Collider has ranked the top ten classic rock songs written from real heartbreak, and the list leans heavily on the stories behind the songs rather than the songs themselves. The ranking, titled “10 Classic Rock Songs That Were Inspired by Real-Life Heartbreak, Ranked,” argues that these tracks are legendary because their writers poured their broken hearts into them, not just because they sound good.
Layla and the Clapton Complication
Eric Clapton wrote “Layla” for Derek & the Dominos in 1970 while suffering a broken heart. But the heartbreak was complicated: the object of his affection was his best friend’s wife, Pattie Boyd, who was married to George Harrison. Clapton took the title from a 12th-century Persian poem called The Story of Layla and Majnun, which told of a young man suffering from love. Eventually, Clapton and Boyd married after she divorced Harrison.
Idiot Wind and Dylan’s Divorce
Bob Dylan’s “Idiot Wind” comes from his 1974 album Blood on the Tracks, written during a turbulent divorce from Sara Dylan, his wife of nine years. The song is full of venom: “I can’t feel you anymore / I can’t even touch the books you’ve read / Every time I crawl past your door / I been wishin’ I was somebody else instead.” Their divorce dragged on for years and wasn’t final until 1977. Around that time, Dylan said, “Marriage was a failure. Husband and wife was a failure, but father and mother wasn’t a failure. I wasn’t a very good husband… I don’t know what a good husband is.”
Go Your Own Way and the Buckingham-Nicks Feud
Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” is Lindsey Buckingham’s take on his breakup with Stevie Nicks, who performs the song herself. It was the lead single from Rumours, the album that became the band’s definitive breakup record. “Loving you / Isn’t the right thing to do / How can I ever change things / That I feel?” opens the song, which closes with the chorus: “You can go your own way / Go your own way / You can call it / Another lonely day.” The feud between Buckingham and Nicks lasted far beyond the album.
Both Sides, Now and Joni Mitchell’s Hard Choice
Joni Mitchell wrote “Both Sides, Now” in 1969 after giving birth to a daughter and choosing to give her up for adoption. The song reflects on seeing both sides of life, good and bad, and accepting that you must take the bad to get the good. “Tears and fears and feeling proud / To say ‘I love you’ right out loud / Dreams and schemes and circus crowds / I’ve looked at life that way,” she sings. The song closes with a bittersweet conclusion: “I’ve looked at life from both sides now / From win and lose and still somehow / It’s life’s illusions I recall / I really don’t know life at all.”
Wild Horses and Faithfull’s Near-Death Experience
“Wild Horses” from The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers was inspired by a real-life tragedy. Mick Jagger’s ex-girlfriend Marianne Faithfull suffered an overdose in 1971, and when she woke up, she gave Jagger the iconic line: “You can’t get rid of me that easily,” she replied. In her autobiography, she shared what happened: “The first person I saw [when she woke up] was Mick. He held my hands in his and said, ‘You’ve come back!’ ‘You can’t get rid of me that easily,’ I replied (there’s a little bit of truth in all kidding). ‘Don’t be so silly, darling. God, I thought I’d really lost you this time.’ ‘Wild horses,’ I said, ‘wouldn’t drag me away’.”
Silver Springs and Nicks’ Tearful Response
Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs” didn’t get the appreciation it deserved when it first came out, but it’s now considered one of the greatest breakup songs ever written. It’s Stevie Nicks’ take on her breakup with Lindsey Buckingham, more tearful and sad than the spiteful “Go Your Own Way.” The song picks up at the last chorus, when Nicks lets it all out and almost sends out a curse: “Time cast a spell on you / But you won’t forget me / Well, I know I could have loved you / But you would not let me / I’ll follow you down / ‘Til the sound of my voice will haunt you.”
The ranking treats the heartbreak as the whole story, presenting each songwriter’s misery as the reason to care about the song. The songs themselves are described in passing: “Layla” has a great riff, “Idiot Wind” is angry, “Go Your Own Way” is spiteful, “Both Sides, Now” is reflective, “Wild Horses” is sad, “Silver Springs” is tearful. The ranking wants the heartbreak to be the reason to hear these tracks.
| Song | Artist | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Layla | Derek & the Dominos | 1970 |
| Idiot Wind | Bob Dylan | 1974 |
| Go Your Own Way | Fleetwood Mac | 1977 |
| Both Sides, Now | Joni Mitchell | 1969 |
| Wild Horses | The Rolling Stones | 1971 |
Source material: “10 Classic Rock Songs That Were Inspired by Real-Life Heartbreak, Ranked,” Collider.
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