February is the month of love, with Valentine’s Day celebrating romance all over the world.
But in reality, Valentine’s often isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and contrary to popular belief, data shows this is actually the month you’re most likely to find yourself single.
If your relationship survived “Red Tuesday”, the Tuesday before Valentine’s when breakups peak, you’re not out of the woods yet. To make matters worse, the week after V-Day sees breakups skyrocket once again.
So, if you’ve been unlucky in love this February, what’s the best way to get over your heartbreak?
Research shows that ‘music therapy’ can be the perfect remedy for healing a broken heart. One study found after newly-single people indulged their sadness with break-up anthems, they started to naturally make happier song choices.
To find out the best songs to get over a break-up, the data analysts at GoodLuckMate have studied thousands of tracks in global Spotify playlists featuring the words “break up” and “heartbreak”.
The wildly successful Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi and Disney actress come pop singer Olivia Rodrigo have been crowned the king and queen of heartbreak.
They say the path to true love never does run smooth and for our King Capaldi, his love life has been somewhat of a rollercoaster, if his penned hits are anything to go by. And it seems the unlucky in love Scotsman was defeated once again, as listeners favoured Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license” over “Someone You Loved.”
Other popular ‘break up’ and ‘heartbreak’ hits people are loving are “You Broke Me First” by Tate McRae, “Falling” by Harry Styles and “thank u, next” by Ariana Grande.
The analysis also reveals there’s a pattern when it comes to what makes a good breakup song. It’s either sung in key C# or E# with an average tempo of 109bpm.
Equality is in style when it comes to the male/female split of artists who are looking to move swiftly on. Ex couple Harry Styles and Taylor Swift both find themselves in the top 10 for breakup artists, both penning (clearly successful) hits about the other.
The top 100 song list proves that no one is safe from a brutal heartache, with the split of male to female artists featured nearing 50/50 (50.1% female, 47% male artists and groups).
GoodLuckMate has also identified the most-listened-to artists for each relationship stage. Ed Sheeran is the go-to artist for Dating playlists, Clairo got the top spot for Loved Up playlists, and BTS is the most-listened-to artist in Moving On playlists. And while he didn’t secure the top spot for most listened-to break up song, Lewis Capaldi is the clear leader for Breakup playlists, featuring over 1,000 times.
Explore and listen to the ultimate breakup playlist here.
Nerijus Grenda, CEO at GoodLuckMate commented on the findings:
“It’s been really interesting to study what songs people are turning to mend their broken hearts after such a brutal month of breakups.
“Music is a massive part of people’s lives, especially during a lockdown, when it is proven even harder than ever for people to connect the way they used to. So, if you’re feeling blue and lonely, we hope our breakup playlist provides soothing solace.”