4 Heartless Anti-Love Songs

Music history is full of heartbreak ballads. But the anti-love song is something very different.

Bob Dylan felt “Love Sick” on Time Out of Mind. Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote about the lies, pain, and sorrow in “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” made popular by Dionne Warwick. Bon Jovi once sang “You Give Love a Bad Name,” and who knows who “you” is but somebody broke Bon Jovi’s heart.

Still, a good old-fashioned spiteful song about an ex can be cathartic. But it also might lead to giving up on finding love again. The four bitter tunes below are living proof that love hurts.

“I Hate Myself for Loving You” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts from Up Your Alley (1988)

Joan Jett’s snarling regret anthem began as “I Hate Myself Because I Can’t Get Laid.” She later reworked the song with hit songwriter Desmond Child, creating something more palatable for mainstream audiences. It’s a defining song for Jett and features a guitar solo by former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor. Jett’s rage cuts through the high-gloss production and the gang vocals recall her cover of the Arrows’ “I Love Rock ’n Roll.”

Hey Jack, it’s a fact they’re talkin’ in town
I turn my back and you’re messin’ around
I’m not really jealous, don’t like lookin’ like a clown

“Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac from Rumours (1977)

Lindsey Buckingham wrote the bitter hit following his breakup with Stevie Nicks. Nicks objected to Buckingham’s “shacking up” lyric and told Rolling Stone she wanted to kill him onstage each time they’d perform the song. Fleetwood Mac made Rumours under the duress of the band members’ disintegrating relationships. “Go Your Own Way” is a special kind of anti-love song where Nicks must relive her ex’s bitterness while crowds sing the words back at her.

You can go your own way
Go your own way
You can call it
Another lonely day

“Tainted Love” by Soft Cell from Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (1981)

Gloria Jones’ 1964 soul song wasn’t hugely popular until it reached cult status in the UK as a Northern Soul dance hit. The Northern Soul movement was part of the British mod scene that scoured record bins for discarded American soul music. (Thanks to Generation Z, the subgenre is surging again in British clubs.) NPR, writing of the northern England working-class scene, said “If Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul, Jones is the Queen of Northern Soul.” Soft Cell turned Jones’ underground hit into a global smash. The extended dance version features a medley with The Supremes’ classic “Where Did Our Love Go.”

Sometimes I feel I’ve got to
Run away I’ve got to get away
From the pain you drive into the heart of me
The love we share
Seems to go nowhere
And I’ve lost my light
For I toss and turn, I can’t sleep at night

“You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette from Jagged Little Pill (1995)

If you like rock and roll with a dash of angst, the 1990s is your decade. However, things changed when a young Canadian singer traded pop music for alternative rock. Alanis Morissette’s scathing post-grunge hit became the touchstone for raw female confessionals. Morissette’s backing band on the track featured an all-star lineup including Flea, Dave Navarro, and Benmont Tench. The ubiquitous hit paved the way for artists like Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo. Careful, the blade on this banger is still sharp.

And every time you speak her name
Does she know how you told me
You’d hold me until you died?
Till you died, but you’re still alive

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