Love Gone Wrong Songs (with Videos)

These are my first 8 picks for rock and pop “love gone wrong” songs.  These selections are exquisitely mournful, with great music, lyrics and vocals.  These are great songs, particularly if you’re sad and you don’t want to be cheered up.  Spending Valentine’s Day or an anniversary alone?  Don’t want to be cheered up?  Grab a bottle, turn down the lights and play these. 

Songs in this hub: 

Angie

Man I’ll Never Be

Can’t You See

The Flame

Drive

Picture

Just When I Needed You Most

Without You

Angie appeared on the Rolling Stones’ 1973 Goat’s Head Soup.  Recorded in November and December of 1972, Angie was released as a single in August of 1973 and went straight to the top of the Billboard chart.  Primarily written by Keith Richards, the song is often rumored to have been written by Jagger, presumably about his affair with David Bowie’s wife Angela.  Both Richards and Jagger deny this.  The song is about the end of a relationship, and the feelings associated.  “You can’t say we never tried.” 

The Rolling Stones formed in 1962.  They have released 24 studio albums, 9 concert albums and numerous compilation albums.  They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. 

Man I’ll Never Be is from Boston’s second album, Don’t Look Back, released in 1978.  The song is the lament of a man whose woman wants something he’ll never live up to. 

Tom Scholz, founding member of Boston, graduated MIT with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  He developed his own foot pedals to achieve the desired guitar sound.  Scholz who was primary songwriter and guitarist, is known for his multi-track guitar harmonies and additional self-made equipment.  This, along with his home studio work, produced what is considered Boston’s distinctive sound.  Vocals by Brad Delp are also considered key to Boston’s sound.  Delp committed suicide in 2007. 

The Marshall Tucker Band is from Spartanburg, S.C.  They are considered to be leaders of the Southern Rock movement.  Can’t You See was on their first album, The Marshall Tucker Band, released in 1973.  It went gold by 1975.  All of the songs were written by Toy Caldwell, vocalist and lead guitarist, who also sand lead on the song. 

Can’t You See was featured in the opening and closing credits of Kevin Costner’s 2008 film Swing Vote.  The title track of the 1992 Still Smokin’ was co-written by long-time fan Garth Brooks. 

Bassist Tommy Caldwell died in a motor vehicle accident in 1980.  Toy Caldwell died of a massive heart attack in 1993. 

The Flame, performed by Cheap Trick, was on their album Lap of Luxury, released in 1988.  It reached number one on Billboard’s Top 100, reviving the band’s popularity. 

The band was initially reluctant to perform the song in their live shows, preferring songs they had written. 

The song has great lyrics:  “Whenever you need someone, to lay your heart and head upon, remember after the fire, after all the rain, I will be the flame…”

Drive, by The Cars was the 3^rd single from their 1984 Heartbeat City.  It was an international hit.  The song was written by Rick Ocasek, and co-produced by Mutt Lange (Shania Twain’s ex-husband).  Bassist Benjamin Orr sang the lead on the song. 

The music video was directed by Timothy Hutton, and featured supermodel Paulina Porizkova, who later married Ocasek. 

Drive was featured in the Live Aid concert in 1985.  A Ziggy Marley version of the song appears in the 2004 film 50 First Dates, and in 2007’s Transformers. 

Kid Rock recorded Picture, which he wrote, with Sheryl Crow for his 2001 album, Cocky.  It was released as a single in 2003, but Crow’s record label objected, so a version was recorded with Allison Moorer.  Radio stations favored the album’s version with Sheryl Crow. 

Crow release the song on her 2003, The Very Best of Sheryl Crow.  Kid Rock released a live version of the song with Gretchen Wilson on his 2006 album, Live Trucker. 

Picture remains Rock’s highest ranking single, peaking at number 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100.  It peaked at number 21 on the Country chart.  Great vocals by Rock and Crow.  Great lyrics too:  “I been waitin’ on you for a long time.  Fuelin’ up on heartaches and cheap wine.  I ain’t heard from you in three damn nights.  I put your picture away.  I wonder where you been.  I can’t look at you while I’m lyin’ next to him.” 

Just When I Needed You Most was written by Randy VanWarmer, and recorded for his 1979 album, Warmer.  VanWarmer says he wrote the song after a breakup when he was 18 years old.  The song spent 14 weeks on the Top 40 charts.  Adding to the impact of the song is the autoharp instrumental by John Sebastian. 

The song has been covered by many artists, either in recordings or in concert, including country greats, Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty and Tim McGraw.  Although I really like the song, it frequently strikes me just short of comedic.  “You left in the rain without closing the door…You left me, just when I needed you most.”  Is that pitiful or what?!  I see the attraction for country artists!

Without You was written by Britain’s Badfinger members, Pete Ham and Tom Evans.  The two combined songs they each had been working on.  The lyrics are dramatic:  “I can’t live, if living is without you.”  Ham and Evans both committed suicide, after long-time dissatisfaction, implicating various players and circumstances in the music industry as having screwed them. 

Badfinger’s recording of Without You was never released as a single.  Harry Nilsson heard the song at a party, and thought it was a Beatles song.  He decided to record it for Nilsson Schmilsson, released in 1971.  His version held at number one for 4 weeks on the U.S. pop chart, and 5 weeks on the U.S. adult contemporary chart.  It is estimated that Without you has been recorded by over 180 artists, and has appearance many times on Billboard’s Hot 100. 

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