There’s a reason why so many chart-topping songs over the years have been about heartbreak…because at some point or another, just about everybody has to deal with going through a breakup. Even worse, most people have had the unfortunate experience of being cheated on…which explains why some of the most powerful and popular tunes ever have been about somebody or other’s cheating heart.
So what’s the first song people turn to drown out the sorrows of an unfaithful partner? When the fan-driven site Ranker asked readers to vote for the “best songs about cheaters,” people had plenty of favorites to share…and the top 10 was a diverse mix of genres spanning multiple decades.
Coming in at #10 was Eric Clapton‘s “I Can’t Stand It” from his 1981 album Another Ticket. Why? Well, the lyrics are all-too relatable: “I can’t stand it / You’re foolin’ around, I can’t stand it / You’re runnin’ around, I won’t stand it / You’re foolin’ around with my heart.”
Ranked at #9, “I Wish It Would Rain” by the Temptations has a tragic backstory: Motown staff writer Rodger Penzabene wrote the lyrics after he found out his wife was cheating on him…then took his own life a week shortly after the song’s release, per Ultimate Guitar. Kenny Rogers took eighth place with “Lucille” (1977), which tells the complicated tale of a man who can’t bring himself to have an affair with a married woman because of her devastated husband and “four hungry children” at home. Chuck Berry‘s 1955 classic “Maybellene” was next in line (all about a man driving a V8 Ford to chase after his cheating girlfriend in her Cadillac Coupe DeVille) at #7.
Nancy Sinatra‘s iconic and inspirational “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” (1966) took sixth place, and with good reason: One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you. Kicking off the top five was Eurythmics with “Would I Lie to You” (1985), a satisfying song about someone confronting their disloyal lover and leaving them behind, followed by REO Speedwagon’s “Keep on Loving You” (1980) at #4 representing a very different kind of reaction to being cheated on (deciding to stick around anyway).
Taking third place was Marvin Gaye‘s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (1967), in which Gaye is “just about to lose his mind” over his cheating partner; coming in second was ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All” (1980), with lyrics that definitely hit home for many: “But tell me, does she kiss / Like I used to kiss you? / Does it feel the same / When she calls your name?”
What was crowned the #1 best song about cheaters? The Eagles took that honor with “Lyin’ Eyes” (1977), which isn’t a huge surprise. How could a song with the line: “She is headed for the cheatin’ side of town” not win this contest?
At least the lovelorn have plenty of options for playlists.
Related: This 1977 Classic Ranked the ‘Best Breakup Song’ of All Time
