This 1977 Classic Ranked the 'Best Breakup Song' of All Time
- - This 1977 Classic Ranked the 'Best Breakup Song' of All Time
Jacqueline Burt CoteJanuary 18, 2026 at 4:00 AM
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Photo by Michael Ochs Archives on Getty Images
As countless romantics all over the world have learned, there's nothing like music to help soothe the pain of a broken heart. That's why so many chart-topping songs over the years have been about what happens when love goes wrong...but which hit tune provides the most relief to the lovelorn?
That's what the staff of Ultimate Classic Rock tried to determine in 2024 with a list of the "40 Best Breakup Songs" ever, and chances are just about every music lover can find one of their favorite tracks to cry over among the selections. From "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" by Phil Collins at #25 to "Yesterday" by the Beatles at #19 to "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" by Bob Dylan at #12, a number of noteworthy classics were given their due credit.
The top five songs included some highly deserving picks: At #5, "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers; at #4, the perennial Rolling Stones favorite "Angie." Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" took the number #3 slot, while Sinead O'Connor's cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Prince was ranked #2.
Fleetwood Mac fans won't be surprised by UCR's pick for #1 best breakup song: "Go Your Own Way" off the iconic 1977 album Rumours won the very top spot.
Of course, as longtime fans know well, part of the reason why "Go Your Own Way" is such a powerful song is because it was inspired by the real-life breakup of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
"Lindsey and I were lovers,” Nicks explained in a 2005 interview with Blender. “But we were on the point of breaking up when we joined Fleetwood Mac. For the greater good of the band, though, we decided to put our breakup on hold. We were beginning to become rockstars, and we had to get another album together.”
“We had to go through this elaborate exercise of denial, keeping our personal feelings in one corner of the room while trying to be professional in the other," Buckingham noted in the same interview.
While "Go Your Own Way" told Buckingham's side of the story, Nicks took issue with the lyrics.
“I very, very much resented him telling the world that ‘packing up, shacking up’ with different men was all I wanted to do,” she said in a 1997 Rolling Stone interview. “He knew it wasn’t true.”
Stevie Nicks had a different take on the end of her relationship with Lindsey Buckingham
Nicks shared her own feelings on her relationship with Buckingham in the Fleetwood Mac hit "Dreams," as she told Blender.
“'Dreams' was open and hopeful, but in 'Go Your Own Way,' his heart was closed,” she said. “That’s how I felt. That line, 'When the rain washes you clean,' to me, that was like being able to start again, and that’s what I wanted [for] Lindsey. I wanted him to be happy.”
Decades later, fans are still finding both takes on the doomed romance just as relatable as ever.
Related: The True Story Behind the Iconic Fleetwood Mac Performance Fans Still Can't Get Over
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
