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Moving On Songs for Every Stage of Your Breakup

By Megan Murray Last updated on July 18, 2024

A woman listening to moving on songs after a breakup.

Moving on songs are necessary, sometimes. Once, while having a hard time with a particularly painful breakup, I stood at the edge of a party gripping my beer and talking with a friend. “I’m just not getting over this,” I said to him. “When will I get over this?” (My friend was older than me and had been through a few legendary breakups of his own.) And I’ll never forget his response. “Never,” he said. “You never get over it.”

Needless to say, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for. But sometimes, when you’re in the middle of something painful and hard, it can feel like it will last forever. I was simply at that stage where it felt like I would never move past the end of this thing that had become such a huge part of my life and who I was. Luckily, I had a friend who could relate. And even though his answer was colossally disheartening, it helped to know that I wasn’t the only person who had ever felt that way.

It’s this same idea that makes moving on songs so completely necessary. No matter how you happen to be feeling at the time—sad, lonely, rage-filled, conflicted, or only somewhat melancholy—it helps to know that you’re not alone, that your pain is both personal and universal. And, ya, I think it’s safe to admit, that sometimes you just need to live (and wallow) in the painful moment you’re in too.

So to help you get through your breakup, I’ve compiled the ultimate list of moving on songs (with a little help from friends, the internet, and personal experience) for every stage of your breakup. From the early shock and denial, to the inevitable anger and the eventual acceptance, there are songs about moving on to help you get through each stage of your breakup and onto the next one.