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3 Pop Breakup Anthems From the 90s That Everyone Loves (Even if You’re Happily Taken)
American Songwriter has rounded up three pop breakup anthems from the 1990s that remain enduringly popular, regardless of listeners' current relationship status. The list highlights ballads and tracks that captured heartbreak, betrayal and lingering attachment, songs that have since become staples at weddings, funerals and other emotional milestones.
The selections span different styles within the genre, from tender yearning to sharp-tongued kiss-offs, showing the breadth of ways 90s pop tackled the end of a relationship.
– "How Do I Live" by LeAnn Rimes — written by Diane Warren, a yearning ballad also recorded by Trisha Yearwood, later described by Rimes as tapping into society's "co-dependency nerve" – "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette — a scathing diss track from Jagged Little Pill aimed at an ex Morissette calls "Mr. Duplicity", though she has never confirmed his identity – "Ex-Factor" by Ms. Lauryn Hill — a Top 40 pop and R&B hit that peaked at number seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, noted for its two-chord structure and vivid depiction of a crumbling relationship
In short
- Three 90s breakup songs highlighted as timeless pop anthems
- Featured: LeAnn Rimes, Alanis Morissette and Lauryn Hill tracks
- Songs span tender ballads to sharp, confrontational lyrics
Explained simply
In the 1990s, pop and R&B songs about relationships ending took many forms, from longing ballads to angry confrontations. Three songs often associated with that era are “How Do I Live” by LeAnn Rimes, “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette and “Ex-Factor” by Ms. Lauryn Hill.
The songs explore different parts of heartbreak: yearning for someone, confronting an ex and watching a relationship fall apart. Their continued use at emotional milestones reflects how listeners can connect with their themes even when they are not going through a breakup.
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