3 Classic Rock Songs That Only Exist Because the Band Was About To Break Up

Some great rock songs over the years were written and recorded specifically because the band in question was about to break up. Sometimes, a little fire under one’s bum is what’s needed to produce a great song. For some of these songs, they may not be the best, but they do mark the end of an era for their respective bands. Let’s look at a few examples, shall we?

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“Sympathy For The Devil” by Guns N’ Roses (1993)

The Spaghetti Incident? was released by hard rock band Guns N’ Roses back in 1993. And, sadly, it is also their worst-selling album to date, though it was received pretty well by fans. It’s the last album to feature Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum.

On that very album lies a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil”. And Slash even said himself that the cover was “the sound of the band breaking up.” Personally, I have fond memories of this cover, as it played at the end of the 1994 movie Interview With The Vampire.

“Let It Be” by The Beatles (1970)

Let It Be is technically the Fab Four’s final album. However, Abbey Road was actually recorded last. Let It Be was the result of contractual obligations in which the band had to release one more album before calling it quits. 

It’s a fine piece of work, don’t get me wrong. But hits like the title track were released out of necessity, as the band had broken up a month before Let It Be was released. Much of the album is made up of previously unreleased material. Fortunately, “Let It Be” is a gorgeous swan song, and a fine one to mark the end of the band’s tenure.

“Poles Apart” by Pink Floyd (1994)

Pink Floyd experienced their first breakup in 1994, ahead of the release of the album The Division Bell. That album came about after the lawsuit that Roger Waters launched against the band following his departure, as the remaining members planned to keep using the band’s name. The Division Bell was recorded without Waters and was mostly written by David Gilmour and Richard Wright. It would be Wright’s last album before his death and the band’s last album to be composed of wholly new material.

“Poles Apart” makes it to this list because it directly references Waters as well as former member Syd Barrett. Pink Floyd would embark on their final tour that very years before reuniting for reunions in the 2000s.

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