Member-only story
Once again it is Single Awareness Day (some call it Valentine’s day but if that was you you probably wouldn’t be reading this, you’d be reading a top ten love songs playlist instead (which I may publish an article on when I’m in a more positive mood. Anyway I’ve tried to go less angry, more upbeat and positive kind of lonely heartbreak songs. Please feel free to comment and give your top 5 or top 10 or just ones you think I missed out.
10. Red Rubber Ball (The Cyrkle) Written by Paul Simon, this is ostensibly about getting out of a bad relationship, but the lyrics of ‘I think I’m gonna be all right, yeah the worst is over now’ feels like whistling in the dark to me. Which is good, when you’re heartbroken and feel like you’re never going to love again. That theme will reoccur.
9. Flowers on the Wall (Statler Brothers) Another master class on whistling in the dark. How can you be doing badly when you’re ‘playing solitaire till dawn’ or ‘smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo’? What is the joy of a personal connection compared to that kind of hermitage?
8. Changing all those Changes (Buddy Holly) This one has a bit more of a positive outlook (relatively) since the narrator is aware they’ve made a mistake, owning up to it and being proactive about it. We should all do so well.
7. On My Own (Les Miserables) This is a showstopper of a number from a great musical. But for our purposes it’s all about the power of delusion to conjure up love out of emptiness till it’s almost…
