It's no question that people love to write songs about, well, love. These songs come in forms as varied as the artists who pen them: bitter breakup ballads; euphoric memories of puppy-dog infatuation; reflections on unrequited affection. But if love and hate exist on a spectrum, most songs seem to find themselves on one side or the other.
When we conducted an online poll last week asking for your favorite love and breakup songs, we were surprised to see many people picking the very same song for both categories, which got us thinking... Can the same song be both a great love song AND a breakup song?
Is there a song that can be both a great love song and a break up song?
— Bob Boilen (@BobBoilen) February 8, 2019
So, Bob Boilen posed the question on social media, asking you to tell us a song that is both a great love song and a great breakup song. Below, we've compiled the most frequently suggested tracks. With gut-wrenching lyricism and timeless melodic structure, these are the versatile standards that deserve heavy rotation at any point in a relationship.
The full list on songs can be found on NPR Music's Spotify page.
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