I love how pop songs seem profound
when we’re in love,
though they wound us too sweetly,
never seriously enough.
I love the good home
cliches can find in an authentic voice.
– Stephen Dunn, “Loves”
Someone who’d just spent an entire day reading my blog in order to create this situation for my 30th birthday reminded me of this post which contained a Valentine’s Day themed playlist I wrote on February 14th 2008, which honestly is really a fucking bizarre time to have constructed a playlist like this. But it also makes perfect sense, as I’d kinda accidentally acquired two girlfriend-type things that winter so clearly if anyone had lots of love to give, it was me. It became a really beautiful spring then, afterwards, and summer.
What about now? My heart knows exactly where it is now but I still don’t have this vocabulary. I know the words for darkness and feeling ambivalent about death and for wanting something so badly that I had to shut down every feeling I’ve ever known just to keep breathing without it. For when waking up felt like walking into traffic, for loving something I kept on eating knowing full well that it was already scaling the walls of my liver/soul, marking its territory. I know the words for loving something that, by all accounts, seemed to hate me. I know the words for not needing love at all.
But for this? For falling in love and wanting to scream about it? It seems like anything that could ever be said about love has already been said.
Love is just simple, ultimately, isn’t it? Dark is a problem and it’s complicated but maybe part of what makes love so fucking awesome is how simple it is. It’s easy once you have it. Like heartbreak is an overflowing storage closet and love is just a really fucking sunny day. Simple as that, though often deeper and fuller than dark will ever go.
If I had this vocabulary, dear reader, I would’ve told you about it already.
Instead, we have music.
[this list was made in 2008, but i added a few more recent tracks to it for this post]
Love Song– The Cure
It’s Good To Be In Love – Frou Frou
Baby You Got Me -The Roots
Always On My Mind (2003 – Remaster) – Pet Shop Boys
Underwater – Tegan & Sara
I Want to Hold Your Hand – The Beatles
Might Tell You Tonight – The Scissor Sisters
Late At Night – Buffalo Tom
L.O.V.E. – Jessie J
This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Natalie Cole
Tonight – Stars
Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye
From The Morning – Nick Drake
Parentheses – The Blow
First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes
Goodnight and Go – Imogen Heap
Little Wing – Jimi Hendrix
Songbird (Glee Cast Version) – Glee Cast
Green Eyes – Coldplay
Maybe I’m Amazed– Paul McCartney
On & On – Erykah Badu
listen to the playlist streaming on 8tracks.com
perfect.
Yes. I’m really diggin’ this.
Ooh, this is a good one!
Here are some of mine:
“Valentine” – SJ Tucker
“Make You Feel My Love” – Adele
“Crazy Faith” – Alison Krauss
“Shameless” – Ani DiFranco
“San Dimas High School Football Rules” – The Ataris
“Just Another Magic Moment” – The Bomb Bassets
“To Find You” – Bonnie McKee
“Yellow” – Coldplay
“Angels at Play” – Common Rider
“Pale September” – Fiona Apple
“The One I Want” – Green Day
“If It Kills Me (Casa Nova Sessions)” – Jason Mraz
“Love at First Sight” – Kylie Minogue
“You’re the Only One” – The Mr. T Experience
“New” – No Doubt
“Hey Pretty” – Poe
“Totally” – Screeching Weasel
“Ultimate Devotion” – Strung Out
“Glimmer of Hope” – Stubborn All-Stars
“Not With You” – Tegan & Sara
“Shiroi Iro Koibito no Iro” – W (Double You)
And one to grow on:
“Dominated Love Slave” – Green Day
“San Dimas High School Football Rules” was probably the ultimate love anthem of my high school experience.
It was the ultimate love anthem of my freshman year of college! My friends and I all agreed it would be the absolute pinnacle of romance to have someone write such a song about us (since we were all tone deaf and hoplessly untalented musically, it’s not like we could hope to be the ones writing such a song).
I love the fact that we can now stream the playlist from autostraddle.
I’m fully appreciative of your choice in music. Particularly Stars.
her space holiday – a small setback to a great comeback
edward sharpe-home
jenny owen youngs- if I didn’t know
regina spektor-us
the mountain goats- international small arms traff
bruce springsteen-if I should fall behind
ben harper-not fire, not ice
jack Johnson-angel
sigur ros- staralfur
adele-make you feel my love
dean and britta- our love will still be there
angus and Julia stone-mango tree
ani difranco-as is
ben harper-forever
cat power-sea of love
city and colour- the girl
iron and wine-lions mane
jenny owen youngs-here is a heart
josh ritter-bright smile
joshua radin-id rather be with you
the lucksmiths-guess how much I love you
slow club-when I go
stars- the aspidistra files
sufjan stevens-to be alone with you
angus and Julia stone- wedding song
the album leaf-always for you
eels-fresh feeling
+1
starlfur makes me feel so many ways about things
Bloodstained Heart by Darren Hayes is devastatingly beautiful.
This playlist is IT.
love sucks right now
Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton is so perfect. This may come off sounding super wierd, but one of my high school teachers loved Eric Clapton, and so he played us this song, and it’s been one of my favorite ever since.
I like “Yours” by Blues Traveler. Also “You were the last thing on my mind” by Barenaked Ladies
going along with the cure, just like heaven pretty much moves my soul.
Dude, “Just Like Heaven” is the greatest love song ever. Next to “Punk Rock Girl” by the Dead Milkmen, of course.
Great playlist!
But the omission of “At Last” by Etta James is pretty nuts. Also Billie Holiday’s “I Can’t Believe You’re In Love with Me” is so lovely.
Also more contemporary songs that I love: The XX “Islands,” Best Coast “When I’m With You,” and Cat Power’s version of “Wild Is the Wind” is insanely gorgeous.