Let’s face it, Valentine’s Day is the WORST holiday of the year! We launched this playlist series back in 2015 as a way of getting through that awful day, February the 14th. We are pleased to bring you Vol. X – crazy to think we’ve been doing this for ten years now with hardly any tracks repeated (feel free to fact check us on that!).
Thanks to all of our artists who took the time to contribute their picks from the vast catalog of break-up songs / songs about heartache – this year’s mix is ALL OVER THE PLACE, in a good way. I really never thought TOOL would make it onto this playlist, but here we are.
1. The Radio Dept. – “I Don’t Need Love, I’ve Got My Band”
Selected by Lightheaded
“Stephen constantly plays this song for the band after his constant heartbreaks”
2. Moby Grape – “I Am Not Willing”
Selected by Connie Lovatt
3.. Belle and Sebastian – “I Don’t Love Anyone”
Selected by The Laughing Chimes
4. The Avalanches – “Since I Left You”
Selected by Torrey
5. D’Angelo – “Unshaken”
Selected by Connie Lovatt
6. Glen Campbell – “By The Time I Get To Phoenix”
Selected by Peel Dream Magazine
“Such a devastating song. Campbell focuses on the eerie day that his partner slowly realizes that she’s been abandoned by him while he’s driving further and further away. He sort of casts himself as the bad guy which is noteworthy, but there isn’t really a moral judgment on himself. Just this austere acceptance that this had to happen. The clever thing about it is that you sympathise with her through the lens of his obvious tenderness toward her, but he’s talking about having devastated her. Musically, it’s couched in wonderful mid-century instrumentation. Lovely tune.”
7. Sebadoh – “Everybody’s Been Burned Before”
Selected by Cloudland Canyon
8. The Primitives – “Really Stupid”
Selected by Chime School
9. Diane Cluck – “Yr Million Sweetnesses”
Selected by Jeanines
10. Ramones – “I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You”
Selected by Annie Hart
“Because sometimes the simplest feelings require the simplest messages and also this is just really fun to dance around to…by yourself, of course.”
11. Marika Hackman – “Cigarette”
Selected by The Narcotix
12. Mitski – “A Loving Feeling”
Selected by Jeanines
13. Coco Jones – “Put You On”
Selected by Mahawam
“It has all the trappings and braggadocio of an upbeat club banger – on first listen you’d be forgiven for missing the point. This energetic backdrop contrasts nicely with lyrics that describe a relationship gone sour due to the arrogance and ungratefulness of one of the partners.”
14. Tony Molina – “Change My Ways”
Selected by A Beacon School
15. Angelina – “Wishing My Life Away”
Selected by Chime School
16. Rochelle Jordan – “Already”
Selected by Mahawam
“It has a sexy, after-hours vibe that would be right at home soundtracking a steam and fog filled dance floor. The vocal tells another story, admonishing a former lover for doing too little too late to keep the lover they hurt.”
17. The Sundays – “I Kicked A Boy”
Selected by The Umbrellas
18. Joanna Sternberg – “Stockholm Syndrome”
Selected by Model Child
19. Laufey – “Falling Behind”
Selected by foamboy
“I love the almost saccharine quality of a breezy, old-school bossa nova juxtaposed with the bitterness of all your friends getting married and leaving you behind!”
20. Ben Folds – “Exhausting Lover”
Selected by foamboy
“Extremely silly song, I also am very entertained by Ben Folds saying “YOLO” in the year 2024. I love the lyric “Every kiss is a jam band solo”
21. Rosie Tucker – “All My Exes Live In Vortexes”
Selected by foamboy
22. Andy Shauf – “Thirteen Hours”
Selected by foamboy
“The song tells the story of picking your girlfriend up from the airport and being exhausted and having a petty argument. It sounds really banal when I put it that way, but Andy Shauf is so good at capturing the emotional intricacies of mundane moments.”
23. Platinum Blonde – “Not In Love”
Selected by The Laughing Chimes
24. TOOL – “Schism”
Selected by Sara Noelle
“A cathartic one for this theme — musically and lyrically! (I saw them a few weeks ago at MSG and they were amazing)”
25. Bobby Conn – “Without You”
Selected by Vice Cooler
26. The Sundays – “Goodbye”
Selected by Torrey
27. Trust Fund – “Jumper”
Selected by Jeanines
“This is definitely a breakup song, but a sweet, nuanced song about two people who still really like each other but know they can’t be together anymore”
28. Minutemen – “#1 Hit Song”
Selected by Cloudland Canyon
“Self-proclaimed best song about love – or is it capitalism? Either way, it’s a #1 hit”
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