The AV Club offers a list of 28 gleeful breakup songs, a category that includes some great tunes. The comments contain some good additional suggestions, and they still missed one of my all-time favorites, “Bye, Bye” by the Subdudes (if that link won’t play, you can get a cell-phone camera live version on YouTube— skip the first 0:50 or so). I’m sure there are plenty of other good ones missing as well.
Of course, the real gem of the article is this charming little tune from Cee-Lo Green:
That’s spectacular. Apparently this was a viral Internet smash– the sort of thing that gets a song that can’t possibly be played on the radio a really slick video– but I missed it until now. It’s a great tune, though.
Sadly, not something I can crank up around SteelyKid…
Anyway, that’s about all I’ve got for today. If you’ve got a favorite cheerful kiss-off song, leave it in the comments.
They missed my favorite:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg1reEznWr0
Sorry. I probably should have mentioned the artist and title.
Bobby Bare Jr. – Valentine
I was surprised to see Ween’s Piss Up A Rope there. I thought I was the only person familiar with that album. I was also a bit surprised that none of the following three songs made the list:
Patty Smyth – Goodbye to you
The Tubes – Talk to ya later
Ray Charles – Hit the road, Jack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCniDMeOQ8U
Some versions of my favorite “I’ve been dumped song” sound positively cheerful: Ani Difranco’s Untouchable Face. Plus, it has the line “there’s a changing constellation of balls as we are playing. I see orion and say nothing. The only thing i can think of saying is f**k you….” It really doesn’t get any better than that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W80Ae5hEOA
I got ninety-nine problems, but a bitch ain’t one!
Casual Conservations – Supertramp
This one gives me a laugh, but mostly for personal reasons. A girl in high school quit talking to me and wouldn’t tell me why. After a while I jotted the lyrics to this song down and handed them to her after first hour. I think she thought it was going to be some sappy apology or something. At lunch she walked up to me and threw literally a thousand little pieces of paper in my face (the torn up lyric sheet). My friends dove for the pieces to put it together to find out what I wrote. I was laughing so hard.
I never bring this up at class reunions. 🙂
I’ve always been fond of Bright Eyes’ “I Woke Up With This Song in My Head This Morning,” which has the pleasure of both being a driving, fast-paced song unlike most of his ouevre and to start with his typical mopey lyrics that are twisted into triumphal ones two verses in. The liner notes say it was a cover, but I’ve found no evidence anyone else ever recorded it.
“For Lovin’ Me”, written by Gordon Lightfoot, recorded most famously by Peter, Paul, and Mary. Complete with the taunt that just when her heart is on the mend, he just might pay another visit.
Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” is technically not a breakup song because he hasn’t actually left her yet, but you know he’s going to choose one of those ways. Likewise Simon and Garfunkel’s “Overs”: “But each time I try on the thought of leaving you/I stop/I stop and think it over”.