The 5 Best Bruce Springsteen Songs For Getting Over A Breakup

Bruce Springsteen has several perfect songs that deserve a spot on your playlist. The Boss has been churning out classics for over 50 years, covering topics like working-class struggles, American politics, and growing up in New Jersey. Be that as it may, Springsteen is especially poignant when he's singing about heartbreak, making him the perfect artist to soundtrack life after a devastating breakup.

Whittling this list down to five songs was a difficult task. The entire "Tunnel of Love" is full of songs that turned Bruce Springsteen's failing marriage into rock classics, so it would have been easy to select five cuts from that masterpiece. However, a single album doesn't capture the breadth of the heartache in the Boss's rich discography, so let's branch out.

Obviously, we had to leave out some gems from other great records that capture the feeling of love lost — "Backstreets," "I Wish I Were Blind," "My Best Was Never Good Enough," "Downbound Train," to name a few. What's more, the meaning behind some of these tracks is open to interpretation, which is true of most songs ever written. Still, they all help process heartache in their own way, so add them to your playlist if you need some comfort during a difficult time.

Look, most of the songs on "Tunnel of Love" deserve a spot here, so just listen to the whole album if you're processing heartache. "One Step Up," "Tougher Than the Rest," "Valentine's Day," and a song we'll cover later all hit hard in the right way. For now, though, let's focus on "When You're Alone," a song about the fear of loneliness as love fades away.

"There are things that'll knock you down that you don't even see coming, and send you crawling, like a baby, back home."

Relationships change people, whether that's for better or worse. They can make us feel codependent on our lovers and forget about the people we were before we met them. As such, returning to single life can be scary at first, as it takes a while to figure out. "When You're Alone" basks in the doom and gloom of losing your person and facing uncertainty, but those feelings are natural after a breakup.

Everyone experiences the bargaining stage of grief after a breakup. We replay the moments when we knew the relationship had run its course, wondering what we could have done to fix it. Eventually, we accept that we can't rewind time, forcing us to confront the harsh truth of the matter. "I'm Goin' Down" will resonate with anyone who's experienced such emotions.

"I remember back when we started, my kisses used to turn you inside out / I used to drive you to work in the morning, Friday night, I'd drive you all around / You used to love to drive me wild, yeah / But lately, girl, you get your kicks from just driving me down, down, down."

Of course, you'd be forgiven for thinking that "I'm Goin' Down" is a feel-good bop. Similar to the musical elements that disguise the hidden meaning of "Born in the U.S.A.," its upsetting lyrics are overshadowed by energetic rhythms. "I'm Goin' Down" is the musical equivalent of being heartbroken at the party of the year. Still, that's what makes it the ideal anthem for preparing to socialize again after a breakup.

"Now you say you've found another man, who does things to you that I can't / And that no matter what I do, it's all over now between me and you, girl."

"Fade Away" — one of the standout tracks on "The River" — is a heart-wrenching number that sees the Boss lament being dumped for someone else. However, his old lover isn't the villain of the piece, as he believes he didn't deserve her love and trust. Bruce Springsteen spends the song begging his subject not to forget about him, presumably hoping that she'll take him back someday.

Once again, Springsteen is stuck in the bargaining stage of grief, and he delivers every note with raw, emotional sincerity that cuts straight to the heart. People eventually move on in the months and years that follow a breakup. However, this track captures that feeling of hoping things will work out when the hurt's still fresh. 

"Brilliant Disguise" is the ultimate breakup anthem for anyone who's come out of a relationship that lingered on in denial before it came to a halt. Bruce Springsteen claims the song isn't entirely autobiographical, but he penned it while his aforementioned marriage was on the rocks, so it's imbued with regret and an authentic feeling of loss. Regardless of the track's true meaning, its themes will resonate with anyone who's felt like a stranger in their own relationship.

Springsteen's 1987 single can be interpreted as a song about infidelity, as he sings about playing the "faithful man" as if it's a facade. On a more basic note, the "Tunnel of Love" track is about trying to hold onto a relationship that's no longer fit for purpose. The end is inevitable, and it's time to accept that it's too broken to fix.

There's nothing worse than drifting apart and no longer recognizing the person you entrusted with your heart. As Springsteen sings, "Tell me what I see, when I look in your eyes / Is that you baby, or a brilliant disguise?" 

You're heartbroken and have spent months wallowing over a person you're never getting back. You can stay miserable by playing the entire "Tunnel of Love" album on repeat, or you can find your spark and start a fire (metaphorically, of course — no arson). Assuming you choose the latter, there aren't many songs better for putting a spring back in your step than "Dancing in the Dark."

Springsteen wrote "Dancing in the Dark" after an argument with his manager, Jon Landau, who felt the Boss needed to write a song they could use as a first single for his "Born in the U.S.A." album. Springsteen was mad as he felt burnt out, but he did it anyway, and the rest is history.

"Dancing in the Dark" wasn't envisioned as a post-breakup anthem, but it's a song about wanting to live again. The track's upbeat tempo makes it the perfect mood booster, and the lyrics will make you want to get back on the horse: "You can't start a fire sitting 'round crying over a broken heart / This gun's for hire, even if we're just dancing in the dark." Truer words have never been spoken.