While loved-up couples flood our social media pages with photos of expensive gifts and smooshy tributes to their 'better half,' some of us singles are quietly toasting Valentine's Day with Netflix and takeaway on Saturday night.

After all, if we brave the pubs and clubs, we are either surrounded by lovesick PDA of the worst variety - or choking in the toxic air of last-ditch desperation that comes with being some lonely drunk guy's target lumber for the night.

But then there are those who are themselves not long out of a relationship, whether it was a fleeting, passionate whirlwind affair or a 'long haul' journey which they thought was destined to last forever - and Valentine's Day just adds salt to their still-healing arrow wound (Cheers, Cupid).

Thankfully, even popstars aren't immune to heartbreak - and they articulate their feelings pretty well through their music. Here is a selection of famous songs which lament failed romances and mercilessly pour scorn on lousy love rats of the past. Listen to your heart's content, jilted lovers - and remember, time is a healer.

Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac

Rumours by Fleetwood Mac is a remarkable record - and one of the best-selling albums of all time. When they were recording, the band was marred in tension and conflict by the break-ups between vocalists Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, as well as the failed marriage between keyboardist Christine and bassist John McVie. Basically, everyone but drummer Mick Fleetwood, in the back there. *Under breath*: Awkwaaaard.

The first single from Rumours, Go Your Own Way, is widely considered the gold-standard in heartbreak anthems. Fun Fact: It's also a very popular funeral song.


 


 

 


I Knew You Were Trouble - Taylor Swift

There is a saying that "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" - and no truer is that phrase than when referring to Taylor Swift's back-catalogue of relentless boyfriend-slayage.

The singer claims that she has written songs about all her ex-boyfriends, and says that they are her "greatest source of inspiration." One Direction heartthrob Harry Styles is on the firing line here, as Swift sings about how - against all her instincts - she fell head-over-heels for Harry and is now paying the price. She followed it up in 2014 with another single called 'Style' (get it?) which celebrates their whirlwind romance, alluding to his 'James Dean' good looks and wandering eyes… Maybe it's time to give it a bye now, Taylor?


 

 

 


Wide Awake - Katy Perry

This song is said to be about Katy's ex-husband Russell Brand, who she was married to for 14 months. They sealed their vows atop elephants in a lavish Hindu ceremony in India in October 2010 - and filed for divorce before Christmas a year later, citing 'long-distance' and personal difficulties as reasons for their split. Brand was less than flattering when talking about their failed marriage - he said it was 'dull' and joked that he thought about other women during sex - so poor Katy handled it all with dignity, singing about getting over heartbreak and moving on. Brand was definitely punching above his weight, anyway.


 

 

 


Obsessed - Mariah Carey

The ultimate diva Mariah Carey oozes sass in this song, which is rumoured to be about Eminem and his 'obsession' with their alleged six month relationship. Mimi denies it ever happened, of course - much to the rapper's frustration. If you've ever had a bad-mouthing, clingy ex that won't leave you alone, you could probably send them a link to this and they would get the point.

The video is pretty funny too - it shows Mimi dressed as a bearded, scruffy male stalker who dresses suspiciously similar to Eminem. Throughout the video he disguises himself as a hotel bellboy and a shoot assistant to get closer to her. He gets hit by a bus in the end, like Regina in Mean Girls. I suppose that's a way of saying don't mess with Mariah.


 

 

 


You're So Vain - Carly Simon

Carly Simon penned this song about her self-absorbed former boyfriend. She always said in interviews that it was about three of her exes rolled into one, but she revealed the real identity of the doomed man to the highest bidder of a Martha's Vineyard charity auction for $50,000 in 2003 - on the condition that he never told a soul who it was. Well, at least it was for a good cause...


 

 

 


Someone Like You - Adele

Even if you got over your ex-partner some time ago, seeing them move on with someone else can sometimes open fresh wounds - making you think about your own life, wondering what could have been. When Adele's photographer ex Alex Sturrock got married, she had the good grace to wish him the best - but also reminded herself that she deserves that too. This piano-laden track from award-winning record 21 really does tug at the heartstrings.


 

 

 


Cry Me A River - Justin Timberlake

JT tried to deny this was about ex-girlfriend Britney Spears for a while after its release in 2002 but eventually admitted it to MTV News, saying that he wrote it with producer Timbaland after a particularly nasty phone call between the two. The blonde model in the video is said to be a portrayal of Britney, even with a similarly drawn back tattoo… and Justin plays the ultimate creeper-ex by panning her windows in, watching her undress and filming himself in a clinch with another girl before leaving the video playing on the TV for her to find... it's what anyone would do, really. Even Taylor 'Queen of Ex-Bashing' Swift covered it, which basically cements its status as one of the greatest 'spurned lover' hits of all time.


 



 

 

 


Don't - Ed Sheeran

The soulful, sensitive 'boy-next-door' Ed Sheeran takes a pop at former beau Ellie Goulding, who reportedly hooked up with Niall Horan from One Direction at a hotel while Sheeran was partying with friends downstairs. She also took to Twitter to deny rumours that she and Ed were dating after they were pictured holding hands at the MTV Awards in 2013 - but he confirmed that it was true after the split. Owch.