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Ah spring love...ah summer lovin...ah break ups.
You know, after a break-up it can be so much harder---or better listening to the radio. Some songs just really get ya! I've gotta say for me, in the past...I jammed to Dashboard Confessional and Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've been Gone."
What song helped you get through a breakup? I found this list on eHarmony and we are talking about it on the morning show Monday. The 10 most empowering breakup songs:
- You're So Vain -- Carly Simon. Nothing helps dull the pain of a bad breakup like a gripe session about the ex – and Carly Simon's 1972 hit is just that. With bitterness in her voice (and Mick Jagger on backup vocals), Carly recounts a love affair with a narcissistic philanderer.
- Trouble in Mind -- Various Artists. Unlike most blues songs, this one acknowledges that there's light at the end of the heartbreak tunnel. Trouble in Mind has been covered by dozens of artists since it was first recorded in 1926 by Bertha "Chippie" Hill. Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and Nina Simone are just a few who've delivered the song's optimistic message: The sun is going to shine in my back door some day.
- Kiss Off -- Violent Femmes. What ranks this among the great breakup empowerment anthems is the mid-song countdown of why the ex can "just kiss off into the air."
- You Keep Me Hangin' On -- The Supremes. As if getting dumped weren't bad enough, the ex who insists on checking up on you after the fact is just plain cruel. Diana Ross sings about the "Aha!" moment when she realizes her former flame is dangling his love in front of her simply to feed his own ego.
- The Sign -- Ace of Base. Ever waffle about a relationship until a defining moment pushes you over the edge? This is exactly what Swedish pop band Ace of Base refers to in their 1993 dance hit. The theme: Living well is the best revenge.
- Hit the Road Jack -- Ray Charles. You can't really tell who's to blame in this 1961 breakup song – essentially, a volley between Ray Charles and his backup singers. Ray is broke, and his girl seems to be an old shrew who wants him out. (What'd you say?) No matter whose side you take in this song, singing it feels good.
- Goodbye to You -- Scandal (featuring Patty Smyth). One can only pine so much over lost love before the stress becomes too overwhelming. Rock band Scandal, along with then-front woman Patty Smyth, released the unapologetic breakup tune Goodbye to You in 1982.
- Since U Been Gone -- Kelly Clarkson. You're clearly over the heartbreak hump when you realize that your life is way better without your former flame weighing you down. With unbridled energy, former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson sings about the stupidity you feel from being duped by a lying scoundrel and the liberation that comes from "so moving on."
- Respect -- Aretha Franklin. You know a relationship is in trouble when you literally have to spell out the problem to your significant other! That's what the Queen of Soul did when she couldn't get any respect from a man who wanted her to fork over a load of cash. Good thing she walked.
- I Will Survive -- Gloria Gaynor. After nearly 30 years, Gloria Gaynor's disco megahit remains the ultimate empowering breakup song, and there's no wonder why: It's danceable, powerful and inspiring. A tale of triumph over heartbreak and of newfound inner strength, how's that for survival?
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