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vanillaearthquake515

SAWAYAMA by Rina - touches on several themes that pop music hardly ever explores, such as intergenerational trauma, living on the diaspora between two home countries, consumerism, friendship conflict, and so much more. Not a single stereotypical love song to be found!


grilsjustwannabclean

this album is excellent front to back


mikeyisbae731

i'd also argue that the RINA EP doesn't have any breakup songs either, with the main themes being indviidual identity and techonology (as well as how they intersect).


wrongleveeeeeeer

God fucking damnit this fucking album is so goddamn fucking good


Sensitive_Ad5840

That album is both known and underrated. Such a good ass album!


NewProgram5250

Hold the Girl as well


Hemansno1fan

I love Hold The Girl and I'm so sad it wasn't more popular. 😭 My standouts are the title track "Hold The Girl" about holding onto your inner child and "Phantom" is an apology song to her younger self... definitely not something you hear a lot in pop.


vanillaearthquake515

Pitchfork’s review of Hold the Girl still makes me so angry…such a beautiful and vulnerable album that they just SHAT on for no reason! smh


danigotchi

People paid this album so much dust 💔 It is so good. A tapestry of self love in musical form. Give the girl her flowers people!!!


FlamboyantGayWhore

really hoping more people respond to her next album, she’s so talented and SO genuine like just such a person to look up to


notthemostcreative

It’s SO good; the haters and losers just don’t get it like I do 😌


heisenberg15

…. Am a hater and loser unfortunately :( really wanted to like it, loved Sawayama and Rina EP but Hold the Girl just didn’t do much for me


NoMoreBillz

Chosen family still makes me tear up.


musiquescents

Wow!


ThisIsABurner1012

You could say "Bad Friend" is *technically* about heartbreak, the realization you've drifted apart from someone you were once extremely close with, its just plutonic.


thecombinedeffort

Just a couple recent examples: - Porter Robinson - Nurture is an exploration of his burnout and relationship with music/creation - 100 gecs - 10,000 gecs: not sure what to say about this one except that it definitely does not focus on romance


WowThisIsAwkward_

10,000 gecs is aroace


ZheEisen

Love seeing Nurture mentioned here. I would say blossom is the only “lovesong” about his gratitude for his wife. Lyrically this is such a good album!


Hemansno1fan

Kesha - Gag Order "All I need is you" sounds like a love song but it's actually about her cat when he was sick. 😭 I love this album, she gets very personal on it about dealing with all her struggles. "Eat The Acid" "Happy" and "Fine Line" are my standouts. Kesha in general has a lot of non love songs! I don't think High Road or Rainbow had many either.


Shot_Shower_9348

“Eat the Acid” is the best song of 2023, change my mind.


Hemansno1fan

I love it , I was really disappointed so many people didn't like the album. ☹️


Pee_A_Poo

I plan to have the line “Shut up, eat your breakfast” tattooed on my hand 🤚 at some point cuz I love that song (‘Only Love Can Save Us Now’ so much.


snowflakebite

Praying from Rainbow is a masterpiece


CantWatchMovieAntz

This is one of the best albums ever made in my opinion


kimpernickel

Honestly, Lorde's *Solar Power.* It only features one song about romance (The Man with the Axe) and the rest of the album is about the environment and her relationship to fame and her family.


lustforyou

I’d also argue that a lot of Pure Heroine can be interpreted to be about adolescence/friendship instead of romance, bar 400 Lux


orangedwarf98

Was just about to add Pure Heroine too. I would even argue that 400 Lux doesnt have to be romantic either, just good friends vibing around the suburb As a relationship-less teen, Lorde was a real one for this album


coldcoffeethrowaway

I agree


FlamboyantGayWhore

i lived for this album, it wasn’t something that got a lot of replay from me but it’s definitely going to be playing when i’m lounging around this summer i have fond memories of theorizing that it was going to be a concept album about a post apocalypse when we only had the main single and mv (i was like CERTAIN that mv had like a weird story behind hit that was hidden)


tank-you--very-much

The Family Jewels by Marina, it's mostly about the conflict between fame/success and mental health


un-insides

her best imo


Shot_Shower_9348

most cohesive for sure


coldcoffeethrowaway

After Laughter by Paramore for the most part. There are a couple songs alluding to a romantic relationship, but most of the album is about depression, sadness, and moving on.


samof1994

Paramore in general averts or downplays this trope


dignifiedgoat

It’s interesting to see so many people agree with this. I love this album but it’s very much a post-divorce album mourning the end of her marriage, I wouldn’t at all think it would fit for someone who wants an album not having to do with romantic relationships.


un-insides

the only song that is explicitly and unequivocally about a romantic relationship is pool imo


dignifiedgoat

Rose-Colored Boy, Forgiveness, Tell Me How, and yes Pool are all clearly about Chad.


un-insides

if you don't know who chad is, they don't read like romantic/breakup lyrics


dignifiedgoat

It’s not as explicit as all the top 40 pop songs that are usually discussed on this sub but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s an album where heartbreak is a running theme throughout multiple songs.


squeezylemon

They still read as romance songs, though.


coldcoffeethrowaway

If you don’t know who Chad is or about Hayley Williams’ love life, those songs could be about any type of relationship, not just romantic. When I first listened to the album, I had no idea about anything related to Hayley and it didn’t strike me as romantic, except Pool.


CantWatchMovieAntz

Im pretty sure hayley said in an interview rose colored boy was about a bandmate.


AlexeiYegorov

TURN OFF THE LIGHT by Kim Petras revolves around her demonic persona killing and butchering whichever poor bastard that happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, but this is a Halloween album so this obviously influences on having no presence of love/heartbreak songs.


Kroctopus

Slut pop also really isn’t about love/relationships, just sex


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Spirited_Sector_8460

YES to Marvin Gaye !! A true album diva. Alternatively he has my favorite divorce album ever “Here, My Dear”


Coconut_Rice_Bear

Owl City's Ocean Eyes and Maybe I'm Dreaming


Roxieloxie

A Maybe I'm Dreaming shout out??? On Popheads??? very unexpected but welcome!! It was one of my favorite albums back in the day and i still have a very soft spot for it <3


Coconut_Rice_Bear

I could also add Of June, All Things Bright and Beautiful, and The Midsummer Station--although the last one has one song about pining for lost love.


Both_Bid

It’s crazy how I still listen to these albums regularly and they STILL manage to sound fresh to me. The sound that Owl City created is just so one of a kind that I still feel like there is nothing exactly like it.


Coconut_Rice_Bear

His music is my safe space and I stay repping Owl City til I die 😤☝🏻


anthropocenable

this is the answer


AFineFineHologram

Other than the final track “Blackout” by Britney.


Houdini-88

Why should I be sad should have been left off the album to be honest I guess she only did that as a response to the divorce since people were talking about it


BevGlen_

I felt like WSIBS was an excellent closure, especially because she wasn’t talking to the media back then. With that said, Britney is not really a heartbreak girlie. Her albums are always focused on positivity.


AFineFineHologram

She’s had at least one heartbreak bop on most of her albums though. “From The Bottom of My Broken Heart”, “Where Are You Now”, “Lonely”, “Shadow”… some of them might be about triumphing over heartbreak which is I guess a positive spin. But tumultuous relationships are often a subject of her songs imo!!


summersaphraine

Demi Lovato's Holy Fvck is their only album to not have any breakup/heartbreak songs. It definitely focuses on romantic - or more so, sexual, themes, with a few love songs in there, but it's more of an album about identity, mental health, addiction, and societal judgment.


grilsjustwannabclean

demi's team dropped the ball on this album. vocally she can sing circles around most of the girls she rose up with but she's just not as big as they are


EC3ForChamp

On one hand it didn't do well for Demi's standards, on the other hand it did very well for rock standards. An album that sounds like that was only gonna be able to sell so much.


Ship_Negative

This tour banged and I’m selfishly glad it flopped because I got front row tickets for 40 bucks ten minutes away from my house


alextoria

ugh i discovered the album and became obsessed with it, then googled if there was gonna be a show… the one in my city was 3 days before 😭


Nunjabuziness

You could kind of argue that “29” was about heartbreak, maybe moreso heartbreak for the years Demi wasted of her life with Wilmer. It is definitely a song about an ex though.


Eggs76

Bastille! They have few love songs but explore so many different themes across their albums


Sensitive_Ad5840

Mr Morale & the Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar discuses generational trauma, celebrity culture, accountability, etc. It just overall touches upon life struggles and then slightly touches on infidelity which can be considered about heart break. Another album is Sempiternal by Bring Me the Horizon. Album is about drug addition, fake activism, mental health struggles, etc. If I am not mistaken this album has no love related songs. Honestly a lot of bands in the genres of pop punk, pop rock, metal, rock, etc have albums that don’t talk about heartbreak at all.


themouseinusall

The only song id argue touches on love is Deathbeds but it’s a bonus track


dropthehammer11

willow's newest album *empathogen*. it covers her anxieties, self reflects on her fame and just analyzes the human condition as a whole and the pain that can come with it. really great album, highly recommend


namiikazes

Both symptom of life and b i g f e e l i n g s are such gorgeous songs. Her albums aren’t quite up there for me yet, but I’m so excited to see where she takes her next one.


SignedByMilpool

Edit: I'm wrong yall I think you could easily argue Madonna's American Life album is an example. It's both introspective of her own life story and fame, as well as American society. *Love Profusion* is probably the closest track that deals with her own feelings of love, but not necessarily heartbreak caused by another.


janethevirginfan

Nothing Fails says hi, that is such a love song


SignedByMilpool

Oop clock me!


joshually

No but there's no song about heartbreak is there?


SignedByMilpool

Technically not heartbreak, no. Nothing Fails kind of edges the line though. I know that song hit me pretty hard when I was going through some dating woes --but to your point it's more of a confessional yearning, borderline unrequited love scenario rather than literal breakup. I guess it's open to interpretation :) Regardless, it's a banger and American Life is a superb album imo


joshually

The person who posted this post needs to clarify. There's a disconnect between title and body. Smh


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retrievethis123

Renaissance doesn’t.


chickfilamoo

Idk that I’d classify any of them as heartbreak songs but several songs do feel very relationship inspired


-googa-

Right. The post specifies heartbreak but a lot of lyrics are about being in a loving satisfactory relationship. I remember when Renaissance came out some people from certain fandoms were saying Beyonce’s music is just not relatable. So some people on tiktok were saying well some of us are adults in a joyous relationship so 🤷


chickfilamoo

The body text seems to say they don’t really want romance centric recs at all which is why I bring it up


retrievethis123

Hmm the only one really that’s potentially relationship focused is Plastic Off the Sofa, but everything else is mostly about having a good sexual experience.


TheShapeShiftingFox

HEATED?


retrievethis123

Wait I don’t see how that’s relationshipy?


TheShapeShiftingFox

I read it as someone being annoyed by their partner, but I could be off with that lol (The texting comment, “to give you the space in a time like this, my love”, “you keep playing with my heart, boy”) But that’s probably the most literal read of the song.


retrievethis123

Oh yeah I guess.


elmo5994

Its why its so obvious that cowboy carter was supposed to come 1st. Its a continuation of Lemonade somewhat. Then Renaissance has love songs but none of them being a heart break song.


liqou

There are romantic songs on it but nothing to do with heartbreak.


un-insides

Bonito Generation by Kero Kero Bonito is an album about growing up that doesn't talk about romantic relationships and every song in this album is upbeat and fun!


liqou

Lion King: The Gift has no romantic themes afaik. It's like a love letter to your children.


koalagirl1995

Art Angels by Grimes. Grimes actually said in an interview that she intentionally wanted to make an album with no songs about romance or romantic love.


cumguzzlingbunny

Jessie Ware's two most recent albums kinda... they're kinda just about having fun ...


uhohitzkenney

Not really tbh in terms of romance, TFG has Hello Love + Lightning, and then WYP is basically half love songs lol


cumguzzlingbunny

so, I answered this based on the title of the question, and misread the content of the post itself, lol


Old-Highlight-8021

looove Jessie!


horatiavelvetina

It’s why I really like Sasha Alex Sloan she sings about parental relationships it’s very relatable!


LesYeuxHiboux

Most The Go! Team albums. Positive romance ("Ready to go Steady") or nothing romantic at all (most of the discography.)


bab_tte

To this day I  don't know a what any words in go team songs are 😭


LesYeuxHiboux

Fair. I saw them last night for the second time, I own physical copies of every album, and I realized I only know a handful of lyrics. I know all the words to T.O.R.N.A.D.O, though.


PurpleSpaceSurfer

David Bowie's Low. The second half is mostly instrumental. Of the songs on the first half, only "Be My Wife" is a song about romance. The rest of the songs primarily focus on isolation, depression and making the same mistakes over again.


stair_inequality16

I was going to suggest Ziggy Stardust. Androgynous rockstar alien comes to earth, chaos ensues. About as far from relationship problems as you can get!


PurpleSpaceSurfer

That's a great choice too!


zevix_0

Some random ones off the top of my head * Talking Heads - Remain in Light * Rina Sawayama - Sawayama * David Bowie - Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust * Blur - Parklife * U2 - Joshua Tree * Cocteau Twins' discography (kind of cheating since most of the lyrics are literal gibberish) * Daft Punk - Discovery * Gorillaz - Demon Days * Most of MGMT's discography * 100 gecs - 1000 gecs * BeyoncĂŠ - Renaissance * Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin * Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam * Kero Kero Bonito - Bonito Generation * Most of Nirvana's discography * Massive Attack - Mezzanine * The Avalanches - Since I Left You * Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation * Pixies - Doolittle * Most of Kendrick Lamar's discography * Lots of metal and prog rock in general (though a lot of them are incredibly corny lyrically) * Lots of electronic music


Ross_Baby

I’m seeing a trend and understand why these particular albums are so acclaimed


zevix_0

What trend in particular?


Ross_Baby

The lack of heartbreak songs. Maybe that’s what lead to the acclaim of those albums.


SaraRF

Hmm can we really say with or without you isn't a romantic song?


CoolViber

To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar has references to relationships and sex but I don't think any of the songs are really only about relationships


Kashka_Fr0m_Baghdad

Aerial by Kate Bush It will probably change your life


EC3ForChamp

Weezer's Rivers Cuomo got married after 2005's Make Believe and briefly swore off writing love/heartbreak songs as a result. Their next albums, the Red Album and Raditude only feature love songs in a very tongue-in-cheek way and the only heartbreak song between either one is on Raditude (and it's a song that was written in 2005)


Btd030914

Kate Bush’s Aerial. The first side is a collection of songs about different people (Elvis, her father, mother, son, Joan of Arc) and the second side is a song suite about a summer’s day. And it’s glorious.


legendtinax

None of the original songs on *HIStory* are romantic. Some of the best, like "Scream," "Stranger in Moscow," and "They Don't Care About Us," lean heavily into injustice, isolation, and paranoia


tsabin_naberrie

I think “Everglow” is the only song that’s about heartbreak on Coldplay’s *A Head Full of Dreams*. The only other breakup song is “Fun”, but that’s looking back positively rather than with sadness. Pretty much everything else on the album is basically about vibing and optimism and generally having a good time.


MFDougWhite

*Thriller*. The closest is “The Girl Is Mine,” and even that’s more so “who’s gonna get this girl’s love?”


Shot_Shower_9348

please don’t remind us about this song


buddhacharm

With A Hammer by Yaeji! All about communal love, generational trauma and spirituality but nothing quite about love, romance or heartbreak which is refreshing to me


thaarmin

Viva La Vida by coldplay! it has a couple of songs on love but i dont think most are explicitly about it


EsmeRylan8747

Most of the examples that come to mind are pretty far outside of pop. For instance, Moor Mother's The Great Bailout is about the horrors of the British slave trade and the dehumanizing effects of colonialism, and Diamanda Galas's discography contains a number of conceptual works setting texts related to the AIDS epidemic (the Masque of the Red Death trilogy), the Armenian genocide (Defixiones: Will & Testament), and World War I (Broken Gargoyles).


Pee_A_Poo

‘Love All Serve All’ by Fuji Kaze He has only one love song in his discography that came out in 2023. It’s the kinda of incredibly smooth piano-based pop songs that are great to relax to in a sentimental evening.


lamyH

Any rage against the machine album?


Betteis

Dance Fever by Florence and the Machine. Whilst there a couple its themes are rich and varied


Icantlikeeveryone

Mermaid is such a beautiful song, truly one of the best song in 2020s


Icantlikeeveryone

D-Day by Agust D, it tells us about his journey, about his view of the world (Haegeum is that bitch), and it also full of encouragement (the "future's gonna be okay" opening from D-Day is so powerful).


forestwaterguy

Get Brave album by Moonthorn 


go_zers

Thriller by Michael Jackson Any Kendrick Lamar album What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye


reiichitanaka

Stray Kids' first song about a romantic relationship was more than two years into their career (Ex, on their first studio album, Go Live), and they already had 7 EPs out (and their EPs are on the longer side, with 6-7 songs each). Yep they're a boy band, but regarding themes it's super rare for them to talk about love and that's something I really appreciate.


izzyttrium

How to Be a Human Being by Glass Animals is a cool anthology album that tells stories about 11 different people, I believe. There are some songs that kinda touch on love but that’s def not the focal point of the album. Standouts for me are take a slice, life itself, and youth.


Flat_Act_5576

Femme Fatale by Britney Spears… its just upbeat EDM Pop


miihenhighroad

JLo’s This Is Me Now. Just happy love songs (Broken Like Me is heartbreakish, but ultimately about being in love)


Competitive-Desk7506

Funnily enough Lover by Taylor Swift mostly abt the various kinds of love. The only real breakup songs could be Death by a Thousand Cuts. A lot of the heartbreak songs also are more of a if I lost u I would be sad or it’s my fault I’m sorry. Another set of the album is more abt was more political.


SaraRF

It's more about anxiety than love


Competitive-Desk7506

True but there is definitely a sense of a love being the root of the anxiety in MOST (srry ppl usually ignore my mosts) of the songs. Either way it’s not rlly heartbreak or excluding Death by A Thousand Cuts and to an extent Cornelia Street (but that’s also more a if I lost u this Is how I’d feel song)