Top 10 Country Breakup Songs

#10: “Better than Revenge” (2010)Taylor Swift

Sometimes a breakup can bring out the worst in you. Swift’s third studio album included this energetic track about a girl who stole the singer’s boyfriend, and all the ways she isn’t all that. The song proved a little bit too bitter for most fans’ tastes, however. The satire of the romantic rival’s promiscuous ways in the chorus especially leaned into sex-shaming. This led Swift to release a new version with an altered chorus, expressing regret about the low jab. For people who have been cheated on, however, this song is unfortunately relatable and could have gone a lot farther.

#9: “How Do You Like Me Now?!” (1999)

Toby Keith

Speaking of romantic revenge, this song also gives good schadenfreude. Co-written with Chuck Cannon, this song follows the singer’s memories of his high school crush, the good girl valedictorian who once rejected his bad boy ways. Now the singer is famous, and his old crush is stuck in a failing marriage with kids. How do you like them apples, indeed. For anyone who has ever had their dreams mocked by an ex, Keith’s track goes hard, pointed, cheeky, and even a little triumphant. The song was a big hit, reaching No. #1 on Billboard’s U.S. Country Songs and certified double platinum. Keith got the last word on this one.

#8: “I’m Over You” (1990)

Keith Whitley

He’s not crying, he’s just got something in his eye. Anyone who has had to put up a brave face to the world - and to an ex - will know what this song is about. Depending on how you interpret them, the lyrics express both cool aloofness and deep pain from a breakup. The song was released after Whitley’s death of substance use poisoning, reaching No. #15 on Billboard’s Country Songs for the year 1990. His son released an acoustic version of the song years later, proving that breakup songs are never of an age, but are for all time.

#7: “Tin Man” (2017)

Miranda Lambert

Lambert has done heartbreak in the past, especially the full-throated desolation of “Mama’s Broken Heart.” There is also the fire-and-brimstone verve of “Gunpowder and Lead,” about a woman’s revenge against her abusive ex. But “Tin Man” brings something fresh and new to the breakup theme. Here, we see Lambert apostrophizing the Tin Man of “Wizard of Oz” fame about his desire for a heart. Her advice? Don’t bother even getting one, as it will only get broken. She should know. It’s a neat, creative spin on a very old theme, and it even became certified platinum. This “Tin Man” has a lot of heart.

#6: “What Hurts the Most” (2006)

Rascal Flatts

Revenge songs aside, pain and breakups go together like a horse and carriage. Written by Jeffrey Steele and Steve Robson in 2003, this song embraces the theme of lost love to its fullest degree. Although it was covered by other artists before them, Rascal Flatts made the song into a blockbuster hit with their country rock version. This cover reached No. #6 on the “Billboard” Hot 100 and was certified five times platinum. Other versions, like Cascada’s, went with a more pop approach. However you arrange it, this song’s message of heartache and heartbreak rings loud, clear, and universal.

#5: “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” (1975)

Willie Nelson

We always keep in mind Nelson’s “Always on My Mind,” an oldie but a goodie about the speaker regretting his awful behavior to his ex. An even more iconic breakup song, however, has to be this poignant poetic number about breaking up with a beloved. Originally written by Fred Rose in 1947, the song was previously recorded by countless artists throughout the years, including Elvis Presley. Nelson’s version, however, won him a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male. Love may be like a dying ember, but this song will live on.

#4: “The Dance” (1990)

Garth Brooks

Who says that breakup songs have to be full of acrimony? This number, written by Tony Arata and recorded by Brooks, has the singer reflecting on the end of a love affair and even his own time without regret. It is worth it, he gracefully concludes, to have the dance rather than miss it. It’s a mature and poignant perspective, and a tribute to lives untimely lost. “The Dance” was a worldwide hit, proclaimed Song of the Year by the Academy of Country Music. To this day, it is Brooks’ signature song. We’re glad to have this dance.

#3: “Before He Cheats” (2006)

Carrie Underwood

When it comes to vengeful breakup songs, there is nothing more satisfying than blasting this wild track. Underwood’s gritty tale of a wronged woman smashing her potentially cheating ex’s car struck a big chord with audiences. For five weeks, it topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It also reached No. #8 on the Hot 100 and stayed on that chart for 64 consecutive weeks. With an 11 times platinum certification, it is one of the best-selling country songs ever, and it’s clear why. Underwood’s tough-as-nails delivery is perfect for this take-no-prisoners song. For a breakup song that doubles as a confidence booster, “Before He Cheats” hits the spot.

#2: “Crazy” (1961)

Patsy Cline

It’s crazy how successful a song can be. This iconic song was originally written by Willie Nelson himself in a typically twangy country arrangement. It was Patsy Cline, however, who made it into an iconic hit. It has since become a country music standard and was even inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2003 by the Library of Congress. Here, the singer laments their feelings of heartbreak, sadly reflecting that the breakup was all too inevitable. With an expressive delivery and a lovely swing arrangement, Cline’s jazzy vocals make us feel every moment of this heartbreak. We’ll be drinking alone in the dark to this song.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Smoke Rings in the Dark” (1999), Gary Allan

This Song Burns as Slow as Whiskey

“Space Cowboy” (2018), Kacey MusgravesSunsets Fade, but This Single Will Never

“Consider Me Gone” (2009), Reba McEntireIf You Don’t Get Moved By This Track, Consider Us Perplexed

“Stay” (2007), Sugarland

Careful, This Number Will Have Us Running Back to Our Exes

#1: “I Will Always Love You” (1973)

Dolly Parton

But one breakup song we will always love is this ballad. Everyone’s favorite musician, Dolly Parton, originally wrote and recorded this song about a singer breaking up with her lover but lovingly wishing them well. Her version was very successful by all accounts, hitting No. 1 in the Billboard Hot Country Song charts twice. Whitney Houston came along with a pop version in 1992 that launched the song into the stratosphere, becoming certified 11 times platinum. But whether belted or sung sweetly, the message is the same: That of bittersweet self-sacrifice. Now that is a breakup we can get behind.

Which other breakup country song always makes your eyes cry in the rain? Let us know in the comments down below!