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As we delve into topics like sexuality, class, race, and gender in this class, I began to wonder how these identities have been imposed upon us through media. To be more specific, I wonder how the concept of romantic love have been framed in breakup songs from past to present. These songs were the first sources that constructed my understanding of teenage love and romance.

In recent years, I observe a rising trend of breakup songs, and I find myself drawn towards the emotional aspects of these songs. This makes me wonder if breakup songs have always been this popular. I am also curious of whether the themes and styles have been the same throughout the decades.

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Anderson, Gracie. “The Heart-Wrenching History of the Breakup Album.” Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian Magazine, September 2, 2021. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/heart-wrenching-history-breakup-album-180978562/.

Billboard. “Billboard,” 2021. https://www.billboard.com/.

Kaplan, Karen. “Psychologists Explain Why We Love Breakup Songs, like Taylor Swift’s.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, April 19, 2024. https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2024-04-19/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-psychologists-explain-why-we-love-breakup-songs.

Travers, Mark. “Can Heartbreak Music Help You Move Past a Breakup? A Psychologist Weighs In.” Forbes, April 10, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2023/04/09/can-heartbreak-music-help-you-move-past-a-breakup-a-psychologist-weighs-in/?sh=32eb07835b75.

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In this google sheets, I compiled the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of each year from 1960 to 2023. For the songs in 2023 and 2022, I determined whether a song is a breakup song based on its lyrics and themes because Chatgpt is only updated until 2022. For the songs from the rest of the years, I asked ChatGpt to determine.

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I asked ChatGPT to write breakup songs sang by female with respectively 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s pop style.

Add a comment under one of the lyrics to explain why chose your answer to the poll.

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How well do you think ChatGpt has captured the distinctive styles of each decade? 

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Graph: Popularity of breakup songs (1960-2023)

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Graph: Popularity of breakup songs (1960-2023)

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If a song is ranked first, it receives 10 points; if ranked second, 9 points; and so forth.

A song only receives points if it is a breakup song

In the end, all of the points for each year is calculated. The higher the points are, the more popular breakup songs were in that year

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The graph does not show a clear trend between the years and the popularity of breakup songs.

There is a gap between the years 1973 to 1982. During this period, breakup songs were not popular

Between 1983 and 2023, the graph demonstrates overall stability with a slight, gradual upward trend.

The year 2023 is an outlier: it has significantly higher points than that of the rests of the years.

It is likely that in the next couple years, breakup songs will maintain or even increase its popularity.

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1960s: "Goodbye, My Love (In the Summer of '69)"

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1960s: "Goodbye, My Love (In the Summer of '69)"

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Goodbye, my love, in the summer of '69,

We danced under the moon, everything felt fine,

But now the leaves are turning, and so has your heart,

I'll cherish the memories, though we're worlds apart.

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You played me like a song, on repeat every night,

But now the melody's gone, it just doesn't feel right,

I rewind the memories, searching for a clue,

But all I hear is the sound of a love that's overdue.

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In a world of screens and lies,

Our love was just a pixelated disguise,

You unfollowed me, left me in the dark,

Now I'm just a lost connection, with a broken heart.

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Tangled up in trends and tweets,

Our love story played out on repeat,

But the hashtags fade, and the likes decay,

Leaving behind the echoes of our disarray.

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Neon lights flicker, in the city of broken dreams,

Your promises fade away, like distant screams,

I'm standing alone, in this 80s night,

With memories of love, that once burned bright.

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Like a shadow in the night, you disappeared,

Leaving behind whispers of love, I still feared,

Your touch turned cold, like a forgotten rhyme,

Now I'm haunted by the ghost of us, in this modern time.

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Farewell melody, our love's symphony,

Once so sweet, now it's just history,

You were my sunshine on a rainy day,

But now the clouds won't seem to go away.

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2020s: "drivers license" -Olivia Rodrigo

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2020s: "drivers license" -Olivia Rodrigo

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2000s: "Since U Been Gone" -Kelly Clarkson

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2000s: "Since U Been Gone" -Kelly Clarkson

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1960s: "You keep me hanging on" -The Supremes

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1960s: "You keep me hanging on" -The Supremes

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The increase in the popularity of breakup songs recent years could be due to the pandemic, which made people more emotional and vulnerable. As a result, listening to breakup songs, which involves a lot of emotions, might be a way for people to feel connected to their emotions.

David Metzer, a music historian at the University of British Columbia, commented that “The thing we all want in a breakup is company, and we want someone to listen to us cry, listen to us complain, listen to us curse that person.”

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Female singers used to have a limited choice in the music they sing. The breakup songs in the 70s provide them an alternative to break away from the traditional expectations and an opportunity to explore what was not found in other genres.

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A 2021 paper suggests that breakup songs might have a negative impact on people's wellness. The study showed that 17% of adolescents, particularly girls, were negatively affected by listening to sad music.

Additionally, it is likely that breakup songs might hinder the process of getting over a past relationship. A study published in PLOS ONE found that the most experienced emotion when listening to sad music is not sadness but nostalgia. Therefore, constantly dwelling on the past might be harmful for the future.

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“The songs function to affirm their emotions, validate them, remind the listener they are not alone,” said Bill Thompson, a psychologist at Bond University in Queensland, Australia, who studies why music is important to people.

“Songs play a powerful role in normalizing our experience, in making us feel that we are not this weird, unusual, distorted kind of person,” said David Sbarra, a professor of psychology at the University of Arizona who studies how marital separation and divorce affect health.

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Here are some examples of popular breakup songs from different eras. Listen to 2 of them and compare the similarities and differences. What themes are timeless? And what are different in the lyrics?

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1990s: Nothing compares 2 u -Sinéad O'Connor

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1990s: Nothing compares 2 u -Sinéad O'Connor

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You can access the entire google sheets to look at the raw data too

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You can access the entire google sheets to look at the raw data too

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From my research, I conclude that the popularity of breakup songs has peaked in specific years due to the effort of specific artists and due to special situations such as the pandemic. However, there indeed is a rising trend of breakup songs in recent years. Breakup music itself has also been evolving. There are timeless themes such as the jealousy over the other girl/woman, the infatuation over the previous boyfriend, the sorrow of saying goodbye and moving on. However, there are also differences in the way the emotions are portrayed. I would say that the more modern songs have more diversity in the emotions they convey whereas the older ones mainly deliver solely one emotion such as sorrow or anger.