Plenty of songs about exes have hit the airwaves over the years. In fact, writing songs about being brokenhearted might just be the most common theme in music history. But when it comes to the following famous songs about exes, the exes in question were in the recording studio… and many of them contributed to the song as well. Let’s take a look at a few examples of this phenomenon.
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“Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac (1977)
This might just be the most famous example of songs about exes that were recorded with the ex in the room. In fact, this song was recorded with the ex on the song… and the entire album it was featured on.
The whole of Rumours, for the most part, is filled with songs about the tumultuous romantic entanglements between multiple band members, namely Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. “Go Your Own Way” was written by Buckingham about his split with Nicks. Nicks allegedly had some issues with a few of the lyrics, but the song made it to the final cut of the album anyway. Nicks can be heard singing backup on the track.
“The Winner Takes All” by ABBA (1980)
This ABBA classic was penned by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and released in 1980. Agnetha Fältskog sings lead. And, as any fan would know, Ulvaeus and Fältskog were once married. They famously divorced the same year this song was released. “The Winner Takes It All” is a song about the end of a relationship. I’m sure most could connect the dots there.
Ulvaeus has denied that this song was written about the pair’s divorce, noting that “there wasn’t a winner or a loser in our case” in reference to their breakup. However, it’s quite hard to hear this song as anything other than the emotional result of a relationship’s fallout.
“I Saw Her Again” by The Mamas & The Papas (1966)
Like Fleetwood Mac, The Mamas & The Papas had their share of overlapping romantic affairs. “I Saw Her Again” was written by members John Phillips and Denny Doherty. For reference, Doherty had a brief affair with member Michelle Phillips, who was married to John Phillips at the time. Michelle was also in another affair with Gene Clark of The Byrds. It was quite a mess, one that briefly resulted in Michelle’s expulsion from the group. “I Saw Her Again” was written about that tumultuous situation. And this entry on our list of songs about exes features the ex in question, Michelle, singing harmony with the rest of the band.
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