Sunday, April 19, 2009

Sad songs say so much


While my love life has been on the upswing lately (though you'd never know it from my Facebook status), many friends have recently checked into the Heartbreak Hotel. Fortunately, I am a connoisseur of depressing music. My "Love Stinks" mix CD is good enough to patent and sell (for a limited time only!) on T.V. at 3 a.m.

What constitutes the perfect break-up mix, you ask? In my opinion, it's important to strike a balance between 2 types of songs:


1. Very very sad, wrist-slitting, I'll-never-find-love-again songs

2. Angry/indifferent I-am-better-off-without-you, you-fucking-loser songs


And ideally, the last song should contain some message about hope and things happening for a reason, to send the listener off on a mildly upbeat, Zen note.


So here's my playlist of 36 songs that are guaranteed to make your next break-up suck a little less. Some are classics, some less familiar. I'm including links to all the tracks, which you can listen to for free, thanks to Songza.

1. Your Ex-Lover Is Dead (Stars)
2. She's Got You (Patsy Cline)
3. Destroy the Evidence (Casiotone for the Painfully Alone)

4. Rootless Tree (Damien Rice)

5. Sorry (Maria Mena)

6. Fuck the Pain Away (Peaches)

7. Comfortable (John Mayer)

8. Irreplaceable (Beyonce)

9. Where Did I Go Wrong (Martin Sexton)

10. Foundations (Kate Nash)

11. The Grass Is Blue (Dolly Parton)

12. Leave (Glen Hansard)

13. Reflections (Diana Ross and the Supremes)

14. Let Him Fly (Patty Griffin)

15. Too Tired (DeVotchKa)

16. I'll Be Seeing You (Billie Holiday)

17. Comeback (Josh Rouse)

18. Middle Cyclone (Neko Case)

19. Tears Dry on Their Own (Amy Winehouse)

20. Most of the Time (Bob Dylan)

21. This is Not A Love Song (Nouvelle Vague)

22. Past, Present, Future (The Shangri-Las)

23. Fuck and Run (Liz Phair)

24. Jolene (Ray LaMontagne)

25. Since U Been Gone (Kelly Clarkson)

26. Fistful of Love (Antony and the Johnsons)

27. Furniture (Final Fantasy)

28. Love Ridden (Fiona Apple)
29. When You Were Mine (Prince)
30. Smoke (Ben Folds Five)

31. How Come You Don't Call Me (Alicia Keys)

32. Lover, You Should Have Come Over (Jeff Buckley)

33. Untouchable Face (Ani DiFranco)

34. For No One (The Beatles)

35. Let It Die (Feist)

36. The Heart of the Matter (Don Henley)

If your heart has to get broken, at least make sure you have a decent soundtrack ready.

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