4 Legendary Breakup Lyrics From the 70s That Everyone Knows

Whether they come from a place of reflection, nostalgia, or anger, breakup songs almost always hit. Here are a few iconic breakup lyrics from the 70s that are staples in our book.

“If You See Her Say Hello” by Bob Dylan

“Say for me that I’m all right, though things get kind of slow / She might think that I’ve forgotten her, don’t tell her it isn’t so.”

This song covers the more amicable side of a breakup. In “If You See Her, Say Hello”, Bob Dylan sings about a woman he used to love that he’s lost touch with. Even though their love is no more, it’s clear that he doesn’t have negative feelings towards her.

“Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac

“Tell me why everything turned around / Packing up, shacking up’s all you wanna do.”

“Go Your Own Way” famously caused controversy between Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. Specifically, because of these lyrics. While Nicks has claimed that there was no “shacking up” involved on her part, Buckingham has described the song as more of a “stream of consciousness.” Meaning, the lyrics weren’t necessarily thought out.

“You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon

“You’re so vain / You probably think this song is about you.”

Although this song was actually written about three different men, “You’re So Vain” perfectly captures the feeling of breakup-fueled angst. In this 1972 hit, Carly Simon accuses the subject of being pretentious and giving away her love. Honestly, it’s kind of awesome that this song was written about more than one person, because no one can ever truly say this song is about them.

“Angie” by The Rolling Stones

“You can’t say we never tried / Angie, you’re beautiful / But ain’t it time we say goodbye.”

Even though this song sounds like it’s about a relationship gone sour, according to Keith Richards, the name “Angie” was just a random choice. It wasn’t even related to his daughter Angela when he wrote this song.

“…It was not about any particular person; it was a name, like ohhh, Diana,” he wrote in his autobiography, Life. “I didn’t know Angela was going to be called Angela when I wrote ‘Angie.’ In those days you didn’t know what sex the thing was going to be until it popped out.”

Photo by: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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