India.Arie has a song that discusses the wonders of the world, which she recounts to prove to a radio pundit, that God is indeed real. In similar fashion, we can recount any bad breakup or relationship experience to show that heartbreak is real. Luckily for us, we have talented contemporaries who artistically convey their trials and tribulations for us to take an opportunity (if only for that moment) to touch and agree through song.
I am not going to lie, I was asked to provide a list of my top 5 heartbreak songs of all time. I don’t know if it’s because I have had more than my fair share of stories like the one told in Toni Braxton’s Another Sad Love Song or not, but let me say this- I couldn’t do 5, I couldn’t do 10 and I literally had to fight myself to keep it 20. Because I have outside-of-the-box thinkers around me, (HEY SPECIAL! LOL), I have decided to submit my top songs of heartbreak in 5 distinct categories. Let me offer this disclaimer: THE LIST IS NOT MEANT TO BE EXHAUSTIVE. I am sure after the dating phase I am in now crashes and burns, I will have another 20 songs I could add to this list… just as I am sure you will have a couple songs that you feel have been left off the list unjustifiably. My bad if you feel affronted in advance.
ACHES
India.Arie – “Ready for Love” – In probably one of her most beloved and popular songs, she puts it all on the line. Begging… pleading for fate to grant her the gift we all want… REAL LOVE.
Whitney Houston – “Why Does It Hurt So Bad?”– I sit watching “Waiting to Exhale” often and every damn time… Nippy gets me. EVERY DAMN time. This one is self-explanatory, after all she is THE VOICE. (May she rest in peace.)
John Legend – “Again”– If you can’t identify with the pain and angst in his voice when this ADONIS belts out this song… you must be a rock.
Rose Royce – “Wishing On A Star”– I have cried night after night, looking out on the sky from my fire escape humming this classic to myself. I’m wishing on everything… if it’s going to bring me a man worth having… Where’s the damn unicorn? I need to touch his horn.
ANGER
Jazmin Sullivan – “Bust the Windows” and it’s clever follow-up featuring Ne-Yo’s “You Get on My Damn Nerves” – I can literally think of a time I considered going to homeboy’s house and writing my initials in the side of his car with a crowbar. Yeah it was me muh’fucka- AND WHAT! You get on my damn nerves… and I want you to know it.
Beyoncé – “Irreplaceable & Resentment” – This is another two for one. You know you have had that dude who was so convinced that he was the best thing you ever had, and then you had to put him on notice and “to the left that ass”! The only thing he left you with was resentment for the time and energy you wasted on his TLC Scrub ass.
ANXIETY
Adele – “Set Fire to the Rain” – The song that fueled the premise for the cover of “Songs in the Key of Heartbreak,” the powerhouse songstress is so heavy with emotion and rage, she sets fire to the very item of nature created to put fires out. #POWERFUL
Erykah Badu – “Green Eyes & Out My Mind Just in Time” – Easily two of my favorite songs of all time. (Both are featured in “Songs in the Key of Heartbreak”). But what’s so clever about Erykah is how she gives new life to things so ordinary. Tying green eyes to eating vegetables instead of the obvious envy that stirs in her soul; recovering from giving too much to a man that gave you nothing in return. Sad. Real. Truth.
Five For Fighting – “Superman” – What gives this song its mojo is not the obvious allusion to the superhero, but rather the subliminal allusion to his alter ego Clark Kent. We can’t live up to the persona of the hero – I CAN’T BE EVERYTHING YOU WANT ME TO BE – but I need you to love me anyway.
John Legend – “Everybody Knows” – Trying to convince your man that everything isn’t going to be all peaches and crème is the hardest thing to do in the pursuit of love. The sad truth is, everyone really knows what no one knows and there are no answers to the most basic questions. Who wouldn’t be anxious as a result of this realization?
APOLOGETIC
Ledisi – “Trippin’ “– The soulful songstress turns upbeat in this apology for refusing to settle and moving on hit. She says it best when she says that she simply ain’t trippin’ over him… we all need the strength to say enough is enough and keep it moving.
Kimberly Locke – “I Can’t Make You Love Me”– By far my favorite cover of the song and it’s because you can feel the raw emotion in Kim’s realization that he will never love her for her… and she’s sorry but she has had enough.
Maxwell – “Pretty Wings” – In the song that put an end to all speculation about this sexy man’s hiatus from the industry, we see him letting his love go and that he attempts to make amends for all that he did wrong. I truly hope that time will bring the end of all trials. #NOREALLY
Rihanna – “Farewell”– In another song about coming to grips with letting go, the reigning Princess of Pop manages to convince me that she is really sorry for how things ended, and that she wishes him the best in all he does – if he feels that he has to leave. Hell, after this, I forgave her.
Bill Withers – “Ain’t No Sunshine” – This classic is SELF EXPLANATORY… The man literally lays it all out on the line… there’s nothing but gloom and despair in the wake of her departure. COME BACK HOME!
ARBITRATION
Fantasia – “Ain’t Gon’ Beg You” – It what appears to be the opposite of arbitration, Fannie (princess of scream) says point blankly, do what you are supposed to or keep it moving. So, it’s not so much a matter of arbitration as it is an ultimatum, but hey… he does have a choice!
John Legend – “This Time” – This man’s million dollar voice lays it on the line one last time outlining all the terms and conditions. WHERE THE F*** DO I SIGN?! #IDigress
Rihanna – “California King Bed”– My favorite Ri-Ri song, but mostly because we have all at one point or another experienced laying in a bed with our partner with distance the size of the Atlantic Ocean between us. Come close, make me feel wanted, why don’t you? Don’t you love me anymore?!
Jill Scott – “My Love” – I am on the fence on whether the Queen of Neo-Soul is trying to win back her former flame or not, but what’s not hard to miss is the comparison she makes between herself and the other woman without mentioning her after the first 30-seconds of this hit. It’s really a simple choice to make… deeper, tighter, sweeter, higher, flyer- you should know this.
Usher – “Work for Love” – R&Bs main man makes his point clear in this hidden track and hidden gem. I have nothing to offer for collateral, he says, but I will do whatever I can if you will help me find love. Who among us with a soul can refuse that?
About this Contributor:
D. Cornell Butler, Jr. is a native Marylander who is a self-described music lover and hopeless romantic. His first novel “Songs in the Key of Heartbreak” (Release Date: Summer 2012) is the first part of what is intended to be a three-part series chronicling one man’s journey to truth, life and love. Connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @TheRealDCBJ.
