“THE BREAKUP SONG (THEY DON’T WRITE ‘EM)” BY THE GREG KIHN BAND CELEBRATES 40 YEARS
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We’ve all been there: the breakup. The ice cream and rom coms aren’t quite cutting it, so you turn on a Spotify playlist full of breakup songs to remind yourself, “It’s not so bad. Everyone has been through it before!”
Arguably one of the best breakup songs out there is, unsurprisingly, “The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em Like That Anymore)” by the Greg Kihn Band. The song came out in May of 1981 and we STILL can’t get enough of it.
To honor the 40th anniversary of the ultimate breakup song, we’ve compiled 5 fun facts about the iconic track. ENJOY!
- It was written as an ode to the “traditional” breakup songs.
The late 1970s was an interesting time for music. Bands like Rush and Pink Floyd had made popular music very intellectual, and Greg Kihn had had enough of it. He wanted “The Breakup Song” to be straightforward: my girlfriend/boyfriend broke up with me, and I’m sad.
- Yelawolf sampled the track in their song “Gone.”
We thought that guitar part sounded familiar! Although Yelawolf put some of their own lyrics over the well-known riff, there is no mistaking the Kihn-fluence in this dance-y track.
- It has been featured in the Sopranos’ soundtrack.
Season 5, Episode 6 to be exact. Not to spoil anything, but the song was playing on the radio in a certain truck when the episode aired on April 11, 2004.
- The song was in the Beautiful Girls soundtrack.
A 90s rom com AND “The Breakup Song?” Sign us up! The film stars A LOT of famous actors including Natalie Portman, Uma Thurman, and Matt Dillion. Sooo, basically the 90s dream team.
- The song was written in 15 minutes at a Japanese restaurant.
How can a great song like this be totally written in JUST 15 minutes??? In an interview , Greg Kihn talked about the songwriting process:
“There was a Japanese restaurant. I went up there with Stevie, and we were pounding down hot sake. I didn’t know where else to go. It was a cold, rainy night, and we were getting toasted. There was an old Japanese dude there at the sake bar, and he kept saying, “They don’t write ‘em like that anymore.” I thought, Yeah, damn. They don’t, do they? So we got the idea, we wrote that song probably in 15 minutes. All of the great songs are written quickly, by the way.”
Whether you’re going through a breakup or just need to listen to an 80s pop banger, “The Breakup Song” has you covered! Stream the hit below: