5 Classic Rock Songs Every Divorced Boomer Should Have on Their Playlist – Grunge

Someone once said that every divorce is a good thing because no happy marriage ends in divorce. True or not, this change could hold some big silver linings for baby boomers struggling with divorce, one of the best of which is regaining full control over the music they play. For every baby boomer out there who’s been through it (which statistics say is an awful lot of people), at least the playlist behind it is all theirs. No matter the mix of sadness, anger, and anxiety, the music of our youth, classic rock, is here to stay, at least for baby boomers.

Divorce is not just a separation. It’s a personal evolution and the beginning of a whole new chapter in life, and the songs collected here reflect that. From surviving to thriving, finding someone new, and yes, the little things, these songs are the perfect way to feel and make sense of it all. Luckily, classic rock is wide-ranging, with songs for every transition in life, and here we’ve collected five of the genre’s best songs that should be on every baby boomer’s divorce playlist.

There’s no getting around the fact that grief is a big part of the divorce process. Even if a breakup is ultimately the best outcome, there is still a long, painful and unspecified period between the initial breakup and the “final” breakup. Fortunately for those stuck in the swamp of grief, the entire region has been thoroughly mapped by one of the great explorers, Morrissey. The Masters of Mope are known for many melancholy ballads, but few express post-breakup sadness as genuinely as “I Know It’s Over,” from The Smiths’ 1986 masterpiece Queen Is Dead.

The song opens with Morrissey singing, “Oh, mama, I feel it / I feel the dirt falling on my head / And when I climb into my empty bed / Oh, I’m done,” and the mood is immediately clear. Moz seeks to capture the empty feeling of hopelessness that washes over those who have just been divorced. From there, every line becomes its own microcosm of sadness.

The chorus begins, “I know it’s over, but I’m still holding on / I don’t know where else I could go,” but it steers with Morrissey’s trademark insight: “I know it’s over, and it never really started / But it was so real in my heart.” The third verse, although the quietest verse, is the emotional high point of the song. After racking his brain for the reason for his loneliness, Moz finally settles on a relatable, self-pitying thought. “Why am I sleeping alone tonight?/I know, ’cause tonight’s just like any other night” — a self-defeating thought that any divorcee can relate to.

There is no such thing as a normal divorce, and the entire ordeal is filled with uncertainty. But the good news is that every breakup has a guarantee that it will end someday and everyone will survive. There is a lot of power to be found in that realization. The perfect song to get baby boomers there is “I’m Still Standing” by the legendary Sir Elton John. The song was written by John and his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Interestingly, the song has come to express something completely different than Taupin originally intended, but both messages have a lot to teach us about moving forward.

For many who understandably take the lyrics at face value, “I’m Still Standing” is an ode to the narrator’s resilience after a breakup. The chorus certainly looks like it, proudly proclaiming over that iconic pulsating bass, “I’ve been standing all this time, picking up the pieces of life without a care in the world for you.” Surviving and moving on is already a worthy pursuit, and this song fits those goals perfectly. However, Taupin revealed that the song was intended to be more of a reassurance that everything would be okay, rather than an indictment of her ex. According to Taupin (via Smooth Radio), he wrote the song as “a kind of kiss-off” to his ex-girlfriend. “You know, like, ‘Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine,'” he explained. “I’m Still Standing” is a must-have on any divorce playlist, whether it’s for your ex or not.

The band Looking Glass is the epitome of a one-hit wonder, but they managed to become a huge hit. “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” may have only reached number one on the Billboard charts for one week, but it left a lasting impression as a simple but masterful fable about choosing between love and passion. People going through divorce, especially those in the later stages of life like baby boomers, can learn a lot (or at least relax and unwind) from Brandi’s story.

In just three minutes, Looking Glass tells listeners a highly effective story about the love between Brandi and her nameless sailor suit lover. Brandi is seemingly the object of every man’s dreams, yet she only wants one man. She’s been wearing his locket (probably “made of the finest silver from northern Spain”) for years, maybe even decades, and at night she still “walks through the quiet streets / And loves the man who’s not by her side.”

The reason for his absence is the core of this song. “I always told the truth,” the sailor told Brandy frankly from the beginning. ”[M]Your life, my love, and my woman are the ocean. ” Despite the sailor’s repeated reassurances that she was a wonderful woman who would make a wonderful wife, his calling was the sea — “his home was not the port.” It may be comforting to know that the point of life can be more than just a relationship.

If a song title says it all when it comes to divorce playlists, it’s Joan Jett & the Blackhearts’ “I Hate Myself for Loving You.” Sure, divorce playlists can help people process, learn, heal, and evolve, but we also need fist-pumping songs to let all the anger go. Hard, distorted, driving songs are ideal, but none are as twangy and uplifting as “I Hate Myself for Loving You.”

There’s no better line than Jett’s line, “You don’t know what you were missing last night/I wanna see you beg, just mean and tell me to forget.” Especially coming right after the clearly disingenuous “I’m so pissed you made me do this.” But that little thing can be fuel, and songs like this can help someone feel those vile human emotions without feeling alone. The song relies on the chorus over and over again, and its sadly relatable lyrics are worth repeating. “I hate myself for loving you,” Jett sings. “I can’t be free of what you do/I want to walk but I run back/That’s why I hate myself for loving you.” For many people, breakup playlists are about catharsis, and there’s something primal and cathartic about tearfully singing lyrics that you can truly understand and relate to. Most people have found themselves wanting to go back at some point after being in a relationship, and they understand how much wanting to go back can make them hate themselves.

Regardless of age or type of previous relationship, a breakup always comes with new freedom. It’s not just a ray of hope, it’s half a cloud. With free schedules, relaxed expectations, and a suddenly larger world, you don’t have to spin to see signs of improvement. Similarly, The Rolling Stones’ 1965 B-side “I’m Free” doesn’t hide anything flashy, and that’s a good thing. Sometimes the simplest message is the best one. “You are free to do whatever you want now, as you were then.”

“I’m Free” has only a modicum of specificity, like the final verse, in which Mick Jagger sings, “I’m free to choose who I’m going to please/I’m free to choose who I’m going to please.” In that case, it’s clear that the Jaguars are there. We celebrate the freedom to find new and exciting people. But for most of the song, the refrain “You’re always free to do whatever you want” is repeated over and over again, like a mantra to the newly born. That sentiment doesn’t have any deep meaning, but it’s an important sentiment that you can listen to as many times as you need. The lyrical simplicity and hopefulness of the song, combined with the bright, jingling guitars, make “I’m Free” feel like a movie’s end credits song. For all you baby boomers going through a divorce, add “I’m Free” to the end of your playlist and watch what’s come before while the credits roll, anticipating what’s to come.