We’ve all had a breakup, then suffered the regrets, the what-ifs, and the belief that if we could just get back together, everything would be fine. It usually isn’t, but we humans have an amazing ability to forget how things work when the heart is involved.
Here are 10 of the best songs about going back to a loved one.
“Hard To Say I’m Sorry” – Chicago
Chicago bassist and vocalist Peter Cetera led the band into the “new Chicago era” with Chicago XVI, an album that dropped in 1982.
The lyrics talk about two people who needed a break, but the narrator realizes that being away from his girl is not the right way to go. He admits that they’ve been through some things (that were probably his fault) but that he’ll do his best to atone for everything. It’s one of those songs about returning to normal.
He loves her, despite the song ending with him telling her that she’ll be the lucky one in the relationship. Yikes.
The song ends by morphing into a new song called “Get Away,” with a full display of Chicago’s legendary horn section. “Get Away” rarely got airplay once “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” ended, but it’s as much a juggernaut piece of music as the hit that sets it up.
“Reunited” – Peaches & Herb
Peaches — a singer named Linda Greene, at the time of this recording — and Herb (Herb Feemster) had a huge hit with “Reunited” in 1979, just the latest in a string of hits.
As a duet, the song gives a point of view of both people in the relationship, and dangit, both of them regret the breakup.
They can’t stay away from each other, and since we don’t know the circumstances of the breakup, we can’t help but root for these two crazy kids. After all, reuniting does feel pretty good.
“Walking After You” – Foo Fighters
The Foos are known for some pretty face-melting rock, but “Walking After You” is the rare tune of theirs that’s almost soothing.
The recurring idea here is that if you leave me, I’ll walk out, too, but not away. Instead, I will go after you because we belong together.
Fans agreed, as “Walking After You” made it to number 12 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart in 1998. The Foos were only four years old then, and look what they’ve done since. They’re cultural icons.
“We Belong” – Pat Benetar
Okay, so belonging to the night, thunder, and words may not sound like a song about going back, but it is.
Pat Benetar’s 1984 hit insisted that, no matter what has happened in the past, no matter what baggage we each bring to this relationship, no matter what waters we have to just let go under the bridge, the two of us belong together. After all, she admits that she sees his face everywhere, so for better or worse, we should be together.
If that’s not a prime example of the songs about reconnecting with first love (or only love), maybe we all need to re-evaluate.
“Un-Break My Heart” – Toni Braxton
In 19, “Unbreak My Heart” made it to number one on no fewer than six different US charts, and that doesn’t include any charts from other countries, which also wholeheartedly embraced the single.
The general sentiment of the song revolves around time travel, if we’re really going to get down to it: you broke my heart, so undo that and make it so I’m not devastated anymore.
It’s a nice thought, right?
In the bridge, Braxton sings that she just wants to have back the nights when she had her heartbreaker next to her.
In this song, the desire to get back together seems one-sided, but “Un-Break My Heart” stands as one of the great R&B songs about getting back together.
“Crazy Girl” – Eli Young Band
The members of the Eli Young Band all met at the University of Texas and released their first album in 2002. This “Crazy Girl” song came out years later in 2011, and it’s a song about getting back together country style.
The song is about someone that sometimes needs time alone but wouldn’t dream about living the loved one for good. And they just want to make sure that the girl knows how they feel.
“Can’t We Talk It Over in Bed” – Olivia Newton-John
In the wake of a nasty fight— the kind where both people in the relationship say things they probably shouldn’t have— what’s often needed most is forgiveness.
Olivia Newton-John nails it in this song, in which the narrator is in a spot we’ve all found ourselves in: I shouldn’t have said that, but I’m too proud to say so out loud, so can you just come over? Let’s hop in the sack and try to make each other forget the crappy things we said?
As one of those songs about returning to normal, this is a pretty great one.
“If Ever You’re in My Arms Again” – Peabo Bryson
Another situation most of us have experienced is the realization that what we had was great, but I had no idea just how great until it was over.
Bryson sings— in a number one hit in 1984— that if I could ever have you back, I promise I’ll do better. Who hasn’t said that before?
“One More Chance/Stay With Me” – Notorious B.I.G.
Notorious B.I.G. is considered one of the best rappers of all time. Unfortunately, he was killed in a drive-by shooting at 24 years old.
In this rap song about getting back together released in 1995, B.I.G. asks his girl to give him one more change. He explains why he’s better than her current boyfriend.
“I Want You Back” – The Jackson 5
1969 gave us the moon landing, Woodstock, a good chunk of Generation X, and this hit from the Jackson 5.
An absolutely adorable Michael Jackson sings about how dumb he was to let this woman go. He can’t sleep, he spends his nights crying, and all he wants is one more chance.
It’s cute coming from the King of Pop when he was just ten years old, but the sentiment is universal: things were better when you were here, so can you please come back to me?
Final Thoughts
Songs fall into two categories: they’re either about love or about the absence or loss of love. If you need a song about going back, one of these songs applies. Honestly, at least eight of them do, so get that significant other to come back.
