20 Greatest Empowering Break-Up Songs

17. You're No Good - Linda Ronstadt

The History: The song was originally sung by Betty Everett in 1963, but Ronstadt covered it in the '70s. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, but it was also a hit worldwide.

Why It's Great: As Shakespeare wrote, €œbrevity is the soul of wit€, and that is the basis of what makes this song so good. There's no complicated lyrics, no flashy vocals, or intricate instrumentals. Sometimes all we need is a simple lyric like €œ"You're no good€" to identify with, and that's what this song gives us.

The other interesting part of this song is that unlike so many other break up songs, she doesn't play the innocent victim. She recalls a time where she broke someone else's heart, and while that doesn't make her perfect, that doesn't mean she has to stay with the man who broke hers.

Contributor
Contributor

E.B lives across the pond in New Jersey. She just graduated with a B.A. in English and working on ten different writing projects at once. She's also the owner of Nerdy Girl Problems. She also may or may not be a cat goddess.