Best breakup albums

A not-so-sweet 16 of the best soundtracks for a lonely Valentine's Day

Nursing a broken heart this Valentine’s Day? Well, buck up, little soldier! Now’s the perfect time to rediscover—or get acquainted with—some of the greatest music ever recorded. Yep, we’re talking breakup albums: those weepy, bitter, tragically alienated song cycles that create the beautiful illusion, for at least 45 minutes or so, that being alone is far more meaningful and fulfilling than all that mushy “love” crap.

So break out the Kleenex and crank up the volume—here are 16 perfect soundtracks for those nights when you just want to stare at the ceiling and wonder how it all went so wrong.—Andy Hermann and Leslie Simon, Metromix