7 Bands with Ex-Couples: Fleetwood Mac, No Doubt, and more

Break-ups are tough enough as it is, but they're even tougher when exes work together and are forced to still see them every day. These seven bands managed to overcome the tensions of two members splitting up.

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs

For its entire existence, the line-up of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs has consisted of lead vocalist Karen O, guitarist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. According to the documentary Kill Your Idols, about the art punk scene in New York City, Nick Zinner and Karen O briefly dated before forming the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in 2000.

2. The White Stripes

Back when the White Stripes first broke through to the mainstream, and before Jack White was a ubiquitous media presence, the nature of his relationship with drummer Meg White was a mystery. He would constantly refer to Meg as his "big sister" in interviews and on stage, when in actuality, the two were married from 1996 to 2000, with Jack taking Meg's last name. The duo eventually broke up for good when the band split in 2011.

3. Fleetwood Mac

Though they've written countless hits, the members of Fleetwood Mac are just as famous for their inter-band relationships as they are for their music. There were two couples in the band during its famous 1975-1987 period: Christine and John McVie, and Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, though both couples split in 1976 during the recording of the album Rumours, with many of the songs being written about one another.

4. Sleater-Kinney

In Sleater-Kinney's earliest days, guitarists Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker briefly dated, even taking a trip to Australia together and recording the band's debut album during an all-night session in Melbourne, though the two would break-up soon afterwards. However, when their relationship was revealed to the world in Spin magazine, Brownstein hadn't yet come out to the public or her parents as bisexual, which infuriated both her and Tucker.

5. Smashing Pumpkins

The members of Smashing Pumpkins have a famously fraught relationship with one another, so much so that singer and guitarist Billy Corgan is the only original member remaining. A great source of tension came in 1992, when guitarist James Iha and bassist D'Arcy Wretzky ended their romantic relationship, though the two eventually became close friends.

6. No Doubt

Much like Fleetwood Mac, No Doubt was able to turn romantic tensions within the band into hit songs. Gwen Stefani wrote the song "Don't Speak," from 1995's Tragic Kingdom, about her break-up with bassist Tony Kanal, who she had dated for seven years, partially in secret from the rest of the band.

7. Blondie

Blondie may have originally broken up in 1982, but singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein remained a couple until 1989. Despite their split, the band eventually reformed in 1997 and still performs today, with its most recent album Ghosts of Download being released May 13.

Tags

Blondie, No Doubt, Smashing Pumpkins, Sleater-Kinney, Fleetwood Mac, The White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs