| |
My Mix Tapes
THE BREAK UP MIX
For
better or for worse, you know what the break up mix is about.
They can be bitter, angry, depressing, or sometimes even liberating.
SUBMIT
YOUR "BREAK UP" MIX HERE
In
The Absence Of Each Other - By: Matt - 02/11/08
Valentine
The Destroyer - By: Matt - 01/23/08
Anthems
& Anathemas - By: Joseph - 11/24/07
Tangled
Up In Blue - By: Elayne R. - 11/21/07
Don't
Think Twice - By: Joseph - 11/21/07
In
The Absence Of Each Other
| DATE: |
02/11/08 |
| SUBMITTED
BY: |
Matt |
| EMAIL: |
matt@themissingplanes.com |
| LOCALE: |
Depew,
NY |
| MIX
TAPE CATEGORY: |
Break
Up |
| MIX
TAPE TITLE: |
In
The Absence Of Each Other |
| OVERALL
COMMENTS: |
Long
story short, in 2003 I started burning a series of compilation
CDs that collected songs from the best recordings I had recently
heard. The series was eventually given the name Big Meaningless
(a phrase the talented Chris Zerby, singer, guitarist and songwriter
in Helicopter Helicopter, and now Hello Dragon, coined to describe
pop music), and though there is no set schedule for when a new
BM disc is made, I’ve managed to put together over 13
volumes that cull tracks from recent rock CDs that have been
given to me or I’ve bought. The list of Big Meaningless
“subscribers” – those who have asked to receive
copies of the CD-Rs whenever I burn a new one – has grown
to around 35. In 2006, after a few acrimonious break-ups, I
introduced what I initially intended to be an annual feature
in the Big Meaningless series, an anti-Valentine’s Day
mix dubbed “Valentine The Destroyer.”
That disc (with songs from throughout the vast history of rock
music) turned out pretty good; good and angry, good and sad,
good and bitter…you get the idea. And in my mind the songs
on it captured the true nature of the seductive, duplicitous,
ruthless beast called love. The full track listing for “Valentine
The Destroyer” is elsewhere on this site. So, I went ahead
and made another anti-Valentine’s disc last year that
was named “Cupid Must Die – Valentine The Destroyer
Part II.” But this year I’ve had a change of heart.
Have I fallen in love? Have I been fulfilled by blissful coexistence
with that special lady? Not even close. I went ahead and made
“In The Absence Of Each Other – Valentine The Destroyer
Part III,” and it turned out pretty good; good and pathetic.
At least that’s what I thought when I was listening to
it.
Chisel (if you have the stamina) through the compacted, calcified
crust of bitterness that surrounds the hearts of bastards like
me, and beneath it you’ll find…profound sadness.
Poisonous spew forms the shield for open wounds. And it’s
sadness that leads me to do things like make vindictive anti-Valentine’s
mixes. If I really didn’t care about February the 14th
I wouldn’t acknowledge it at all.
As I listened to “In The Absence Of Each Other –
Valentine The Destroyer Part III,” I considered what the
message was that this collection of songs conveyed, and I kept
coming up with the same one. It was, “Jennifer, Jennifer,
Heidi, and Amy, in some way I still miss all of you.”
Does that sound pitiful? Well it’s less pitiful than making
public declarations about the injustice of love. That’s
the conclusion I’ve come to.
Since I went to the trouble of making the mix, I’ll share
its track listing here in case anyone is curious, which I highly
doubt. I’ll be glad to make a copy for anyone who should
want one, just e-mail me, but in light of recent revelations,
I won’t be sending it out to the Big Meaningless mailing
list. |
| |
SONG
TITLE - ARTIST |
| Track
1: |
Looking
For Someone To Love - Buddy Holly
|
| COMMENTS: |
"Caught
myself thinkin' of you
You can't love me and another one too" |
| TRACK
2: |
Through
With You - The Gentlemen
|
| COMMENTS: |
"Next
time you call I won't be there..." |
| TRACK
3: |
Not
Big - Lily Allen
|
| COMMENTS: |
"Alright
how would it make you feel if I said you never made me cum?" |
| TRACK
4: |
Love
Sick - Tuscadero |
| COMMENTS: |
"Might
love me better if you were dead" |
| TRACK
5: |
How
You Went So Far - Frank Black & The Catholics |
| COMMENTS: |
"I
wait to hear you turn the knob on that door
Can't take it no more" |
| TRACK
6: |
Restraining
Order Blues - Eels
|
| COMMENTS: |
"Everybody
knows that I'm not a violent man
Just someone who knows he's in love" |
| TRACK
7: |
Good
Things - Holly Golightly
|
| COMMENTS: |
"I
promise you that I never meant for you to believe me" |
| TRACK
8: |
Hung
Up In You - Madder Rose |
| COMMENTS: |
"Maybe
it's good, maybe it's not
I still find it sad we're not together" |
| TRACK
9: |
Back
In Your Head - Tegan and Sara
|
| COMMENTS: |
"Remember
when I was so strange and likeable?" |
| TRACK
10: |
Baby
On My Arm - The Broken West
|
| COMMENTS: |
"It's
alright, you weren't that special to me" |
| TRACK
11: |
Do
You Love Me Now? - The Breeders |
| COMMENTS: |
"Does
Love Ever End when two hearts have torn away
Or does it go on, and beat strong anyway?" |
| TRACK
12: |
I
Want Everything - Cracker
|
| COMMENTS: |
"I'm
waiting for you desperately..." |
| TRACK
13: |
You'll
Be Sorry - Versus
|
| COMMENTS: |
"You're
just a photograph now in my head
And I'll probably remember every word you said" |
| TRACK
14: |
War
In My Head - The Verlaines |
| COMMENTS: |
"There's
no place called heaven if you and I ain't been there" |
| TRACK
15: |
Opportune
Moment - The Sheila Divine |
| COMMENTS: |
"At
the opportune moment I swope down
Swing, swing, I missed her..." |
| TRACK
16: |
Severe
- Fuzzy |
| COMMENTS: |
|
| TRACK
17: |
Fruit
Pie - Kill Creek |
| COMMENTS: |
|
| TRACK
18: |
We've
Never Met - Neko Case & Her Boyfriends
|
| COMMENTS: |
|
| TRACK
19: |
Everything
You Did - Steely Dan
|
| COMMENTS: |
|
| TRACK
20: |
One
thousand Ways - Jason Anderson
|
| COMMENTS: |
|
| TRACK
21: |
Poisoned
With Hope - Carolyn Mark
|
| COMMENTS: |
|
| TRACK
22: |
Here
We Are (Again) - plus/minus
|
| |
|
To
submit a comment on this mix click here
Valentine The Destroyer
| DATE: |
01/20/08 |
| SUBMITTED
BY: |
Matt |
| EMAIL: |
N/A |
| LOCALE: |
Depew,
NY |
| MIX
TAPE CATEGORY: |
Break
Up |
| MIX
TAPE TITLE: |
Valentine
The Destroyer |
| OVERALL
COMMENTS: |
Every
year around February the 14th - though I hate to admit that
the date bears any significance whatsoever - my maudlin, all-consuming
bitterness takes over, and I compile a selection of rock songs
that portray the true nature of love. That's right, the vile,
vicious, ruthless, devastating beast that lurks behind the inviting
facade that the worst of four-letter words - l-o-v-e - presents
is laid bare in these songs packed with longing, regret, melancholic
beauty. Wasn't it John Mellencamp that sang, "C'mon baby,
make it hurt so good"? These tunes do. In these notes,
melodies and lyrics lie the twisted aftermath of the sweetest
dreams...enjoy. (This was the first compilation in my annual,
ongoing "Valentine The Destroyer" series. |
| |
SONG
TITLE - ARTIST |
| Track
1: |
If
That's What You Want - The Figgs |
| COMMENTS: |
Albany's
bad boys of power pop - and one of the most underrated bands in
the history of rock music - have made a wonderful habit of wadding
up broken hearts, then hrling them back at you like a grenade.
This rave-up kiss-off ups the ante on Cavern Club Beatles "Twist
And Shout" freak outs, with Guy Lyons basically telling the
girl who dumped him, you better be sure about this, 'cause there'll
be no second chances. "Living with me is like living in prison/
Add and subtract, but can you handle long division?" |
| TRACK
2: |
Favorite
Scar - The Gravel Pit
|
| COMMENTS: |
This
Boston quartet (frequent touring companions of The Figgs) bring
a bit of the swagger and swing of '50s crooners to this power
pop gem which attests to the staying power an ex can have in your
mind. "Most boys want to beat on girls with stones and sticks,
I just want to break down with you."' |
| TRACK
3: |
Rocket
City Send Off - 5wattbulb |
| COMMENTS: |
This
tune from Rochester pop punk juggernaut 5wattbulb perfectly captures
what it's like to be devastated by a break up when it seems the
other party couldn't care less. "It was a Rocket City sendoff,
and as I prepared for lift off all she had to say was see you
sometime..." |
| TRACK
4: |
Cold
Hands (Warm Heart) - Brendan Benson
|
| COMMENTS: |
This
song sums up the confusion that prevails during the death throes
of a relationship. That time when people want to believe, we can
still work things out, but they know deep down it's over...and
it's been over for a while. "Cold hands warm heart, we just
need some time apart, and everything will be okay...And it really
shouldn't be this hard..." You may recognize the lilting
beginnings of this cool pop number from a Lexus or Infinity commercial...can't
remember which car it was... |
| TRACK
5: |
Being
With You - That Dog
|
| COMMENTS: |
Truly
one of the most heart wrenching pleas for communication ever put
into song. And oh, those three female voices in heavenly harmony.
"I sit with emptiness waiting for your call/Will you still
love me after the fall?/An open phone line, but I still hit your
walls/And it's just like being with you" |
| TRACK
6: |
Thought Wrong - Holly Golightly
|
| COMMENTS: |
How
easy it is to fool ourselves when it comes to matters of the heart.
And how idiotic we feel when we realize it. What makes this song
is the bitter contempt that creeps into the sadness and resignation
at the end of the song when Holly sings "Now nothing's going
to change here for the better/Nothing's going to change here."
Musically it's semi-psychedelic garage throwback done masterfully. |
| TRACK
7: |
Losing
End - Fuzzy
|
| COMMENTS: |
The
ladies of Fuzzy (Chris Toppin and Hilken Mancini) do a nice job
singing Neil Young's gentle country-folk lament. "it's so
hard to make love pay when you're on the losing end, and I feel
that way again."' |
| TRACK
8: |
Valentine
- Old 97's
|
| COMMENTS: |
This
is the song that gave the comp it's title - Valentine The Destroyer.
A nice and easy blending of folk, country, and bluegrass underscore
this musical cry of "Uncle!" "Heartbreak, old friend,
goodbye it's me again..." |
| TRACK
9: |
Last
Call - Skaros, Mank & Wild |
| COMMENTS: |
I
don't cry much. It's not because I'm macho or strong, I've just
learned to stuff things down, and numb myself over the years.
But, that being said, this song has often brought me to the brink
of tears. Written by one of the finest song writers I've ever
encountered (Jesse Mank of Hussalonia fame) to be sung by another
of the most gifted writers, musicians, vocalists, and all-around
enigmas anyone could hope to discover, George Skaros (of The Dollar
Canon and Short Story Record Company), this one will tenderly
choke you to death with your own heart strings. "So if I
stand outside of your house much longer than I should, and you
don't hear me ringing the bell/I'm just getting it through my
mind that this is going to be the last time that you call me to
your door." |
| TRACK
10: |
Darling
Don't Worry - Thrush Hermit |
| COMMENTS: |
A
deceptively simple little ditty written by Canada's apparent heirs
to the country's power pop throne before they decided to morph
into a combination of Zeppelin and Sabbath, then break-up. This
is straight-up power pop in the best sense of the term, Big Star
meets Sloan. "I am the one who will love you evermore/You'll
be the one who'll be showing me the door." |
| TRACK
11: |
Do
Us All A Favor - Tight Phantomz
|
| COMMENTS: |
This
Chicago trio pulls a page from the Urge Overkill playbook on this
song in which the singer encourages himself to spare his friends
the booze-soaked post-break-up gut spills. "I can't control
myself so maybe I'll do us all a favor, start staying in at night." |
| TRACK
12: |
Why
Bother? - Weezer
|
| COMMENTS: |
The
title pretty much says it all, right? "...it's just sexual
attraction/It's not real so I guess I'll keep whackin'...Why bother?
It's gonna hurt me. It's gonna kill when you desert me..." |
| TRACK
13: |
Driveway
To Driveway - Superchunk
|
| COMMENTS: |
I
honestly have no idea what exactly this song is about, but it
has the smarting sting of one who has just been wronged (not to
mention the fact that it comes from one of the most brutally honest
break-up records ever made, Foolish). "I don't remember this
too well, but I still have the scrapes to prove, prove it was
me who fell..." |
| TRACK
14: |
The
Brides Have Hit Glass - Guided By Voices
|
| COMMENTS: |
Famously
noted to be about Bob Pollard's divorce, this one hits the chest
in a sentimental way that few other GbV tracks do. "Again
I'll roll the dice and try to hang onto my shrinking paradise..." |
| TRACK
15: |
Only
Cowards Walk Like Cowards - Containe |
| COMMENTS: |
Hushed
bedroom confessions put down on tape aren't for everyone, but
if they interest you Containe is a band worth digging into the
catalog of. Made up of The Pacific Ocean's Connie Lovatt and Versus'
Fontaine Toups, they released two CDs in the mid to late '90s.
Both records included tracks that were raw, honest, and poignant
to an extent that was almost painful. " I wonder, did I get
in the way? Where'd you go anyway?" |
| TRACK
16: |
Not
Funny, Ha Ha - Lois
|
| COMMENTS: |
Lois
Maffeo was one of the preeminent darlings of the low-fi, twee,
K Records set in the ‘90s. Often armed with nothing but
her acoustic guitar, impressive insight into relationships, and
one of the sweetest voices ever, Lois brought more lyrical complexity
and dimension to a style of music that was often silly in its
simplicity. In this song she addresses the emptiness and disappointment
that follows when a love affair fizzles out instead of imploding
in spectacular fashion. “True to life is such a bore/ who
the fuck said less is more/ visiting the battlefields of our beloved
civil war…you don’t make me feel funny anymore.” |
| TRACK
17: |
Stupid
Thing - Aimee Mann
|
| COMMENTS: |
Aimee
Mann is easily one of the best lyricists of the last twenty years…she’s
no slouch when it comes to writing tunes either. On this song
from her stellar 1993 solo debut Whatever she turns the tables
on a potential lover who spurned her by showering them with pity.
“…you stupid thing, speaking of course as your dear
departed/ oh you stupid thing, it wasn’t me that you outsmarted/
oh you stupid thing, stopping it all before it even started.” |
| TRACK
18: |
Come
Around - Rhett Miller
|
| COMMENTS: |
Old
97s front man Miller sometimes wallows in his sentimentality to
the point of being plain old sappy. But when you’re in a
certain frame of mind (one that has you asking yourself “Am
I gonna be lonely for the rest of my life?”) you can almost
forgive him for his shattered heart transgressions. |
| TRACK
19: |
The
Science Of Your Mind - The Comas
|
| COMMENTS: |
In
2004 The Comas put themselves in the running for the greatest
break-up album ever made award. Conductor was the very definition
of bittersweet, as scathing as it was sad, packing as much vitriol
as regret. |
| TRACK
20: |
Walk
Away Renee - Lotion
|
| COMMENTS: |
A
pretty simple, true-to-the-original rendition of The Left Bank
classic. This may be one of the saddest songs ever written. “Your
name and mine inside a heart upon the wall still find a way to
haunt me…” |
| TRACK
21: |
No
Heroics - The Bigger Lovers
|
| COMMENTS: |
Another
frontrunner in the greatest break-up record ever made competition
has to be This Affair Never Happened…And Here Are Eleven
Songs About It by Philadelphia power pop outfit The Bigger Lovers.
On an album where every song is devastating in its own way, this
may be the one that hits the hardest. “What has passed since
last we had a laugh is more precious than gold.” |
| TRACK
22: |
Easter
Day - The Bird Circuit
|
| COMMENTS: |
Any
clumsy attempt I made to try and sum up a song this beautiful
would be a total disservice to it. “…hate that you
had to see that out there there’s a better man than me…” |
| TRACK
23: |
Mutiny
- Tuscadero
|
| COMMENTS: |
On
this, the closing track of their excellent 1998 album My Way Or
The Highway, Tuscadero made its most assured and close to perfect
musical statement. Singer and guitarist Melissa Fariss pulls the
knife out and jams it into the one who jilted her with a sinister
and seductive twist, similar in many ways to Aimee Mann’s
approach on “Stupid Thing.” “Do your arms reach
across a half empty bed to hold the one they knew?/ Maybe it’s
me they seek/ I spend my nights trying not to dream of you.”
|
To
submit a comment on this mix click here
Anthems
& Anathemas
| DATE: |
11/24/07 |
| SUBMITTED
BY: |
Joseph |
| EMAIL: |
N/A |
| LOCALE: |
Buffalo,
NY |
| MIX
TAPE CATEGORY: |
Break-Up |
| MIX
TAPE TITLE: |
Anthems
& Anathemas |
| OVERALL
COMMENTS: |
Each
track is an anthem for the plethora of emotions one can go through
when rethinking/reliving their jilted past. Overall it's a musically
upbeat disc with lyrics like a rollercoaster through the hallowed
halls of regret and relief! |
| |
SONG
TITLE - ARTIST |
| Track
1: |
You
make Me Want To Kill Myself - Hussalonia |
| COMMENTS: |
This
is a short and sweet little number from the always uplifting
"4 Songs About Death" EP. Available for free on Hussalonia.com
- Misery loves company, and 'Pop Does Not Mean Popular'. Plus,
I always like to start off a mix with a shorter, more random
song.
"You make me want to kill myself, and take others with
me too"
|
| TRACK
2: |
A
Name Like Poison - Rainer Maria |
| COMMENTS: |
An
anthem for the random encounter. Regardless of where you live,
it's a small world - Their name is bound to come up, or even
worse - you'll randomly run into them at a bar/concert/grocery
store. . . So sometimes his/"her name is like poison to
your ears, so why do they intersect". This unreleased gem
is a must for any RM fan, or for the jilted lover in all of
us. Never actually released, you can find some handful of live
versions from this now-defunct Brooklyn trio.
"Her name's like posion, to my ears
and noone really owns this town
can't avoid a certain street,
then unexpectedly uncover a reminder. . ."
|
| TRACK
3: |
Shooting
Star - Elliott Smith
|
| COMMENTS: |
Wow
- Anthem of scorn! i'm glad i've never been on the receiving
end of words like these- from the posthumous "From a Basement
on the Hill"
"You’ll make the scene like you always do
Going upstream down the avenue
To fuck some trophy boy that you won tonight at the bar
So bad, so far, you’ll make him sad, shooting star
When it was me, I was momentarily proud
I’m drunk on dreams now, I’m glad I didn't say out
loud
You said you'd be for real but I don't think that you are
So bad, so far, you make me sad, shooting star " |
| TRACK
4: |
Picture
of Success - Rilo Kiley
|
| COMMENTS: |
Long
before "Into The Blacklight" there were a few amazing
albums that were sweet and clever - they had a biting innocence
to them... this track belongs to one of those albums called "TakeOffs
& Landings" - impossible not to sing along with Jenny
Lewis as she belts out these bitter 'frains built on unending
frustration.
"I've had it with you, and Mexico can fucking wait
And all of those French films about trains
Cuz I'm not scared, but I'd like some extra spare time
I'm not scared, but the bills keep changing colors
. . .
They say California is a recipe for a black hole
And I say I've got my best shoes on, I'm ready to go
Ready to go, ready to go, I'm ready to go
Ready to go, ready to go, I'm ready to go
These are times that can't be weathered
and we have never been back there since then " |
| TRACK
5: |
Album
of The Year - The Goodlife
|
| COMMENTS: |
From
the LP of the same name, this track is alternatively titled "April".
Why? Because the album consists of 12 songs, all chronicling the
rise and fall of a relationship - all related to a specific time
fo year. It's a very strong release; my personal favorite Tim
Kasher (of Cursive fame) effort.
"She got a job at Jacob’s
Serving cocktails to the local drunks
Against her will, I fit the the bill
I perched down at the end of the bar
She said, “Space is not just a place for stars
I gave you an inch, you want a house with a yard”
. . .
The last time that I saw her
She was picking through which records were hers
Her clothes were packed in boxes
With some pots and pans and books and a toaster
Just then a mouse scurried across the floor
We started laughing until it didn’t hurt" |
| TRACK
6: |
Go
On - The Elected
|
| COMMENTS: |
A
side project of Rilo Kiley's Blake Sennett - the Elected released
the stellar debut "Me First" in 2004. From that album
we have gems like "Greetings In Braille" and this
track, "Go On". Have you ever had an ex tell you they
are getting married? Regardless of how over them you are - It
still kinda stings. Especially when she follows it with "i
hope you have someone special in your life too".
"My old girlfriend's studing medicine. Would you save my
life if I got sick?
'Haven't seen you in a while. How have you been? Of course if
you have the right insurance, friend.'
And I think if we got back together again, you know, give it
a run, you know you were my first love.
'You're very drunk and we were very young, I'm going to see
this guy and it might be love.
Yeah, I think he might be the one.'
If you get married can I come? I gotta see this!" |
| TRACK
7: |
The
Perfect Song - The National
|
| COMMENTS: |
Aptly
titled anthem of nostalgia. For those "I wonder what happened
to. . ." or the "what would have happened if" moments!
From their over-looked self-titled debut.
"I'll never try to find you,
I hope you dont remember me, I hope you're not alone
and I dont want to know what your thinking
looking out the window, sitting there, sitting there just fucking
drinking" |
| TRACK
8: |
Ghost
of What Should've Been - Owen
|
| COMMENTS: |
If
you've ever ended a relationship with someone you were living
with, I imagine this song is for you. An angry anthem, for sure!
"What else in this fucking empty room reminds me of fucking
you?
An orphaned couch where I spent some long nights while you went
out with our friends.
What I wouldn’t do to be a ghost like you, to be somewhere
new.
To leave everything, the way you left everything, reminded you
of me.
One more week in this apartment, one more week of being haunted.
" |
| TRACK
9: |
Don't
Turn Here - Hussalonia |
| COMMENTS: |
Break
up songs are often littered with allusions to travel - both
are symbolic of escape, hope, etc... Also - travel anywhere
(commuting) is habitial - people develop all sorts of idiosycratic
quirks about how they get from place to place. So what do you
do when those get taken away from you? Moving on - this song
is all about nostalgia - perhaps my favorite Hussalonia track
- as always, download it for free at Hussalonia.com.
"I
pull out those old records and the sounds give me chills, i
still hear your voice between the verses...
And if I had to admit it, yeah i'd miss your whole family way
more than i'd ever miss mine.
No , don't turn here, no don't turn here - keep driving"
|
| TRACK
10: |
Nothing
Better - The Postal Service
|
| COMMENTS: |
A
beautiful and bouncy duet with Jenny Lewis. This is really the
anthem/anathema for all break-up mixes; "you're getting
carried away, feeling sorry for yourself" - the awful truth
of the break-up mix... but just because it's true doesnt mean
we can't ignore it!
(male vox):
Will someone please call a surgeon
Who can crack my ribs
And repair this broken heart
That you're deserting for better company?
I can't accept that it's over
I will block the door
Like a goalie tending the net
In the third quarter of a tied-game of rivalry
(female
vox):
I feel I must interject here
You're getting carried away
Feeling sorry for youself
With these revisions and gaps in history
So let me help you remember
I've made charts and graphs
That should finally make it clear
I've prepared a lecture on why I have to leave
|
| TRACK
11: |
Failsafe
- The New Pornographers
|
| COMMENTS: |
Allegedly
this track was written as a love song, but post-break up and
previous to the release Carl Newman got clever with some wordplay
and turned into a beautiful break-up song. Infectuous beat,
and vox from Neko Case make this one great for a number of mixes.
From their latest "Challengers".
"Ready to bolt at the first glimpse of failsafe. . .
we both had a hand in it; you and me both, kid." |
| TRACK
12: |
Chelsea
Hotel #2 - Rufus Wainwright
|
| COMMENTS: |
Perhaps
no one can rival the jilted love songs of the ladies man himself
- Leonard Cohen. Rufus does a damn good job with this classic.
From "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man", a great movie featuring
different performers signing the songs of Leonard Cohen.
"I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel
you were famous, your heart was a legend
You told me again you preferred handsome men
but for me you would make an exception
And clenching your fist for the ones like us
who are oppressed by the figures of beauty
you fixed yourself, you said, "Well never mind,
we are ugly but we have the music. . .
I don't mean to suggest that I loved you the best
I can't keep track of each fallen robin
I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel
that's all, I don't even think of you that often " |
| TRACK
13: |
Take
It Easy (Love Nothing) - Bright Eyes
|
| COMMENTS: |
A
lesson for us all - one that we're bound to forget and keep forgetting.
An anthem for the wise!
"Now I do as I please, and I lie through my teeth
Someone might get hurt, but it won't be me
Should probably feel cheap, but I just feel free
And a little bit empty
No, it isn't so hard to get close to me
There'll be no arguments, we'll always agree
And I'll try to be kind when I ask you to leave
We'll both take it easy" |
| TRACK
14: |
These
Days - Nico
|
| COMMENTS: |
An
anthem for the broken. This is a fantastic song written
by Jackson Brown. Nico's version is perhaps most recognizable,
but there's a live version from Elliott Smith floating around
the internet that is really great.
"I had a lover, I don't think i'll risk anotheer these
days.
And if I seem to be afraid to live the life that I have made
in song,
it's just that i've been losing so long. . .
Please don;t confront me with my failures, I had not forgotten
them."
|
| TRACK
15: |
Quelqu'un
M'a Dit - Carla Bruni
|
| COMMENTS: |
French
Singer/Songerwriter/Supermodel - soft, beautiful voice - this
is off of an album of the same name. The songs are sung in french,
but translation (or lack thereof) should not stop anyone from
appreciating these songs. The tilte translates to "Somebody
told me" - I can't find an english translation but here's
a taste:
"Someone told me that our lives are pretty worthless
They pass in an instant just like roses wilt. . .
and yet somebody told me
that you you still loved me
Someone told me that you still love me
Could it be true?"
|
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Tangled
Up In Blue
| DATE: |
11/21/07 |
| CATEGORY: |
Break
Up |
| MIX
TAPE TITLE: |
Tangled
up In Blue |
| SUBMITTED
BY: |
Elayne
R. |
| EMAIL: |
N/A |
| LOCALE: |
Buffalo,
NY |
| |
ARTIST
- SONG TITLE |
| TRACK
1: |
The
Mountain Goats - No Children
|
| COMMENTS:
|
A
friend said this song made Leonard Cohen sound optimistic about
love. A truly vicious, but also hilarious, diatribe from a guy
in the worst kind of relationship who just can’t get out.
It always makes me laugh out loud . |
| TRACK
2: |
John
Hiatt - What’ll We Do Now? |
| COMMENTS:
|
Hiatt
is a truly great lyricist and his breaking up song is filled with
really chilling images and metaphors about the pain of breaking
up . |
| TRACK
3: |
Mary
Gauthier - Your Sister Cried
|
| COMMENTS: |
A very dark songwriter with a voice like gravel, but this one
is dark in a funny way—about coming home from a disastrous
wedding. “I’ll never know how you got into such a
mess/Why do the bridesmaids all have to wear the same dress?”
This is as funny as she gets but it’s spot on about a lot
of weddings we’ve probably all been to. |
| TRACK
4: |
Nellie
McKay - Sari
|
| COMMENTS: |
Nellie
is an original. A master of every genre of pop music, which she
combines in a fast-paced, shifting of genres and topics in midstream
style all her own. She is also funny as hell, even when—as
in this song—she is angry as hell, mostly at herself. It
a song of self doubt—a bad relationship with herself. You
really have to listen because she goes really fast and changes
subjects in a single line, forming a pastiche that really works.
The last line saves the day. |
| TRACK
5: |
Harry
Nillson - Don’t Forget Me
|
| COMMENTS: |
Mariane
Faithfull also sings this one about life after divorce—emotional
and financial. Its both lovesick and bitter in equal parts—a
good mix. Nillson, who died a while ago, wrote some wonderful
little known songs—and this one hits home. |
| TRACK
6: |
Ryan
Adams - Everybody Knows
|
| COMMENTS: |
Another
bad luck in love song from RA. Nothing ever happens at the right
time and he is too “out of control” to hang onto her.
But while he comes off as a jerk (she says as a personal response
to this kind of guy), there’s no getting around his lyrical
talents. The images and metaphors—and the intensity—make
it worth listening to. |
| TRACK
7: |
Jimmie
Dale Gilmore - Baghavan Decreed |
| COMMENTS: |
Gilmore
is one of a kind; a country singer steeped in eastern philosophy,
with more than touch of hippie still there. This one is almost
too clever. Check it out—its fascinating. Approaching a
relationship on the rocks in terms of stoned, philosophical musings. |
| TRACK
8: |
Bob
Dylan - Abandoned Love
|
| COMMENTS: |
Only released on the Biograph set this is probably an outtake
from the Desire album but its irresistible. Dylan at his whimsical
best singing about trying to get out of a strange relationship.
I heard him play it at a club once and everyone laughed in just
the right place—if you listen you cant miss it. |
| TRACK
9: |
Jenny
Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
|
| COMMENTS: |
She’s
always had a great voice; what would Rilo Kelly do without her?
But on her own she proves to be an amazing lyricist—who
knew she was so smart and clever. This one is actually abt her
bad relationship w/her mother (partly autobiographical I’m
sure; she was a child star). You have to listen carefully to get
the full story. This is a sophisticated piece of work, structurally
and lyrically, but it really grows on you. |
| TRACK
10: |
The
Roches - One Season
|
| COMMENTS: |
This is an abstract, clever, angry, song about trying to leave
a toxic relationship. “I've got to get away from you/’Ill
come and visit you in the zoo”—one of a songful of
great lines. Could have been written yesterday. They are totally
cool. |
| TRACK
11: |
Magnetic
Fields - Busby Berkeley Dreams
|
| COMMENTS: |
They
are always clever in sending up old romantic stuff but this one
struck me as less cynical and actually authentically nostalgic
for the days when it was still safe for Hollywood musicals to
be sappy. Not their best but probably my favorite . |
| TRACK
12: |
John
Prine - There She Goes |
| COMMENTS: |
John
Prine is just plain lovable. This song about a woman walking out
is both painful—he couldn’t keep her—but also
a really vivid picture of how much she hurt him. But as Prine
fans know, he can’t be dark or nasty. Everything is just
too funny in the end. |
| TRACK
13: |
Warren
Zevon - Poor, poor pitiful me
|
| COMMENTS: |
Zevon
was always a cult figure—that’s how he wanted it.
Only people who really got him were worth writing for. But as
Springsteen, in a concert a few days after his untimely death
said, he was truly “one of the great American songwriters”.
A lot of his stuff is slit your wrists music, but his wit is never
far away and this is classic.. He is, finally, the great seer
who understood the implications of LA decadence creeping eastward.
He was right of course . |
| TRACK
14: |
X
(John Doe and Exene Cervenka) - 4th of July
|
| COMMENTS: |
One
of the saddest songs about a failing relationship that is close
to dead on a day when everyone is supposed to happy and you just
aren’t. Been there/done that. |
| TRACK
15: |
Gillian
Welch - I Dream a Highway
|
| COMMENTS: |
One
of the most hauntingly Dylanesque alt-country songs ever written.
The chorus is about wanting the guy back, but the verses, each
one more chilling and dark than the last, are in direct counterpoint.
Warning: a lot of references to country music history—but
you don’t need to catch them to be haunted by this beautiful
song. |
| OVERALL: |
|
Don't
Think Twice. . .
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|
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