That’s it, you tell yourself. It’s really over. Sure, it’s easy to forget about him when you’re out for wine night with the girls or downing a pint of Ben and Jerry’s in your pajamas at home. But sooner or later, after your friends go home and that pint of ice cream is gone, you’ll have to face facts… or better yet, face the music, right? So, how do you cope?
To ease the pain of any heartbreak, big or small, I’ve always turned to my iPod. I have a playlist ready to go for almost every possible post-break-up mood, and over the years, I’ve come to learn a little thing or two about heartbreak from my personal mix of tracks: Britney taught me to be “stronger” while Christina encouraged me to be a “fighter.” Beyonce and the Destiny’s Child trio has always assured me that, yes, “I am a survivor,” and Kelly Clarkson has been getting me through every dating dilemma since the early 2000s.
When you’re in the throes of a break-up hangover, sometimes it’s healthy to wallow in it. Fortunately, no matter what stage of the post-break-up blues you’re in, there’s a song for you. So, pick your favorites from our ultimate break-up playlist, download them from iTunes (or better yet, buy the CDs), set up a playlist, and crank up the volume. Wear that playlist out. Look below to find your emotion and the musical therapy to match!
Beyonce “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)”
aka … Stage #1– “Whatever, I’m gonna dance the night away with my girls!”
Queen B is hands-down the queen of break-up tracks and each one of them has their applicable dose of musical therapy. From her early days in Destiny’s Child with “Survivor” to her own chart-topping tracks “If I Were A Boy,” “Irreplaceable” and “Best Thing I Never Had,” this bootylicious diva knows just the right lyrics to express our break-up feelings. But nothing comes close to “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It).”
“All the single ladies
Now put your hands up!
Up in the club, we just broke up
I’m doing my own little thing
Decided to dip and now you wanna trip
‘Cause another brother noticed me”
You most likely have at least one friend who has memorized the choreography to this song and it’s no wonder. Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” is the perfect girls’ night out anthem and there’s no cure better than spending a night out with your posse of girlfriends, dressed to kill, dancing the night away. So, turn this tune up, single ladies!
[pagebreak]
Katy Perry “The One That Got Away”
… aka Stage #2 – “Texting my BFF in panic mode”
When all is said and done, the morning after your girls’ night out (after that hangover subsides), you’re most likely going to hit the depressed stage and there isn’t anything your bestie can text you or a single rom-com out there can do to make you feel better. You know you’re going to have that moment when you think, “Maybe we can work things out? Maybe we really can be together after all?” You text your best friend in a panic, “OMG I think I’ve made a huge mistake!” This is the perfect moment to pull out the tissues and reminisce to Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away.”
“Used to steal your parents’ liquor
And climb to the roof
Talk about our future
Like we had a clue
Never planned that one day
I’d be losing you
In another life
I would be your girl
We’d keep all our promises
Be us against the world.
In another life
I would make you stay
So I don’t have to say
You were the one that got away
The one that got away”
If any Hollywood celeb knows a thing or two about post-break-up blues, it’s definitely Katy Perry since her high profile break-up with Russell Brand. But listening to this song, you’ll come to realize that some relationships just simply aren’t meant to be as much as we might want them to work out.
Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know”
… aka Stage #3 – “I’m so pissed I could scream!”
You know that stage when everything that reminds you of your ex makes you angry? No, angry doesn’t even cut it – you’re downright pissed. And what sounds angrier than ‘90s grunge rock? Try Alanis Morissette’s raspy wailing on the stereo. Her angst-ridden hit “You Oughta Know” is perfect for that “I hate you, screw off” phase of the break-up.
“ ‘Cause the joke that you laid on the bed that was me
And I’m not gonna fade
As soon as you close your eyes and you know it
And every time I scratch my nails down someone else’s back
I hope you feel it… well, can you feel it!?
Well, I’m here to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It’s not fair to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know”
Alanis’s breakout break-up song is emotionally raw and angry, but so are break-ups! Sometimes, the best way to get over a break-up is to vent (loudly).
[pagebreak]
Cee Lo Green’s “F*ck You!”
… aka Stage #4 – “Oh new girlfriend already? Well, f*ck you and f*ck her too!”
Cee Lo Green has penned possibly one of the best break-up tracks of all time for a number of reasons: it makes no apologies and it’s cool, not to mention it’s upbeat! There are so many depressing songs that weep and whine over a lost love, but what about when that so-called “one that got away” totally dogs you and dumps you and picks up a new girlfriend in the same heartbeat? I know exactly what you’re thinking and so does Cee Lo Green, who sums it up pretty perfectly in his one-liner:
“I see you driving ’round town
With the girl I love and I’m like,
‘F*ck you!’
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
I guess the change in my pocket
Wasn’t enough, I’m like,
“F*ck you!
And f*ck her too!”
And let’s face it, nothing quite beats that catchy chorus line, “I see you driving ’round town with the girl I love and I’m like, ‘F*ck you!’ Ooh ooh ooh!”
Adele’s “Someone Like You”
… aka Stage #5 – “Time to move on, I guess.”
What would any break-up playlist be without Adele? If there’s one thing that this British soul singer understands, it’s heartbreak. After all, she turned hersinto a Grammy nominated, chart-topping single, “Someone Like You.” Lyrically, it speaks of Adele coming to terms with her broken relationship. In reaching out to rekindle an old flame, she realizes that the relationship can’t be saved. He’s moved on and involved with someone else, and in a very honest, realistic way, she realizes that it’s best that she do the same.
“I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited,
But I couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t fight it,
I had hoped you’d see my face,
And that you’d be reminded that for me it isn’t over.
Never mind, I’ll find someone like you,
I wish nothing but the best for you, too,
Don’t forget me, I beg,
I remember you said,
“Sometimes it lasts in love,
But sometimes it hurts instead.”
Adele comes with a disclaimer. She can be a little dangerous to listen to post-break-up since her lyrics and soulful voice are both so moving. Adele’s “Someone Like You” allows us to tackle our emotions and realize when it’s time to move on, but she might also trigger a fresh wave of waterworks.
What about you, collegiettesTM? Which songs make up your playlist?