Breakups have some unexplainable power in the music industry. One could argue that the most popular subgenre of a love song is, in fact, a breakup song. There is just something about diving into sorrow and analyzing why you’re there and how exactly you got there that is so appealing. After all, it’s only human to do. Hence, it makes sense that these songs are some of the most popular in the music industry. One major musician who created one of the best breakup songs of all time is the decorated folk singer/songwriter Joan Baez, and she wrote the song in question about Bob Dylan

Joan Baez is a heavy hitter in her own right, as she has released a plethora of songs that pluck the heart strings and play with your emotions like a cat plays with yarn. Other than her acclaimed career, she is also known for her relationship with Bob Dylan. We all know how that story went, but what you may not know is that the experience gifted Baez the best song of her career, “Diamonds And Rust”.Joan Baez and Dylan dated between 1961 and 1965 and were the talk of the town in the music business. However, following Dylan’s 1965 tour of the UK, they split ways. Why exactly they did so is personal to them, and no transcription of it could capture the intense emotions that were flying around in that situation. However, what we do know is that Baez attributes her breakup to helping her create her best song, “Diamonds And Rust”.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Baez revealed how her breakup with Dylan helped her go to a deep place in her psyche; a deep place that would open the floodgates and allow her to explore and eventually articulate parts of herself.

“The really, really good stuff comes from down deep, and that was how strongly I was affected by Bob in the relationship and everything,” Baez told the publication. “It’d be stupid to pretend otherwise. If the only thing to come out of that relationship was the best song of my life.”

Like many breakups, this one seemingly and respectfully took a toll on Baez. Despite the breakup, she has no anger towards Bob Dylan. As a matter of fact, Joan Baez has more or less let it go.

“We were in our early 20s,” Baez told People. “We were stupid, and you can’t blame somebody forever. I certainly tried but finally stopped.”