5 Not-So-Subtle Country Breakup Songs - And The Move From 'Dumped' To 'Liberated'

Times have changed in the world of breakups. Once upon a time, breakup songs were all about heartbreak and feeling sorry four ourselves. If we’re being honest, breakup songs (for the most part) used to really be about a girl losing her guy and crying about how she’ll ever go on without him. These days, a girl can really stick it to her man when he crosses her, and the world will always back her for standing up for herself. Artists like Carrie Underwood get nothing but praise when they have the confidence to tell a man what they want out of the relationship, and if the man can’t give them that then they’re moving on. Writer for Elite Daily, Chris Riotta researched a study that proved the grass is greener on the other side of a breakup. Students were interviewed about their past relationships, and every single participant listed some positive life changes as a result of their breakup (Elite Daily). You’re about to listen to a few of both song types, but we’ll save the best for last. Regardless of how the breakup went, there’s a certain excitement in knowing the inside story of any situation, and these songs lay it all out for country music lovers letting listener hear every detail of the heartbreak that struck. Sometimes, if we’re lucky and the artist is feeling extra…let’s say passionate, they’ll even describe actual characteristics of the ex or use their real name (see “Dear John” by Taylor Swift). Whether the song leaves them crying until they can’t any longer or lights that fire in them to get up and move on, these country songs spell out stories that let the listener feel like they’re experiencing it right by the artist’s side.

“I Fall to Pieces” (1961) by Patsy Cline

Written by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard, this is the story of a woman whose lover doesn’t want to be with her, and Cline sings it as if the story were her own. In the very first line of the song, Cline is telling her lover that she falls to pieces every time she sees him—we’ve all been there. Cline sings her poor, broken heart out asking how her lover could just leave her behind, and have the nerve to tell her to “find someone else to love/Someone who’ll love me too”. He even expects her act like they’ve never met *eye roll*! Cline sings out just a little bit harder while singing “And I’ve tried and I’ve tried”, showing what a hold her lover has on her heart. She even finishes the song by telling him that every time she goes out with someone new, all he has to do is walk by and she falls to pieces.

Poor Patsy, stuck in the days when the man always won the breakup. Everyone has that one love who never leaves the back of our minds, but hopefully the rest of us can pull through more easily than Patsy!

“As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone” (1974) by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn

Conway Twitty wrote this song about a woman who desperately wants to stay in her relationship, but her man spends the entire song trying to explain to her that the rumors are true – the two of them are over. Loretta Lynn sings the part of the woman, while Twitty speaks the part of the man as if it were a real phone conversation. When Twitty first breaks the news to her, you can hear the pain in her voice when Lynn sings, “Oh no, Oh no/I can’t believe that it’s true”, crushed by the idea that her relationship could really be over. She thought he was calling to tell her the rumors were wrong! Luckily, soon enough she picks her head up and calmly calls him out on his heartlessness when she sings, “You say that you had all your fun”. She knows that the second she hangs up, the break up will be final.

As far as I’m concerned, Twitty could’ve been starting the rumors himself. Loretta, you’re better off without him! Maybe she’d feel the same way if this had all happened a few decades later. Everyone knows no decent man would break up with a woman over the phone, if for some terrible reason this has happened to you, this is a perfect song to play while curling up in bed with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.

“Before He Cheats” (2006) by Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood didn’t write this song herself, but boy, did she sell it. The writers, Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins made the song so up front and the story so powerful specifically to “actually get her [the girlfriend] pissed!” (The Boot). At the start of the song, Underwood smoothly sings about her man, “probably slow dancing with a bleached-blonde tramp”, buying her “some fruity little drink” because she can’t shoot whiskey. Underwood doesn’t just let him sneak around behind her back and hope he’ll come back to her. She comes into the chorus belting her heart out, telling her listeners that little does her man know, she keyed his truck, carved her name into the seats, slashed his tires and even “took a Louisville slugger to both headlights”, so “maybe next time he’ll think before he cheats”. That’ll show him!

Listeners can’t help but hang on her every word, waiting to hear what she did next to this sleaze ball’s truck. Her powerful voice pumps up the audience to never tolerate a cheater, and this song has become an anthem for women who’ve been cheated on. Underwood said she’s more of a ‘let it go, move on’ kind of girl even after she has been cheated on, but this song is enough to make any girl turn off the Twitty and Lynn sob songs, stand up for herself and ditch the dude. We’ll leave it up to the ladies to choose their methods, be it with words or a Louisville slugger.

“Dear John” (2010) by Taylor Swift

A song every fifteen year old held close to her heart, “Dear John” was written by Taylor Swift about being manipulated by someone you love, specifically ex boyfriend, John Mayer. It’s been proven that music is linked to mood, and music is even used for therapeutic purposes, especially if the music is from one’s own culture, and this song is the perfect example of that therapy people can find in the stories told through music (Psychology Today). The song begins with Swift singing about even her mom noticing how broken up she’d been and how she promised she was fine – we all know mothers know their daughters better than anyone. Mayer is a few years older than Swift, and she calls him out on taking advantage of that in the chorus. She asks, “Dear John, I see it all now that you’re gone/Don’t you think I was too young/To be messed with?”, blaming him for shattering her fragile heart. As the name proves, Swift had no reservations about letting the whole world know who broke her heart and how.

The classic story of the young girl falling for the older boy and having her heart broken, anyone could feel the lyrics of this song on a personal level. Similar to Loretta Lynn standing up to Twitty in “As Soon As I Hang Up The Phone”, Swift shows (on a far more powerful level) that she’s powering through when she sings that she took Mayer’s matches and now, “I’m shining like fireworks/over your sad empty town”. Mayer, on the other hand, felt humiliated by the song. He has a reputation for being heartless, but insisted that he didn’t deserve it and that the song made him feel terrible (MTV News). Don’t worry, girls, the boy who hurt you is wrong, and you can write a song about him if you see fit.

“I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song)” (2002) by Brad Paisley

Written by Brad Paisley and Frank Rogers when Paisley was still only a college student, the two came up with the song to make themselves laugh. Paisley sings about his woman giving him an ultimatum—he can keep fishing all day every day, or he can choose her. By the title alone, I’m sure you can guess which option he chose. The honkytonk tune of the song keeps listeners upbeat and smiling, as he sings about how much he’ll miss his girl. He goes on to say, “I’m sure it’ll hit me” when he walks through the door and finds an empty home, but gets distracted almost too easily when, “Oh, lookie there, I’ve got a bite”.

Unlike the emotion-packed songs we’ve listed so far, Paisley seems to have a blissful little smile on his face throughout the entire song, as depicted in the music video. This song focuses on the other end of the breakup, but regardless, the woman ditched the man for not treating her right! Funnily enough, the woman in the video soon became his wife, and they’ve been happily married for over a decade now. While this song doesn’t exactly tug at the heart strings, Paisley told The Associated Press that this type of song actually gets the biggest rise out of women because women can see right through the lovey-dovey songs telling her she’s perfect (Brad Paisley Songfacts). If your significant other isn’t treating you right, say goodbye. On the other hand, if your significant other is trying to make you give up something you love, turn up this song, head out to do some more of that thing you love, and wave goodbye to whoever was trying to change you.

Whether you've been dumped over the phone, cheated on, or made the decision to walk away from someone who wasn't right for you, country music artists have written a song for every kind of breakup. Way back when, a breakup song was always a sob story—the woman left behind, playing the victim, wondering what she did wrong. As the years go by, artists, especially female artists, are being praised for standing up for themselves and making a statement against the ones who treated them badly. Maybe songs like "Before He Cheats" wouldn't have been accepted 50 years ago, but they sure are now. Especially for people who have been through one of these breakups, the newer songs help them get off their butts and go on with their lives. Country music is all about community, and these breakup songs that tell a crystal clear story allowing for people to come together and feel like a part of a community—a community of people who've had their hearts broken, and a community of people who will come out on top.