Artists Who Dedicated Entire Albums to Their Significant Others or Exes

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Artists Who Dedicated Entire Albums to Their Significant Others or Exes

Love and heartbreak. Throughout history, countless musical artists have dedicated entire albums to their significant others or exes and, as a result, created some of the greatest works of all time. One of the earliest and most renowned examples in popular music is Frank Sinatra’s 1958 album Only the Lonely, which he released after his lengthy divorce from Ava Gardner. The theme continued through the ’60s and ’70s, when Fleetwood Mac made one of the most gut-wrenching — and bestselling — albums ever with Rumours, inspired by its members’ star-crossed love lives. In more recent years, musicians such as John Mayer and Robin Thicke turned their personal heartbreaks into art with their respective albums, 2009’s Battle Studies and 2014’s Paula. Mayer’s, for his part, was inspired by his breakup with Jennifer Aniston. “I played it for her as the record was being made,” the Dead & Company member said of the Friends alum in a 2010 interview with Playboy. “When she heard Battle Studies she just wanted to be able to say, ‘I want to know that you hold me correctly in your heart.’” Fortunately, things seemed to take a turn for the better in the late 2010s. Love was in the air for Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, both of whom gave rare glimpses into their relationships in the form of music. Scroll through the gallery below to see more albums that have been dedicated to lovers past and present!

Credit:

Artists Who Dedicated Entire Albums to Their Significant Others or Exes

Love and heartbreak. Throughout history, countless musical artists have dedicated entire albums to their significant others or exes and, as a result, created some of the greatest works of all time. One of the earliest and most renowned examples in popular music is Frank Sinatra’s 1958 album Only the Lonely, which he released after his lengthy divorce from Ava Gardner. The theme continued through the ’60s and ’70s, when Fleetwood Mac made one of the most gut-wrenching — and bestselling — albums ever with Rumours, inspired by its members’ star-crossed love lives. In more recent years, musicians such as John Mayer and Robin Thicke turned their personal heartbreaks into art with their respective albums, 2009’s Battle Studies and 2014’s Paula. Mayer’s, for his part, was inspired by his breakup with Jennifer Aniston. “I played it for her as the record was being made,” the Dead & Company member said of the Friends alum in a 2010 interview with Playboy. “When she heard Battle Studies she just wanted to be able to say, ‘I want to know that you hold me correctly in your heart.’” Fortunately, things seemed to take a turn for the better in the late 2010s. Love was in the air for Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, both of whom gave rare glimpses into their relationships in the form of music. Scroll through the gallery below to see more albums that have been dedicated to lovers past and present!

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Justin Bieber, ‘Changes’

The “Love Yourself” singer revealed in his 2020 YouTube docuseries, Justin Bieber: Seasons, that his wife, Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin), inspired his fifth studio album. He said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that the lead single, “Yummy,” in particular, is about “my sex life.”

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Taylor Swift, ‘Lover’

The pop-country superstar and boyfriend Joe Alwyn are notoriously private when it comes to their relationship, but the lyrics to her 2019 bestseller are very clearly about the British actor — specifically the song “London Boy.” When asked whether he minds being Swift’s muse, Alwyn told The Sunday Times, “No, not at all. No. It’s flattering.”

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Fleetwood Mac, ‘Rumours'

The rock band’s magnum opus hit stores in 1977 on the heels of lead vocalists Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks’ breakup. Bass guitarist John McVie and keyboard player Christine McVie’s marriage ended around the same time, as did drummer Mick Fleetwood’s union with his then-wife, Jenny Boyd. And so, “Go Your Own Way,” “Silver Springs” and more were born.

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Ed Sheeran, ‘Divide’

The singer-songwriter is not showy about his marriage with Cherry Seaborn. Instead, he lets his music speak for their romance. Songs like “Perfect” and “How Would You Feel (Paean)” from Sheeran’s 2017 record have become wedding reception staples thanks to his swoon-worthy lyrics about Seaborn.

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John Mayer, ‘Battle Studies’

The guitarist recorded his 2009 album, which includes “Heartbreak Warfare” and “Perfectly Lonely,” in the wake of his split from Aniston. He told Playboy at the time, “There’s a level of honesty in that record that probably made her uncomfortable, but I couldn’t let that change the way I wrote songs.”

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Robin Thicke, ‘Paula’

The “Blurred Lines” crooner wasn’t exactly subtle when choosing a title for his 2014 album in the midst of his divorce from Paula Patton. “Obviously all the songs were about her or about how I feel about her,” he confirmed during an On Air With Ryan Seacrest interview.

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Amy Winehouse, ‘Back to Black’

The late jazz singer based her Grammy-winning 2006 album on her tumultuous relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil. She recorded the 11 tracks, including “Tears Dry on Their Own” and “Love Is a Losing Game,” during a brief separation from Fielder-Civil and went on to marry him the following year.

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James Blake, ‘Assume Form’

The musician’s 2019 record was inspired by his relationship with girlfriend Jameela Jamil and their life in Los Angeles. The Good Place alum even received a producing credit on the track “Into the Red.”

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Kanye West, ‘808s & Heartbreak’

The rapper tried a new sound on his synthy 2008 disc, which he recorded after his engagement to Alexis Phifer ended. It was also his first release since the untimely death of his mother, Donda West. “This album was therapeutic,” Kanye told MTV at the time.

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Frank Sinatra, ‘Only the Lonely’

Ol’ Blue Eyes packaged together 12 torch songs on his 1958 classic after finalizing his divorce from Gardner. Sinatra worked on the album with famed composer Nelson Riddle, who suffered a tragedy of his own around the same time: the back-to-back deaths of his mother and daughter.

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Marvin Gaye, ‘Here, My Dear’

The legendary soul singer infamously released his 1978 album so that he could pay alimony to his ex-wife Anna Gordy Gaye. “Why should I break my neck when Anna was going to wind up with the money anyway?” he was quoted as saying during the making of the album.