What is the best song to heal a broken heart? (image by photosteve101, via flickr)

The best music for healing a broken heart – these songs will help you get over a break up and survive heartache.

The best songs for heartache are ones that meet you where you’re at – whether you’re furious, defeated, crushed, or just so sad because you feel like you’re missing a big piece of yourself.

“Divorce is like amputation,” says Margaret Atwood. “You survive, but there is less of you.”

Healing after heartbreak isn’t just about moving “onwards and upwards” — it’s about saying good-bye to your old way of life and starting a new chapter! New releases like Sheryl Crow’s 100 Miles From Memphis might be good music for a broken heart because it’s distracting, which can be healthy.

But when it comes to surviving a broken heart, I like the ”Golden Oldies” because they’re familiar and comforting. Certain songs resonate with my soul — which is what music that heals heartache is all about!

Here, I’ve rounded up the best CDs and songs that will help you heal heartache, from Michael Buble to Avril Lavigne…

The Best Songs for Broken Hearts

What stage of heartbreak are you at? If you’re still crying and healing, then you may want to listen to Toni Braxton’s “Un-Break My Heart” or Jewel’s “You Were Meant for Me.” Those breakup songs are definitely music for healing a broken heart.

If you’re ready to survive heartbreak and let go of someone you love, then you might be ready for Nancy Sinatra’s “These Books Were Made for Walking” or Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” Those are different types of breakup songs – but they’re still music that heals heartache!

Destiny’s Child: Survivor/Independent Woman - This one of the best breakup songs ever because it’s all about how much smarter, wiser, richer, more successful, better, and more free she is. The best CD for a broken heart is one that focuses on the future. Hope, faith, sunshine, and blue skies ahead…

Avril Lavigne’s My Happy Ending – “So much for my happy ending” sings Lavigne. We’ve all been there baby — but have you ever heard this saying? “One tear met another tear floating down the river. Said the first tear, ‘I’m the tear of the woman who lost her lover.’ The second tear said, ‘I’m the tear of the woman who found him.’” To help you let go of someone you love, remember that whoever found him is probably shedding tears, too! Anyway, Lavigne’s breakup song is music for healing a broken heart.

Jewel’s You Were Meant for Me –  Sometimes you don’t want a breakup song that reminds you of the future and happiness without your partner…sometimes you want to cling to the hope that you’ll be together again. Jewel’s breakup song is music for healing broken hearts, because it focuses on the certainty that you’re meant to be together.

Toni Braxton’s Un-Break My Heart – This is another great song that helps you get over a broken heart by encouraging the tears to flow. “Un-Break My Heart” is a breakup song – definitely music for healing a broken heart because it lets you immerse yourself in sorrow, which sometimes you have to do in order to heal.

Christine Aguilera’s Fighter – The opposite of encouraging tears to heal, Aguilera’s “Fighter” is all about getting stronger, working harder, getting faster, being wiser, and growing a thicker skin. The song lyrics focus on “thanks for making me a fighter” – which is a great way to heal a broken heart and let go of someone you love.

Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares to You – This isn’t exactly the most empowering song, but it could be a good breakup song because it lets you soak in your misery (which isn’t always a bad thing). “It’s been so lonely without you here,” sings Sinead. “Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling.” Yes, I recommend letting yourself wail and weep and mourn what you’ve lost – it’s music for healing a broken heart.

Lara Fabian’s I Will Love Again – This is a great song for a broken heart because Fabian acknowledges the pain (“Though my heart is breaking”) and vows to love again. She sings of moving on, breathing again, feeling again, and loving again…even if it takes a lifetime.

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