The True Stories Behind the Most Famous Celebrity Breakup Songs

Breaking up is hard to do, especially when you're a celebrity. But sometimes, said heartbreak results in a chart-topping tune. Which Paul McCartney classic contains a hidden message to his ex-wife? Which actress did Jon Bon Jovi call out in lyrics after catching her with his bandmate? And who is the mystery man that got away from Katy Perry? Grab your tissues and some pints of ice cream, because the stories behind these songs are emotional.

If anyone knows how to write about heartbreak, it's The Boss. Bruce Springsteen's 1987 hit "One Step Up," seemingly paints a picture of his declining marriage to model Julianne Phillips ("Another fight and I slam the door on / Another battle in our dirty little war"). The lyrics also hint at Bruce allegedly cheating on Julianne with his current wife of 30 years, Patti Scialfa.

Pop singer Ariana Grande and resident SNL bad boy Pete Davidson were the "it" couple of summer 2018. After their short relationship — and engagement — came to an end, Ariana released "thank u, next." She didn't hold back, including all her exes in the lyrics, and releasing a video to go with it. She later revealed on the Zach Sang Show that she recorded multiple versions of the song, because her and Davidson were breaking up and making up so often.

Fans are still debating who Carly Simon is singing about in this iconic song. After almost 50 years of staying mum, Carly finally revealed the mystery man is none other than actor Warren Beatty — kind of. "I have confirmed that the second verse is Warren," she told PEOPLE. Keeping true to the song's iconic lyrics, she joked, "Warren thinks the whole thing is about him!"

While it's never been confirmed, there's been a ton of speculation that Justin's 2015 hit "Love Yourself" is about his ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez. Although the pair's rocky romance officially came to an end in 2018, to this day fans debate whether or not the harsh song ("My mama don't like you / And she likes everyone") is about her. Considering Selena has a tattoo on her back in Arabic that translates to "love yourself first," the evidence is pretty strong.

Was Selena's 2019 ballad "Lose You to Love Me" a not-so-subtle response to Justin's "Love Yourself"? With plenty of lyrics referencing their relationship and his marriage to Hailey Baldwin ("In two months, you replaced us / Like it was easy"), rumors ran wild after its release. She all but confirmed the song was written about him on On Air with Ryan Seacrest, saying, "It took me a long time to get through it."

It wouldn't be a breakup song roundup without Taylor Swift — and one of her juiciest is the 2010 hit "Dear John." She and John Mayer, 13 years her senior, dated when she was just 19 years old — something she alludes to in the lyrics ("Don't you think I was too young to be messed with? / The girl in the dress, cried the whole way home, I should've known"). John later revealed the song "humiliated" him, telling Rolling Stone: "It made me feel terrible. Because I didn't deserve it. I'm pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that. It was a really lousy thing for her to do."

John allegedly shares his side of their breakup in "Paper Doll." There are several clues that he's talking about Taylor, with the biggest being the lyrics: "You're like 22 girls in one / And none of them know what they're runnin' from." Not only does he seem to be referencing Taylor's 2013 hit "22," but he also hinted at a line she sings in "Dear John" that says, "Run as fast as you can." Poetic, or petty?

As pop music royalty, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were all anyone could talk about in the late '90s and early '00s. Fans were devastated when the couple split in 2002 but were even more shocked when the former boyband member released "Cry Me A River." The song alludes to him being cheated on and featured a Britney lookalike in the music video. When asked about the breakup in a controversial 2003 interview with Diane Sawyer, Britney tearfully replied, "I'm not technically saying he's wrong, but I'm not technically saying he's right either."

While Britney Spears never directly said her emotional song "Everytime" was about Justin Timberlake, her co-writer Annet Artani did. She claimed the song was Britney's response to Justin's "Cry Me A River," telling MuuMuse, "He was getting personal. Here, she had a different type of image, and he was really exposing some stuff that she probably didn't want out there. I'm sure that really hurt her."

Although Alanis Morissette has never admitted her 1995 hit is about Uncle Joey from Full House, there are plenty of hints that even Dave Coulier himself caught onto, telling HuffPost Live, "We had already broken up… She called and I said, 'Hey, you know, I'm right in the middle of dinner. Can I just call you right back?' When I heard the line, it was like, 'uh-oh.'" Alanis laughed his words off on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, joking, "I don't know if you want to take credit for being the person I wrote 'You Oughta Know' about!"

While Drake has alluded many times that Rihanna is the one that got away, he made that even clearer with 2018's "Summer Games." The song allegedly references their summer 2016 romance — one he was seemingly more serious about than she was. After a series of live performances together that summer, Drake tried — and failed — to kiss RiRi on live TV during the VMAs and the rest is history. In 2018, Rihanna told Vogue, "We don't have a friendship now, but we're not enemies either. It is what it is."

When Lady Gaga and actor Taylor Kinney ended their engagement in 2016, she poured her heart out in "Million Reasons" just a few months later. Although it was never confirmed, fans assume the gut-wrenching song is about him. The singer later spoke about the track on The Howard Stern Show, saying she hopes the song helps men "understand how deep it goes" when it comes to love and encourages them to show more "love in return."

There are rumors that this angsty song was inspired by actress Diane Lane, who dated the rock star for five months back in 1985 — one year before the song was released. According to Jon's band manager, the singer called it quits after he found Diane partying with Richie Sambora. More than 40 years later, the actress laughed off the alleged JBJ drama, spilling on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, "I think every girl should have such a wonderful experience when she's that young!"

Who could forget the image of Miley tearfully swinging on a giant wrecking ball in her 2013 video? She penned the song about her split from actor Liam Hemsworth and opened up about the track on The Howard Stern Show in 2017, calling Liam, "the only relationship I'd been in that's real." The following year, Liam and her rekindled their flame and got married, only to have their divorce finalized in January 2020.

Although they never made much of a splash in the headlines, Katy Perry and Josh Groban secretly reportedly dated in 2009. The Broadway star must've made quite the impression, as Katy later shared her 2010 hit "The One That Got Away," is about him. "I love him so much! He's the best," she gushed during a 2017 segment on The Late Late Show With James Corden. Josh later reacted to her reveal, saying he did a "double take" on What What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.

Pink penned 2008's "So What" after splitting with husband Carey Hart and even shot the music video with him as her costar while they were still broken up. The pair later rekindled their romance and have been strong ever since, so maybe the song is exactly what both of them needed.

The King of Rock and Roll recorded this melancholy ballad just weeks after his 1973 separation from wife Priscilla. He sang about his regrets following their divorce ("Maybe I didn't hold you / All those lonely, lonely times / And I guess I never told you / I'm so happy that you're mine"), something she spoke about in the 2013 UK documentary The Nation's Favourite Elvis Song. "[The song] meant a lot," she said. "Those were private moments for us. We were working things out and it was hard on both of us."

After their rollercoaster romance reportedly came to an end in late 2019, The Weeknd released "Save Your Tears" not too long after. The lyrics ("I saw you dancing in a crowded room / You look so happy when I'm not with you") are rumored to be about his run-in with Bella at a nightclub just days after their breakup — one which ended with the model leaving in tears.

Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks met back in high school, and the guitarist was crushed when the singer decided to break things off in 1976. He penned "Go Your Own Way" shortly after, with some of the controversial lyrics ("Packing up, shacking up is all you want to do") upsetting Stevie. "It was certainly a message within a song," she told the now-closed Q magazine in 2009, "and not a very nice one at that."

Stevie Nicks had a chance to speak her piece in "Dreams," the band's only song to climb to No. 1 on the Billboard charts. "What was going on between us was sad," she told The Daily Mail in 2009. "We were couples who couldn't make it through. But, as musicians, we still respected each other and we got some brilliant songs out of it." There seems to be no love lost since, as Stevie allegedly kicked Lindsey out of the band for good in 2018 for "smirking" at her during a benefit acceptance speech. He later told CBS This Morning he considers their relationship "fragmented."

Joe Jonas was the Disney heartbreaker of the '00s and his short-lived relationship with Demi Lovato was aired out in her track "Gonna Get Caught." In 2016, Demi revealed on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert that she wrote the song about Joe with him — and his brother Nick — in the same room. Awkward!

When Jordin Sparks released a remix of Drake's "How Bout Now" in 2014, she dropped plenty of hints that she was singing about her ex Jason Derulo. The most telling lyrics in the song refer to his 2012 neck injury ("Remember when you broke your neck and I had to wash your back for ya?"). She also calls him out for letting fame go to his head. The sparks sure faded quickly in this relationship.

The Beatle, the model, and the rockstar. It was the love triangle that shook the '70s when Pattie Boyd left George Harrison for his close friend Eric Clapton. "So Sad" was released in 1974, the same year George and Pattie separated. The musician didn't hide his emotions about the situation in the lyrics ("Take the dawn of the day / And give it away / To someone who can fill the part / Of the dream we once held"), with the piece often regarded as the only time George wrote about his marital problems.

Another heartbroken Beatle turned his sorrow into song — only this time, the message isn't as clear. Although it doesn't seem like it at first listen, it's rumored that "Mr. Bellamy" is about Paul McCartney's explosive divorce from former model Heather Mills. Fans picked up on the fact that "Mr. Bellamy" is an anagram for "Mills Betray Me," plus the song contains lyrics like "No one to tell me what to do / No one to hold my hand" and "I like it up here without you." Although the singer once insisted the character in "Mr. Bellamy" was made up, many fans still feel the song is coded with hidden messages about Heather.

Gwen Stefani sang her heart out on this 1995 track, which detailed her split from fellow band member and boyfriend of seven years, Tony Kanal. The singer later revealed to Variety that her label made her rewrite the song to simplify it, explaining, "I had been dumped by Tony and heartbroken, and I changed the lyrics [at the end of the chorus] to 'Don't tell me 'cuz it hurts.'"

Well, the title says it all. It's all but confirmed that Taylor Swift penned this catchy breakup tune about Jake Gyllenhaal for Red — the album that came out a year after their split. She revealed the genius idea behind the song to USA Today, explaining, "He made me feel like I wasn't as good or as relevant as these hipster bands he listened to. So I made a song that I knew would absolutely drive him crazy when he heard it on the radio. Not only would it hopefully be played a lot, so that he'd have to hear it, but it's the opposite of the kind of music that he was trying to make me feel inferior to."

Halsey's 2020 song "Without Me" was a huge hit, and the singer confirmed it was written about an emotional breakup with rapper and producer G-Eazy. Feeling pressured to publicly comment on the split, Halsey decided to channel their feelings into the song instead, telling Glamour, "The biggest lesson I learned was to make art, not headlines. Because it can become quite easy, in the social media generation, to go from being a musician to becoming a personality."

Around 2013, rumors ran wild about Ellie Goulding allegedly cheating on Ed Sheeran with his good friend and former One Direction singer Niall Horan. In 2014, things intensified when Ed released "Don't." He addressed speculation about the song in an interview with Billboard, saying, "I was seeing someone for a bit of time, and then they ended up physically involved with one of my friends in the same hotel that we were staying in, while I was downstairs. And I feel like: Treat people how you want to be treated."

Not only did Ellie later deny she ever dated Ed, but she also released 2016's "On My Mind." In the song, she hints that someone was more interested in her than she was in them. She also alludes to that infamous hotel mentioned in "Don't," making rumors really fly ("Next thing that I know, I'm in a hotel with you / You were talking deep like it was mad love to you / You wanted my heart, but I just liked your tattoos"). We may never know what really happened between these two, but their drama made for some really great music.

Ah, who could forget the Newlyweds? Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson broke America's heart when they announced their 2006 divorce. The former 98 Degrees member took it one step further when he released "What's Left Of Me," a tear-jerking ballad about their split. The lyrics speak for themselves: "Watch my life / Pass me by / In the rear view mirror / Pictures frozen in time / Are becoming clearer." Jessica recalled watching the music video for the first time with Nick. "He showed it to me,” she said on The Tamron Hall Show, "I opened my doors back to him one night out of weakness."

No guessing here. Nick Jonas admitted his 2016 hit "Champagne Problems" was inspired by his split from former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo. "We decided that we were going to celebrate the years we had together and the time that we spent together by sharing this bottle of champagne and closing that chapter of our life," he told Entertainment Weekly (via MTV). "Although it was really a sad moment, it was a nice way to kind of close things up."

While you probably know the iconic drum riff in this Phil Collins classic, what you may not know is the story behind it. The 1981 hit was written about his divorce from actress Andrea Bertorelli. "There's obviously a lot of anger in there," he shared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Right around the same time the now-iconic "conscious uncoupling" statement went out from Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow in March 2014, the singer released "Magic" with his band, Coldplay. He unleashed his vulnerable side, admitting the pain of his failed marriage ("Call it magic / Cut me into two / And with all your magic / I disappear from view").

Ciara's turbulent relationship with Future got so bad, she ended up hitting him with a $15 million defamation lawsuit for accusations he made about her using their son for publicity. It's understandable why fans assumed the 2015 breakup track she released in the midst of their drama, "I Bet," was directed at him. And it contained plenty of references to cheating ("But you thought the grass was greener on the other side / I bet you start loving me / Soon as I start loving someone else / Somebody better than you").

Even the Material Girl herself has experienced her fair share of heartbreak. Although never confirmed, it's highly speculated that her 2012 song "I Don't Give A" is about her divorce from British director Guy Ritchie. It details her changing herself for a marriage ("I tried to be a good girl / I tried to be your wife / Diminished myself / And I swallowed my light"). Need more proof? At the time, her rep shared this coy quote with The Hollywood Reporter: "She has not explained the lyrics and if they are about someone specifically. I appreciate that people will speculate."

Years before former One Direction heartthrob Zayn Malik became a father with Gigi Hadid, he was engaged to British singer Perrie Edwards. The Little Mix member alleged he broke up with her with a text message, writing in her band's book, Our World, "It was horrible; the worst time in my life. A four-year relationship, two-year engagement ended by a simple text message. Just like that." It's no surprise she released "Shout Out to My Ex" shortly after, which hints about Zayn moving on with Gigi just three months after their split ("This is a shout out to my ex / Heard he in love with some other chick / Yeah yeah, that hurt me, I'll admit").

When you've got a voice as good as Mariah's, even the most angry lyrics can sound beautiful. Her 2015 track "Infinity" is often assumed to be about her ex-husband Nick Cannon. Perhaps the most memorable line is when she allegedly compares him to a bag of chips ("Show is over / Boy you actin' so corny like Fritos"). Even with the lyrics and timing of the song (it was released shortly after their split), Mariah insists the piece is simply about self-love. As she told Extra at the time, "Honestly, it's about loving yourself first."

Two models, one rockstar, what can go wrong? Following the famous drama between Christie Brinkley and Elle Macpherson, the singer allegedly penned 1989's "And So It Goes" about the latter. The lyrics seemingly tell the tale of his insecurities while dating Elle ("My silence is my self defense / And every time I've held a rose / It seems I only felt the thorns"), something he addressed in a talk with his official biographer. "I remember somebody got a shot of us walking down a beach at Coney Island," he said. "Elle was so tall that I looked like Bubbles the Chimp next to her, and I realized this was just not going to work."

Olivia Rodrigo is undoubtedly the breakout star of 2021. "Driver's License," a song reportedly about her split from High School Musical: The Musical: The Series costar Joshua Bassett, has over 1 billion streams and remained at No. 1 on the Billboard charts for eight weeks.

Harry Styles had fans buzzing when he released 2019's "Falling." The slow, emotional song about heartbreak ("Forget what I said / It's not what I meant / And I can't take it back / I can't unpack the baggage you left") left many wondering who he was singing about. Theories have emerged that he was thinking of French-American model Camille Rowe, who Harry reportedly dated in 2017.