3 Pop Breakup Anthems From the 90s That Everyone Loves (Even if You’re Happily Taken)

Here are some breakup anthems from the 90s that everyone loves. Whether you’re single, taken, or recovering from a broken heart, these songs are guaranteed to make you feel something.

“How Do I Live” by LeAnn Rimes

Penned by songstress Dianne Warren, “How Do I Live” is a ballad that explores the yearning side of a breakup. Trisha Yearwood also recorded a version of this song.

“Diane really hit the co-dependency nerve of our society with ‘How Do I Live’ — it’s played at weddings, funerals and just about every pivotal life-altering moment,” Rimes told Billboard. “There’s magic to great songwriters, their heartfelt lyrics and the right voice that soulfully delivers that message and we seem to have been the perfect storm. I loved it from the very moment Diane played it for me.”

“You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette

Featured on Morissette’s iconic album Jagged Little Pill, “You Oughta Know” is basically a diss track on an unspecified ex-boyfriend, whom Morissette refers to as “Mr. Duplicity”.

Speaking on who the inspiration behind her songs is, Morissette had this to say in 2008:

“Well, I’ve never talked about who my songs were about and I won’t, because when I write them they’re written for the sake of personal expression,” she told The Vancouver Sun. “So with all due respect to whoever may see themselves in my songs, and it happens all the time, I never really comment on it because I write these songs for myself, not other people.”

“Ex-Factor” by Ms. Lauryn Hill

This song was both a pop and R&B success. “Ex-Factor” was a Top 40 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also peaked at number seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. This song is unique because of its structure—Hill sings different melodies over a series of two chords. In one of the most memorable parts of the song, Hill dissects a relationship that seems like it’s ending.

No matter how I think we grow
You always seem to let me know
It ain’t workin’ (It ain’t workin’)
It ain’t workin’ (It ain’t workin’)
And when I try to walk away
You’d hurt yourself to make me stay
This is crazy (This is crazy)
Oh, this is crazy (This is crazy).

Photo by: Gie Knaeps/Getty Images