While music is a universal way to bring people together, in the case of these duos and bands, sometimes the harmony isn’t as strong behind the scenes. Here are the groups that fell apart from the inside…
Destiny’s Child
Destiny’s Child parted ways in 2005, and we all know Beyonce went on to become a super-mega-star and the others, well, didn’t. Beyonce was joined by her former band members during her 2013 Super Bowl performance, but that’s all we’ve seen of them since.
Sonic Youth
After 27 years of experimental rocking, Sonic Youth ended things in 2011, after members Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon, who were married, announced their separation.
The White Stripes
The White Stripes aka Jack and Meg parted ways in 2011, in part due to Meg’s anxiety when it came to performing live. Meg’s now living the quiet life, while Jack’s redefining the record label with Third Man and cranking out a fantastic solo catalog.
Outkast
Big Boi and Andre 3000 split in 2006 after producing a climactic soundtrack for “Idlewild.” The reunited in 2014 at Coachella, but they never produced any new music afterward.
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac was formed in the late ’60s by Peter Green, but the group everybody knows came together after Green left the band. John McVie and Mick Fleetwood invited John’s wife Christie and a songwriting couple named Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks into the fray, soon achieving unmitigated success with their landmark self-titled album. Behind the scenes, however, things were falling apart, with the McVie’s marriage turning into an endless sea of affairs, and Buckingham and Nicks constantly at one another’s throats.
The Beatles
Most fans are well aware of the longstanding feud between co-bandleaders John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The real problem between Lennon and McCartney was a matter of pride and ego, with the two strongly disagreeing about the direction The Beatles were headed musically. Paul wanted to be poppy and light, while John wanted to inject a more serious tone into their work.
Mars Volta
Omar RodrÃguez-López and Cedric Bixler of At The Drive-In went on to form the prognostic Mars Volta after the split of their previous band. Sadly, The Mars Volta went the same way, but the two will be playing shows this year with their latest project Antemasque.
LCD Soundsystem
James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem recorded their final show at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2011. It was released on DVD so fans can relive the bands final moments again and again.
Rilo Kiley
Rilo Kiley broke up in 2011, and it apparently wasn’t pretty. Guitarist Blake Sennett said the reasons for the split were “deception, disloyalty, greed.”
Le Tigre
Kathleen Hanna’s feminist electro-pop crew stopped making music together in 2007. In the documentary ‘The Punk Singer,’ we find out the reason was because of Kathleen’s struggle with Lyme Disease.
The Spice Girls
If you’re a true 90’s child, then The Spice Girls were your go-to girl group. They pushed all the boundaries and really emphasized the importance of female empowerment. Following Ginger Spice’s 1998 split from the group to go solo, the girls reunited in 2012 for a performance at the Olympics, and now they are set to perform a few shows in the UK soon, sans Posh.
Fall Out Boy
After a whirlwind few years of massive success, Fall Out Boy announced a hiatus in 2009. Their reunion came as a surprise, along with the hit album “Save Rock n Roll.”
Be Your Own Pet
Teenage punk bandBe Your Own Pet split in 2008. Since then frontwoman Jemina Pearl has released a solo album, while John Eatherly now heads up New York’s Public Access TV.
Larrikin Love
Larrikin Love quit the scene in 2007. Guitar player Micko went on to play with Courtney Love.
The Rakes
New wave punks, The Rakes, ended things in 2009, canceling a US and UK tour. “The Rakes always been very adamant and proud of the fact that we give 100 percent to every gig we’ve ever played,” said a statement. “After much deliberation, we have come to the shared conclusion that we can’t give it 100 percent any more and regret to announce that The Rakes are calling it a day.”
Giant Drags
The hugely underrated Giant Drags’ Annie Hardy and Micah Calabrese split up in 2006. However, Annie has carried on making music under the Giant Drag name with an album in 2013.
The Blackout
Welsh post-hardcore group The Blackout split in December 2014. “Unfortunately we have come to the conclusion we are unable to sustain this band anymore, and we feel the time is right to bring it to a close,” said a statement. “This is the hardest decision we have ever had to make as a band, and although we do it with heavy hearts, we also do with our heads held high.”
The Cooper Temple Clause
After two missed shows at 2007’s Camden Crawl, The Cooper Temple Clause explained that they were breaking up. “Friendships are well and truly intact and the love very much remains within the camp,” said band member Daniel Fisher at the time.
Test Icles
One of Dev Hynes’ many former incarnations, Test Icicles were a rowdy, beautiful flash in the pan on the edges of new rave. They called time in 2006, and Dev went on to make music as Lightspeed Champion, Blood Orange, and collabed with everyone from Solange to Sky Ferreira on the way.
Crystal Castles
Brutal electronica duo Crystal Castles announced their break-up in October of 2014. “I am leaving Crystal Castles. My art and my self-expression in any form have always been an attempt towards sincerity, honesty, and empathy for others. For a multitude of reasons both professional and personal I no longer feel that this is possible within CC,” wrote singer Alice Glass.
Catatonia
Now known as the voice behind BBC 6 Music presenter, Cerys Matthews headed up Welsh rockers Catatonia until 2001, eventually splitting because of her battle with anxiety.
The Black Crowes
Stoner rockers ‘The Black Crowes’ hadn’t released an album since 2008 but only announced things were over this year. “The Black Crowes don’t write songs anymore. They don’t think of the present or the future,” said frontman Chris Robinson, suggesting a certain animosity behind the break-up. “I like making albums and playing concerts. I was sitting on two EPs’ worth of written songs.” Clearly, there’s a bit of hostility.
The Postal Service
If you’re a Death Cab fan, you have loyalties to Ben Gibbard’s side project, The Postal Service. They debuted in 2003 and split a decade later.
The Police
When Sting left The Police in 1986, everybody knew it was over. The remaining members claimed there would never be a reconciliation, but the band came together in 2007 and performed several reunion shows.
The Music
‘The Music’ split in 2011 after 10 years together and three great albums: 2002’s self-titled debut, 2004’s ‘Welcome To The North’ and 2008’s ‘Strength In Numbers.’
The Long Blondes
One of the most stylish and downright saucy groups of the 2000s, the Long Blondes had to call it quits after songwriter and guitarist Dorian Cox suffered a stroke in 2008.
Backstreet Boys
The excitement of the Backstreet Boys 2012 reunion alone could have created world peace. Their downfall in 2005 was heartbreaking, but they gave the people what they wanted and found a way to continue to make music today.
Sleater-Kinney
Sleater-Kinney was a 90’s rock staple. In 2005, they split for solo careers, personal projects like Carrie Brownstein’s sketch comedy show “Portlandia,” with Fred Armisen, and motherhood. They reconciled in 2015 and produced “No Cities To Love,” which led to a reunion tour and several shows.
The Rascals
Miles Kane’s first band The Rascals parted ways in 2009, leaving Alex Turner’s bezzie mate to set out on his solo career.
Take That
‘Take That’ gained a massive following in the ’90s, and then left fans heartbroken and confused when they announced a sudden hiatus. In 1995, the lead vocalist took a predictable step towards a solo career, leading to a rift between the bandmates. In 2010, the group reconciled without Robbie Williams who rejoined later.
Blink-182
The members of Blink-182 have had a tumultuous relationship, to say the least, thanks to the erratic behavior of singer Tom DeLonge. After taking a break in 2005, regrouping in 2009, and splitting again in 2015, it appears unlikely they will get together again.
The Grateful Dead
When Jerry Garcia died in 1995, it seemed unlikely that the all-mighty Grateful Dead would ever play again, though founding member Bob Weir has continued to play Dead songs with various guest artists including John Mayer.
Velvet Underground
Velvet Underground split in 1973, while founding member Lou Reed hadn’t played with the band since 1970. The surviving original lineup reunited in 1992, but it was shortlived.
No Doubt
Since their formation in 1986, No Doubt has been a staple in the pop-punk scene thanks to Gwen Stefani’s angsty girl image and female empowerment lyrics. Than band survived two hiatus, but it’s unclear if they will record together again.
The Who
‘The Who’ was just never the same after drummer Keith Moon died in 1978. They stopped touring in 1982, and it wasn’t until 2006 that they recorded more music.
Kings Of Leon
The Followill brothers, Caleb, Jared, Nathan, and cousin Matthew, come from a quiet and religious family, so naturally, they dove headfirst into rock culture the second they were exposed to it, forming a band that would eventually sell six million copies of their 2008 album. After that wild rise to fame, the brothers started to get out of control with their drinking, especially Caleb, which led to him walking out on the band in a drunken stupor during the middle of a show. Jared responded to the incident by begging fans not to hate them all, only to hate his brother. Though Caleb denied ever going to rehab, he eventually cut down on the booze, and the brothers have gotten back to getting along.
The Libertines
Despite The Libertines’ first album immediately becoming a huge hit, Pete Doherty fell victim to hard drug use. Carl Barât hated seeing his friend fall into drug use and threatened to kick him out of the band if it continued. Doherty responded by burglarizing Barât’s apartment, resulting in his arrest. Surprisingly, the duo reunited to record a second album, but the sessions were rife with constant fighting and more drug use.
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins fell victim to relationship tensions and drug use. Singer, Billy Corgan, fired the band and eventually broke them up altogether, as he took almost complete control of the group.
The Ramones
Joey and Johnny Ramone were polar opposites. At first, their opposing political beliefs put a rift between them, but Johnny was also extremely stringent about meeting deadlines, making money, and treating the band as a business, while Joey was far more carefree, constantly showing up to meetings hours late.
The Beach Boys
Unfortunately for Brian Wilson, he’s been stuck with his cousin Mike Love since day one, and Mike himself has openly referred to himself as Brian’s “Antichrist.” The tiff between Wilson and Love likely dates all the way back to their childhood, which saw Mike butt his way into the Wilson brothers family band and attempt to take control. The power struggle was evident from the start, and the Boys even included a verbal sparring session on their album Shut Down Volume 2, titled “Cassius Love vs. Sonny Wilson.”
Guns N’ Roses
The problem between singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash started with the fact that Axl apparently wanted to take all the credit for himself and serve as a totalitarian leader of the band. According to Slash, the more famous and successful the band became, the more impossible Axl was to deal with, causing him to walk away from the group in 1996. Axl responded by referring to Slash as a cancer, claiming his negativity had been affecting Axl’s songwriting for years. The two didn’t talk for over 19 years after Slash’s departure, though a recent tour made it seem as though they were able to patch things up.
The Everly Brothers
Don and Phil Everly were one of the first and most successful family bands in rock music. The Everly Brothers made guitar-based pop music acceptable for families and adults alike, and somehow they even managed to get along through it all, even spending time off to enlist in the Marine Corps Reserve together in 1961. Problems started brewing when they returned from service, as they became addicted to amphetamines. The drug use eventually drove them apart.
Hüsker Dü
With emotional punk rock ballads about love and relationships, despite the fact they broke up in 1987, people still adore them today. The breakup was preceded by increasingly out of control drug problems and the suicide of their manager, which both Mould and Hart took very personally, worried their personal problems contributed to his stress and ultimate demise.
Oasis
Many Americans probably still don’t realize just how meteoric the rise of Oasis was in their native England. Noel was the brains of the operation, writing nearly all of the songs and leading the band, although on a technicality it always belonged to Liam, perhaps showing where their conflict began. But the brothers seemed to always butt heads, and this, along with the two cents of their various band members, eventually led to their demise.
The Kinks
Ray and Dave Davies simply could never get along with one another, and the success of the band only intensified the issue. Both brothers had drug problems, which only exacerbated Ray’s mental illness. After three decades of touring, Dave couldn’t take it anymore, so he officially broke up the band and has repeatedly promised they would never reunite.
Simon And Garfunkel
The main source of their quarrel is that despite their band name making it clear two people were behind the music, Paul Simon generally received all the credit from critics and fans. Garfunkel generally only added his vocal harmonies, which, while beautiful and a huge part of their music, some fans felt didn’t compare to Simon’s total mastery of the medium. They called it quits at the peak of their fame because of their personal feud.
The Rolling Stones
Not only were The Stones neck and neck with The Beatles throughout the ’60s, but they also served as one of the few bands from that decade to survive, which they have all the way to the present day. Despite their success, Jagger and Richards have openly hated each other for decades, with Richards creating unflattering nicknames like “Her Majesty” and “that bitch Brenda” to openly mock Jagger to his friends and members of the press.
Mayhem
Mayhem was formed by Euronymous, Necrobutcher, and Manheim in 1984, shooting to fame in the early ’90s after the suicide of the new singer, aptly named Dead. Euronymous hired Varg Vikernes to replace his fallen comrade, setting into motion the darkest incident in the appropriately pitch-black world of Swedish death metal. For unclear reasons, Vikernes came to believe Euronymous was plotting to brutally murder him, and instead of sitting and waiting to meet his fate, he got proactive, brutally murdering Euronymous instead. While he claims the murder was an act of self-defense, the 23 stab wounds found on Euronymous’s body painted a story of pure hatred.
Dinosaur Jr.
The bitter fall-out between Dinosaur Jr. head honcho, J Mascis, and the band’s original bassist Lou Barlow has virtually become rock folklore. Just as the Amherst, Massachusetts group were making some kind of commercial breakthrough and had finished touring their well-received third LP, Bug, long-haired guitar wizard Mascis essentially kicked Barlow out of Dinosaur Jr. by, rather incredibly, lying to the bass player that the band had split up.
Pixies
One of the American underground’s most celebrated bands, the Pixies have had their fair share of creative tensions. The friction has largely been between frontman Black Francis and bassist/vocalist Kim Deal. Apparently frustrated at not being allowed to include more of her own tunes on Pixies records, Deal went on to form the breakaway group The Breeders, whose debut album was released in 1990.
Uncle Tupelo
The relationship between the main creative influences in groundbreaking alt-country band Uncle Tupelo had turned sour by the time of the group’s swansong, 1993’s Anodyne. Guitarist Jay Farrar and bassist Jeff Tweedy were the sources of the tension. In fact, the animosity got so bad that Farrar eventually refused to sing tunes written by Tweedy.
Roxy Music
The crux of the band’s feud was that Bryan Ferry was keen to guide Roxy Music into radio-friendly pop-rock waters, while Brian Eno wanted to explore his avant-garde tendencies within the band. The difference in opinion eventually became too much for Eno, who left Roxy Music in 1973.
My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance called time on their career in 2013. “It wasn’t an easy thing to come to,” said frontman Gerard Way. “It was sad because it wasn’t a situation where anybody hated each other. It was nobody’s fault.” Gerard’s now doing pretty well for himself as a solo artist, releasing his debut one-man LP last year.
The Verve
Legendary Britpoppers,, The Verve, split up two times in the 1990s and decided to break the hearts of their fans for the third time following their 2007 reunion and a spectacular 2008 Glastonbury headline slot, with frontman Richard Ashcroft telling everyone the band was “over for good” in 2010.
At The Drive-In
Post-hardcore kids wept into their hoodies when El Paso’s ‘At The Drive-In’ announced plans to break up in 2001. They reunited in 2012 for a run of festivals in the US and in the UK, but have no plans to reunite again.
Beady Eye
Liam Gallagher announced the end of Beady Eye via Twitter in October 2014. “Liam had been pretty quiet for a while, and then he just let us know that his heart wasn’t really in it anymore,” said guitarist Andy Bell following the break-up.
REM
After more than 30 years in the game, REM split in 2011. Michael Stipe said he wouldn’t pursue a solo career, but he did play a surprise opening set for Patti Smith at the end of 2014.
Pendulum
Drum’n’bass heavyweights, Pendulum broke up in 2012, with Rob Swire of the group commenting: “Pendulum towards the end sort of felt like we were doing it because we had to and that’s never a fun way to do music.”
The Distillers
Brody Dalle’s Aussie punks split acrimoniously in 2007. “I felt like in The Distillers it just creatively came to an end, nobody was feeling it anymore,” she later said.