Trending badgeTrendingPosted 1 hour agoSubscribe to Taylor Swift NewsletterCaret Down19 Times Artists Shamelessly Trashed Their Exes - Or Even Their Cheating Partners - In Jaw-Dropping Song LyricsFrom controversial age gaps to alleged infidelity, these singers spilled on EVERYTHING.by Leyla MohammedBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLinkHot Topic🔥 Full coverage and conversation on Taylor Swift It's not uncommon for artists to write songs that document the highs and lows of their relationships, even lifting the lid on private scandals, messy breakups, and more. Let's take a look back at some of the most damning examples in recent years: 1. "Just Enough" by Lily Allen Michael Simon / Getty Images Last month, Lily appeared to call out her ex-husband, David Harbour, across her fifth studio album, West End Girl.
After four years of marriage, Lily and David's split was confirmed in February 2025, with sources claiming that the relationship had been "crumbling" for a while.
Speaking of her unfiltered latest album, Lily said, "This record was purely for me, and it was a way of processing things that I was going through in my private life." She also shared, "There are things that are on the record that I experienced within my marriage, but that's not to say that it's all gospel. It is inspired by what went on in the relationship."As mentioned, Lily appears to reference David across the entire record, but one of the most loaded tracks is, without a doubt, "Just Enough." On it, Lily sings, "I think you're in love with somebody else / Felt you pull away and now I'm blaming myself," and, "Look at my reflection, I feel so drawn, so old / I booked myself a facelift, wondering how long it might hold." (Ahead of the album's release, Lily made some very pointed comments about men who date younger women).
Later on in the song, Lily asks, "Did you fall in love with someone who isn't me? / Why are we here talking about vasectomies? / Did you get someone pregnant? Someone who isn't me? / Did you take her to the clinic? Did you hold her hand? / Is she having your babies?"You can listen to the song here. 2. "drivers license" by Olivia Rodrigo Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images BuzzFeed TrendingHot TopicThink you're Blondie's biggest fan? Put your ~reputation~ to the test.
See our Taylor Swift Discussions In 2021, Olivia released "drivers license" - as well as, later, her songs "deja vu," "good 4 u," and "traitor" - that strongly appeared to reference her rumored ex, Joshua Bassett.
Olivia and Joshua, who starred together in Disney's High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, were briefly linked from early 2019 to mid 2020.
Olivia memorably posed in a T-shirt that said "dump him" and shared a caption about "failed relationships" around the same time that Joshua was spotted out with Sabrina Carpenter, sparking a load of love triangle rumors. And Olivia appeared to reference the apparent messy split in "drivers license," with a very pointed lyric that seemingly nodded towards Sabrina: "You're probably with that blonde girl / Who always made me doubt / She's so much older than me / She's everything I'm insecure about."Elsewhere on the breakup anthem, Olivia sings, "I know we weren't perfect but I've never felt this way for no one / And I just can't imagine how you could be so okay now that I'm gone / Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me / 'Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street."You can listen to the full song here. 3. "Crisis" by Joshua Bassett Kevin Winter / Getty Images Later in the year, Joshua appeared to hit back at Olivia with a few songs of his own, one of the most pointed being "Crisis."In the song, Joshua seemingly accused Olivia of sensationalizing their relationship drama for the media in an apparent reference to the multiple songs she released that appeared to be about him. He sings, "You're messin' with my life as a career move," before later adding, "I wish that I could open my eyes and the nightmare be over / But you sensationalize, keep fannin' the fire for the headlines."Joshua also sings, "But don't you dare act like I didn't love you / Don't go thinkin' that I didn't hurt too / Don't you ever wonder if I'm OK after all you put me through?" - which seemingly refers to the onslaught of hate he received after Olivia's songs blew up.
Despite their messy history, however, Joshua and Olivia now appear to be on much better terms. You can listen to the full song here. 4. "Manchild" by Sabrina Carpenter Kevin Mazur / Getty Images Sabrina appeared to call out her ex Barry Keoghan across much of her latest album, Man's Best Friend - but perhaps the most pointed track of all is its lead single, "Manchild."Sabrina and Barry were first linked towards the end of 2023 and went public with their romance early in 2024. By the end of the year, however, news broke that the pair had parted ways, with an insider telling People, "They are both young and career-focused, so they've decided to take a break."On