Classic Rock

Great Forgotten Songs #66 – Greg Kihn Band “The Breakup Song”

Published on 04/25/2018

“The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em)” is a song written by Greg Kihn and Steve Wright and recorded by American rock band The Greg Kihn Band. It is the first single from the band’s fourth studio album, RocKihnRoll (1981). The song’s musical style encompasses pop rock and power pop.

Hear the song below:

It celebrates the quality of break-up songs in rock’s earlier times, as the narrator laments both his recent breakup and the fact that they don’t write good breakup songs anymore.

The song reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #5 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart.

It has been featured in several films, including Let Me In (2010), The House of the Devil (2009), The Groomsmen (2006) and Beautiful Girls as well as the hit video game Grand Theft Auto V (2013). It was sampled in “Gone” by Yelawolf on his Arena Rap EP.

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Rafael Polcaro

I am a Brazilian journalist, a Classic Rock and Heavy Metal lover. Music has always been part of my life, helped me through tough moments and was with me to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist I knew I wanted to write about my passions. After college I did a postgraduate degree in digital communication. This has helped me to make the website better and bring the best of classic rock to the world! MTB: 0021377/MG