50 Songs about Toxic Relationships

Filed Under: Life Songs

There are more songs written about love than any other topic. But most importantly, there are the most songs about bad love and toxic relationships. Listeners and musicians alike can bond over shared hurts and heartbreak and how good it feels to sing/scream these hits in the car.

I. Latest songs about toxic relationships (2020, 2021)

Within the last two years, the world has slowed down, and this has allowed everyone to reflect on their lives. Therefore, there have been some GREAT new songs on toxic couples and love stories.

1) Selfish

2) All Too Well (10 Minute Version)

Taylor Swift’s re-recordings of her old albums have allowed her to revisit unreleased music. In this case, Taylor Swift gifted fans a 10-minute version of a heartbreak song that they already loved. And boy, was this relationship of Swift’s toxic if the lyrics are to be believed.

3) 1 step forward, 3 steps back

Olivia Roderigo is a new break-out pop star, and this is just one toxic love song of hers off her debut album ‘SOUR.’

4) you broke me first

5) STAY

It might sound like a typical Justin Bieber pop hit, but the lyrics beneath The Kid LAROI’s song label this song toxic.

II. 80s songs about toxic relationships

Love has been difficult and toxic for eons, and some songs can be played for nearly 40 years; these are those songs.

1) Everything She Wants

2) You Give Love a Bad Name

3) Should I Stay Or Should I Go

4) I Hate Myself for Loving You

5)  Tainted Love

III. Rap/hip hop songs about toxic relationships

The music genre glamorizes drugs and sex undoubtedly has many songs about how toxic some pairings can be.

1) Sucker for Pain

With six different artists on this single for the Suicide Squad movie – this song is filled to the brim with instrumentals, bars, and lyrics of masochistic love.

2)  Heartless

3) Love The Way You Lie

Listeners know about Eminem and Rhianna’s personal struggles with life and love, so it’s no surprise that a love song collaboration between these two is musical magic.

4)  Him & I

“what the f*** is love with no pain, no suffer?” – we all know how this love story ends, but this line proves how toxic the real relationship between these two artists always was.

5)  i hate u, i love u

“friends can break your heart too” – toxicity exists between friends as well, and Gnash and Olivia O’Brien beautifully capture it.

IV. Songs about leaving a toxic relationship

Finally, when one gets the courage to leave behind a partner that hurts more than they love, you need a song to release all those emotions felt during that tumultuous time. Give these songs a listen, then.

1)  Moral of The Story

Off her debut album focused on her divorce, this song packs a punch in describing the toxic reasons for the couples parting.

2) Wrecking Ball

We’ve all seen the infamous music video, but have we properly understood the lyrics to this song? Knowing Cyrus was the only vulnerable and emotionally invested partner in her relationship explains her nudity in the music video.

3) Happier Than Ever

Eilish dropped this hit in her second album that captured her entire generation’s feelings of toxic heartbreak and growth. All the while combining soft melodies, rock choruses and enough emotion to make any listener cry.

4)  Somebody that I Used to Know

5)  New Rules

V. Pop songs about toxic relationships

There are so many songs within the Pop genre that grapple with toxic love. These hits only tickle the surface of what pop has to offer on the subject.

1)  Toxic

Britney really knew what she was doing when she wrote this all-time classic. The song is fun and dancey while also singing some of the most metaphoric lyrics about getting stuck in toxic cycles in relationships.

2)  Hot N Cold

3)  Bad Romance

4)  in my head

So many of us are guilty of falling in love with our partners’ fictional version, which leads to a toxic cycle of believing the best in someone when they only ever give their worst to their partners.

5)  Bleeding Love

If you’ve ever been in a toxic relationship, listen closely to these lyrics, and you’ll find a kindred situation voiced by Lewis’ heavenly vocals.

VI. Rock/Punk/Metal songs about toxic relationships

The excellent genre for literally screaming and making noise provides something special for toxic love songs.

1)  Irresistible

2) Going Under

3)  Kiss With a Fist

An angry anthem for a couple like Johnny Depp and Amber Heard – some people are just better apart.

4) Decode

5)  Numb

If you and your partner relate in any way to this song’s lyrics… break up.

VII. Country songs about toxic relationships

If you listen to these country songs, make sure you have tissues nearby.

1)  I Will Always Love You

Now it’s a Whitney Houston hit, but this song was originally a bittersweet goodbye to a dear friend of Dolly Parton’s.

2) My Next Broken Heart

3)  July

This is just one heartbreaking lyric from this country cry-song.

4) Angry All The Time

5)  Texas Tornado

VIII. R&B songs about toxic relationships

People come to R&B to sing emotionally; when these toxic couples are concerned, all you can do is listen and sing along emotionally.

1)  Love on The Brain

It’s so unfortunate how Chris Brown and Rhianna’s relationship went, but I think the world can be grateful for the powerful R&B records that came out of such an abusive and toxic love. If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch Rhianna perform a medley of her album at the 2016 VMA award show, it’s phenomenal.

2)  Good Days

“I worry that I wasted the best of me on you, baby” – this hit song of SZA is filled with heavy-hitting lines of toxic love.

3) Nights Like This

4) PILLOWTALK

5)  Needed Me

IX. Sad songs about toxic relationships

To close off, these songs show how deeply upsetting and saddening toxic relationships are. There’s little to be glamorized when the partner you love and trust hurts you the most.

1) Jar of Hearts

We all know jerks who collect a ‘jar of hearts’ from women instead of treating them well and loving them. The best revenge is like Perri says, “you don’t get to get me back.”

2)  Skinny Love

3) Back to Black

The singer, that was known for jetting off to other cities and hiding from her boyfriend, wrote some of the best songs about toxic relationships.

4)  Praying

Kesha took a long break from music and the industry, but she came back with a vengeance. If you’ve ever sung/shouted this song in the car, I hope you’re doing better now, and that person really is “on their knees praying.”

5) Only Love Can Hurt Like This

X. Songs with toxic relationship in the lyrics

And finally, not all songs are purely about being loved in a toxic way, but if you listen closely to songs, many of them deal with unhealthy love.

1) Video Games

2)  Without Me

Halsey has been open about her relationship with G-Easy and other previous partners that took advantage of her kindness. When you get out of that situation, and they can’t abuse or misuse you anymore, it feels so good.

3) This Love

“this love has taken its toll on me; she said goodbye too many times before.” The classic on-again-off-again cliche is actually a sign of a toxic cycle where the partners aren’t happy.

4) Do I Wanna Know?

This song is more subtle in its meaning. But when you have questions about your partner and their feelings and you immediately ask yourself, ‘do I wanna know’…. that’s likely a toxic situation without good communication or trust.

5)  Stitches