. Beyonce had begun falling for him initially but afterward she didn’t like what she saw. She now feels like she dodged a bullet by not being with him.

 

16. Beyonce – Irreplaceable

The song was originally written by Ne-Yo from a male perspective but Beyonce came on board and made some modifications. In the track, she destroys the guy she just broke up with in his attempt to try and manipulate her. She tells him that he is just another disposable guy whom she can replace within a short period of time.

Back in 2007, the track hit #1 spot and ended up being one of her longest-running number-one tracks.

 

17. Rihanna – Needed Me

The track is essentially a female empowerment anthem where Rihanna refuses to give a man she was involved with any extra attention nor stroke his ego. She claims that she cannot be tamed and he was just another guy on her hit list. She enjoyed the time she spent with him but in reality, it wasn’t that deep for her.

The song peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and spent a total of 45 weeks on the chart.

 

18. Jennifer Lopez – All I Have

The track is the second single from Jennifer Lopez’s third studio album This Is Me…Then. It reached number one status in the United States and was able to remain in the top spot for four weeks. It ended up being the 15th most successful song on the Billboard Hot 100 of 2003.

Jennifer and LL Cool J play as a couple in the song. The two had just broken up and Jennifer was trying her all to move on from him. However, LL Cool J tries to convince her otherwise and urges her to forgive him and take him back.

 

19. Ariana Grande – Break Free

This is the second single off Ariana’s 2012 project ‘My Everything’. She is tired of her ex’s lies and has opened her eyes plus embraced who she really is. She now knows that he will only cause her pain. She feels she is strong enough to break free from him and cut off whatever she feels is holding her back.