In honor of the new (and possibly last) 1D album releasing this past Friday (November 13), I thought long and hard about the romanticism each 1D album tends to hold. For every five love songs, there’s maybe one breakup song. For every song about “having fun” there’s one about losing someone. With five CD’s to peruse through, it was like taking a deep cold breath of agony.
Breakups are awful. Sometimes we try to ignore the pain of it and lean towards happiness. There’s the other part of us that grieves and wallows in our angst for the good of our souls.
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That’s where the break up songs come in. Also, who doesn't love boy band ballads?
1. The "Angry" Breakup: "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" (Four: Deluxe Edition, 2014)
We’ve all had that one breakup. Whether it be with a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a friend, etc., we’ve had the one where we’re screaming obnoxiously into a pillow, the air, the wind, other people’s faces. It’s a hard breakup to heal from, but this track on repeat might help relieve a bit of the tension.
2. The “Bitter” Breakup: “Spaces” (Four: Deluxe Edition, 2014)
It’s hard to think of a breakup without there being a “bitter” stage to it. Where you mask your feelings behind a wall of distaste that eventually becomes genuine distaste and your bitterness is vital to your grieving process. It’s the moment where you think something might have been able to change, where it could have been fixable, and then it ended up being too broken to repair. It leaves you a jaded mess and the thought of moving on is too hard to think about, but you pretend like the empty space next to you isn't noticeable.
3. The "Mutual" Breakup: “Same Mistakes” (Up All Night, 2011)
Despite being a “mutual” breakup, we do our best to move on after we raise our white flags. It’s never too much to say enough is enough, especially when a relationship has become toxic or detrimental to either of your mental health. When it’s time to call it quits, and you sit and have a civil, tearful conversation about it, this song is probably your background music.
4. The “Inevitable” Breakup: “Love You Goodbye” (Made In The A.M: Deluxe Edition, 2015)
You know when you take a test and you didn't study whatsoever, and you have that sinking feeling when you walk into class? The feeling that you're definitely going to fail it, and you're thinking of all the things you should have done, except for studying? Yeah. That rock in your gut feeling is the realization that failing is inevitable. It's just going to happen. By the time the test starts, you've pretty much accepted you're doomed. Sometimes breakups happen like that, and by the time you're realizing the relationship is headed for the dog house, you've accepted fate is well...fate. That's not to say you don't still love that person with every fiber of your being; it's just not going to work. That realization comes with this song as the soundtrack.
5. The “Spontaneous” Breakup – “Long Way Down” (Made In The A.M: Deluxe Edition, 2015)
Remember when 1D dropped "Drag Me Down" in the middle of the night/morning/day/afternoon/ etc.? The point is, is it was spontaneous. No one knew this iconic single was about to break the internet, and it surprised/shocked everyone when it hit. Here's the thing: Like a 1D song, (which is the whole point of this list), breakups happen spontaneously. Sometimes it happens in the middle of the night or day and there's not much you can do about it except take it as it comes. There's the inevitable comedown after a spontaneous heartbreak, and this song (which was totally written about Zayn) is the perfect song to cry while reading sappy texts that are only hours old.
6. The “Sad/Angsty/Crying Profusely/I Will Never Be OK Again" Breakup: “Half A Heart” (Midnight Memories: Deluxe Edition, 2013)
It's totally OK to feel incomplete without the significant other you've been with for however long. Don't let people tell you how to grieve. For those moments of pure sobbing confusion that sit in your chest on how to move on, let this 1D song guide your tears.
That was super cheesy, but you get the idea.
7.) The “We Can Still Be Friends” Breakup – “Summer Love” (Take Me Home: The Yearbook Edition, 2012)
This one is self-explanatory, but you know the breakup where it's super awkward, and you both know there's really no point in moving forward--whether it be because of time, places, jobs, college. It's a very adult thing to be able to let go of a relationship that you know would only end up being strenuous on both partners. It's the cliche route to say, "We can still be friends," and not mean it, but it takes guts to say whether you really can.
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All of the songs mentioned are available throughout stores worldwide, and I obviously do not own them. They were performed by One Direction. If they were performed by me they wouldn't be nearly as good.
