Oh, if I had only been able to find a shirtless picture of Billy Corgan to complement the R. Kelly one below. Anyway, Valentine's Day isn't just about love songs and mix CDs, it's also about participating in a corporate created holiday designed to make you buy stuff you don't need with money you don't have, or to make you feel depressed because you don't have someone to buy stuff for. I've spent a few Valentine's Days by myself and these songs make a pretty good soundtrack."Eye," The Smashing Pumpkins: My absolute favorite Pumpkins song, from back when Corgan was flirting with electronica. I still get chills everytime I hear it.
"Luv," Travis: I've had my heart broken a couple of times, and Travis seems like the right band to turn to. Fran Healy just sounds so sad; it makes me not feel quite so bad.
"Crazy in Love," Beyonce featuring Jay-Z: Now, you're probably thinking this is a love song and belongs on the other mix. Sure, Beyonce digs Jay-Z; he's got her acting crazy, and she doesn't care who sees. And, on the other side, Jay-Z is crazy about ... Jay-Z. Is he talking about Beyonce when he says, "I shake phoneys man/You can't get next to/The genuine article I go/I do not sing though/ I sling though/If anything I bling yo." I think not. Poor Beyonce.
"Lovesick," Bob Dylan: Being in love with someone can suck if they do not love you back.
"It's Too Late" and "Dry Your Eyes," The Streets: Mike Skinner's had some bad relationships in his day, and he can sure write a heartbreaker. "She pulls away, my arms are tightly clamped round her waist/Gently pushes me back and she looks at me straight/Turns around so she's now got her back to my face/Takes one step forward, looks back, and then walks away." Now I've gotta dry my eyes.
"$1000 Wedding," Gram Parsons: Nothing says heartbreak - or country - like a runaway bride.
"Emily Kane," Art Brut: Still thinking about that high school girlfriend?
. . . And in a class of anti-love all his own is Johnny Cash. Sure, it looked all cute trying to see him woo June Carter in Walk the Line, but he has some serious angst. Just listen to "Cocaine Blues" ("Early one mornin' while makin' the rounds/I took a shot of cocaine and I shot my woman down") or "Delia's Gone" ("If I hadn't shot her dead/I'd of had her for my wife"). I wonder what June thought of this.
3 comments:
haha. good list Will
Glad you liked it Ben.
I will have to burn these to add to my anti-valentines campaign. A lot of these were new to me.
Post a Comment