Shakira’s diss track Out of Your League, written as a jibe at her ex-partner, footballer Gerard Piqué, recently became the most-watched Latin song on YouTube in a period of 24 hours. Like Shakira, many other pop stars —including Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift— have opted to reveal their side of the story post-breakup through revenge songs. Here, we take a look at five such numbers that resonated with listeners across the globe.
Out of Your League – Shakira ft. BZRP
The Out of Your League track, sung by Shakira in a session with musician BZRP, has managed to not only garner 166 million views in nine days but has broken the YouTube record of the most-viewed Latin song in 24 hours. The song comes after the Colombian singer’s split with Barcelona player Gerard Piqué. The two were in a relationship for 12 years and had two children together. They announced their breakup in June 2022.
Out of Your League is an account of how Pique cheated on Shakira with a woman named Clara Chia Marti — a name that is mentioned in the song as well. With Spanish lyrics that translate to, ‘So much talk of being a champion’ and ‘a she-wolf like me isn’t for rookies’, Shakira has hit her ex-boyfriend where it hurts.
Flowers – Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus’ Flowers is an energetic revenge song on her enjoying being single. The track broke the Spotify record of the most streamed song in a week, dethroning Butter by BTS. Released on January 13, 2023, which also happens to be her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth’s birthday, Flowers sees a stunning Miley singing about romantic gestures that she can fulfil herself. The song is also an alleged ‘answer’ to Bruno Mars’ When I Was Your Man, which was dedicated by Hemsworth to Miley on their wedding in 2018. While Bruno’s song lyrics go ‘I should have bought you flowers, And held your hand’, Miley’s version says ‘I can buy myself flowers, Write my name in the sand’.
All Too Well – Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift — the queen of revenge songs — did not hold back in the 10-minute version of All Too Well released in 2021. The American singer-songwriter also released a short film based on the song, starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien, who play the role of Taylor and her ex-partner. While fans believe the song is about Taylor’s tumultuous relationship with Nightcrawler actor Jake Gyllenhall, the singer hasn’t officially acknowledged it.
The 10-minute All Too Well captures the journey of the relationship between a young Taylor and a much older man. With lyrics like ‘And you call me up again just to break me like a promise/So casually cruel in the name of being honest’ and ‘You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath’, the song hits the nail.
All Too Well isn’t the only revenge song of Taylor’s that has managed to draw attention. Blank Space, released in 2014, went on to become a chartbuster and a hit breakup song of the year. Her 2017 release Look What You Made Me Do, aimed at Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, managed to turn the narrative into Taylor’s favour after the feud had left Twitteratis spamming the singer with snake emojis.
Driver’s License – Olivia Rodrigo
Up-and-coming artist Olivia Rodrigo had her biggest hit yet with her melodious revenge song, Driver’s License. While this isn’t the only revenge track in her discography, Driver’s License is the first song that became an instant hit upon its release in 2021. Aimed at Olivia’s High School Musical: The Musical co-star and ex-boyfriend Joshua Bassett, the song takes a stab at both Joshua and musician Sabrina Carpenter whose relationship had led to Olivia and Joshua’s split in 2019. The lines ‘You’re probably with that blonde girl, who always made me doubt’ and ‘You didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me’ did make for a heartbreaking revenge song.
Skin – Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter, also a Disney alum, released Skin a year later, in 2022, as a response to Olivia’s Driver’s License. While neither Sabrina nor Joshua publicly admitted their relationship, the love triangle left all three singers releasing revenge songs for each other. Skin, also an emotional track, talks of Sabrina’s struggle with the hate following the release of Olivia’s song and how no one can get under her skin. The lyrics ‘I’m not asking you to let it go, but you’ve been telling your side so I will be telling mine’ talk of how everyone other than her has been controlling the narrative surrounding the events that also involved her.