TOP 10: "ANTI" VALENTINES DAY SONGS
- Feb 15, 2017
- 9 min read
Let's face it, Valentines Day isn't for everyone. That's not just a bitter sentiment imposed by the singletons among us. It's also a view that many couples share with the rest of society. Why throw away your hard-earned coin on a couple of wilting roses, a shit teddy from Card Factory and a bottle of champers that, in reality, tastes about as good as licking a dog's arse? It's empty romanticism. The day's become about routine and expectation riddled with countless Instagram and Facebook posts about what 'my boy' bought instead of actually shutting off from the rest of the world, keeping your business to yourself and spending time with your loved one. Call us old fashioned but isn't that what the day should be about?
It's not all about the expense though, the time and stress alone is reason enough to sack the day off entirely. Desperately scrambling around at 6PM, slap bang in the middle of rush hour, looking for anything and everything that you can wrap up, sign or reveal to your other half in a futile attempt to avoid the dreaded 'silent treatment'. Basically its one big farce, just another day for the shops to promote the shit out of and bleed us innocent bystanders dry. WE URGE YOU TO REPENT WORLD! Right, okay grouchy rant over...... i'm sure we'll ensue some substantial hate mail from that morbid paragraph but bring it on!
In light of this view we've put together our TOP 10 ANTI - VALENTINES DAY SONGS. We've gone for a mix of both old and new, some may not be 'slap in the face' obvious but they're all anti-love in some form. Give it a whirl and let us know what you think in the comments section below. Did we miss any songs from the list? What would you have included? We wanna' know!
JOY DIVISION - "LOVE WILL TEAR US APART"
First up (no messing around) we have the straight up pop rock banger from Joy Division, "Love Will Tear Us Apart". All the way from June 1980 this tune is a staple on any 80's club playlist to date. It doesn't need much of an introduction, everyone know's this song in some capacity and its inclusion on this playlist speaks for itself. Frontman Ian Curtis is a legend in the music world and it's said that the lyrics to this song were a reflection of the problems in his marriage to Deborah Curtis. It's also a dark dive into his general frame of mind leading up to his suicide in May 1980. His death was extremely premature, he had so much left to offer the music industry. Love Will Tear Us Apart was the bands first hit and it's official release came around a month after Curtis' tragic death. The band took time out before regrouping as New Order in late 1980.
THE POLICE - "SO LONELY"
We float around the same era with our next selection, "So Lonely" - The Police, another track that explains itself! The song is about the lonely journey of having your heartbroken, something none of us ever want to experience. Released in November 1978 this song is the oldest of our featured tracks. Sting, when asked about the writing of "So Lonely", explained that they we're never too interested in the primitive nature of punk rock . Thrashing around 3 chords over and over again was the popular style at the time but reggae and ska had a certain appeal. It was accepted as a more sophisticated form of music in punk circles, delivering the same message but in a more sedated tone. The Police has a knack for it so they created their own niche somewhere between thrash punk and reggae flipping to and from the styles in verse and chorus. "So Lonely" was closely inspired by Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" with pretty much the same chorus. Feeling lonely? Pop your headphones, lay down and give this a spin.
NIRVANA - "WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT"
Next we blast into the 90's with none other than Kurt Cobain, the king of grunge! Nirvana were much like an asteroid striking earth and obliterating everything in it's path. They gave birth to a unique style of music that was born in the depths of a very troubled and lonely young man from Aberdeen, Washington. The journey was a whirlwind it came and went in the blink of an eye. They soared to fame even before the release of their debut album 'Nevermind' in 1991 and after that boarded a rocket with unlimited fuel heading straight for the sun. Typically their music was fast, energetic, aggressive and powerful but perhaps some of their best material came of the other side of the spectrum. Take 'Something In The Way' for example, it's the black sheep track on that album but arguably one of the most intimate and personal rock songs in history. Our next selection comes from their MTV Unplugged Live Album recorded at Sony Music Studios, New York in 1993. "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" is a cover from one of Kurt's favourite artists Lead Belly. A powerful and beautiful serenade about a suspicious man who wonders where 'his girl' slept last night.
THE LIBERTINES - "CAN'T STAND ME NOW"
We're jumping era again into the early 2000's with the cockney garage/ post-punk rock fuck up's The Libertines. What haven't these crazy shitheads gotten up too over the years? Prison, Drugs, Fame, Fortune they've had a taste of it all. Going into a lengthy hiatus for many, many years due to drug addiction and various stints in rehab they finally came back to us with their latest album 'Anthems for Doomed Youth' in 2015. Their music is notoriously renowned for being extremely raw and real, drawing on personal life experiences as the muse for their songwriting. They're a band that stick to the traditional Rock and Roll lifestyle. Flying to their Glastonbury headline set in a helicopter moments before they're due on stage and weeks later playing in a small Camden pub to 50 or so people in a spontaneous secret gig. The Clash play a strong role in the influence of their music and their first two full length LP's were produced by Mick Jones of, The Clash.. We've chosen "Can't Stand Me Now" to feature in our Anti- Valentines Day Top 10. Released in August 2004, the song autobiographically represents the breakdown of Pete and Carl's relationship which ultimately led to the band folding later that year. Friendship is just as important as the relationship with your missus/fella, after all who's gunna be there to pick up the pieces when it all goes tits up!
THE KOOKS - "YOU DON'T LOVE ME"
The Kooks, indie rock heart-throbs. Dominating the charts with their debut album 'Inside In/ Inside Out' they came at a time when the UK was in a flurry of exciting new bands like Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, Kasabian etc. Their mix of indie pop rock instantly stole the hearts, minds and ears of the British public. Since their grand entrance they've gone on to release 4 studio albums, most recently in 2014 with 'Listen'. They never really managed to replicate the success of their debut in 2006, after all the bar was set pretty high but they're storming back onto the scene this year with a plethora of live dates and a huge headline UK tour with a sell-out date at London's Alexandra Palace. They set a legacy with some of the tracks on 'Inside In/ Inside Out' they've become indie anthems written in the history books with a permanent marker. We're picking "You Don't Love Me" to join the list, a song that tells the story of a boy desperately in love with a girl who has him jumping through hoops and wrapped round her little finger. Pure anguish!
ARCTIC MONKEYS - "THE BAD THING"
"The Bad Thing" from Arctic Monkeys second studio album 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' is up next. These boys don't need an introduction. Their career path has been outstanding, releasing five studio albums across a decade of music, adapting with the times and creating each record as an individual to it's predecessor. ABSOLUTELY FUCKING INCREDIBLE. Alex Turner and the gang now run with the best of them collaborating with the likes of Josh Homme and Iggy Pop, headlining major festivals across the world and holding a fanbase the size of the galaxy. They are the figureheads of Rock and Roll for today's generation and they deserve all the success they get. Their rise to fame held similarity to that of Nirvana, pretty much 'blowing up' overnight, with the famous Alex Turner quote 'We are the Arctic Monkeys, don't believe the hype' coming before he thrashes into their anthem 'I Bet That you Look Good On The Dancefloor'. Their debut album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not' was the fastest selling debut record in British music history and told the story of typical life as a youth in the UK. "The Bad Thing" is a tale about a resilient and honourable bloke passing up the advances of a flirtatious married woman, stay strong lads that's a brothers bird!
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS - "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL"
We go light hearted with the next one, "The Most Beautiful Girl" by Flight of The Conchords. FOTC are a comedy band from New Zealand comprised of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. The pair moonlight as actors and had their own TV Series named after the band on HBO that aired for two seasons. They often refer to themselves as "New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo". In reality it's acoustic parody music. The show see's them getting to grip's with American culture, avoiding their one super-fan (Mel) and dealing with their idiotic band manager. The humour is dry throughout and sees them break into spontaneous outbursts of hilarious song, definitely worth a watch if you haven't already. "The Most Beautiful Girl" is a track about Jemaine's cringey lack of ability to pick up a beautiful woman at his mates house party. I'm sure a lot of people can relate to his awkward chat up game now and again. Its got some incredible one liners, just try and listen without cracking up the whole way through.
SLAVES - "HOW'S AMELIA?"
SLAVES are next with an old but gold track "How's Amelia". The song was a bonus track from their debut EP 'Sugar Coated Bitter Truth' which was released pre- Virgin EMI contract back in 2013. They've come along way since the birth of this track, pretty much spearheading the current resurgence of raw and vigorous UK punk rock. It's been non stop for them over the past two years playing live show after live show and the release of their second album 'Take Control' last September which took their sound to new heights working with Beastie Boys legend Mike D. The collaboration saw them expand their sound with elements of hip-hop and rap still nestled in their energy ridden punk style. This track is a pure throwback to where it all began for the Kent based lads, they've even started to include it as an opening track on some of their recent setlists. Great choice lads! We won't explain the inclusion of this track, just give it a listen and you'll understand. It cuts the balls of romanticism, cooks them in hot cauldron and force feeds them to romeo and cupid.
TAME IMPALA - "THE LESS I KNOW THE BETTER"
Next we dive head first into a vortex of young love psychedelia with Tame Impala's "The Less I Know The Better". A song about the perils and turmoil of adolescent love in the confinement of school life. Boy and girl are happily together, girl starts flirting with another guy (called Trevor), boy gets jealous, girl pulls on his heartstrings even more.... you know that old chesnut. As Tame Impala say, the less the boy knows about his ex girlfriends love affairs the better. This song again highlights just how shitty relationships and love can be. Tame Impala are another band that have soared to extreme international recognition over recent years. Their psychedelic rock is a thing of beauty, and the transition from 'Innerspeaker' in 2010 to latest 2015 release 'Currents' see's them adapt their style taking on more synth elements. Every album they've put out is a fucking masterpiece! All the way from the great down under they've inspired several other bands to explore the trippy sound of psychedelic rock with 'King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard'.being their most recent protégé. The track, unsurprisingly, stems from Kevin Parker's love of disco music. When speaking about the track he said"The song, originally, I thought shouldn't be on a Tame Impala album, because it has this dorky, white disco funk. I wouldn't call it cheesy, but it's not trying to be too cool, because the lyrics are pretty dorky and the groove is pretty dorky". Grease up your hips for this one!
THE WYTCHES - "FRAGILE MALE FOR SALE"
Last, but by no means least, we have "Fragile Male for Sale" by The Wytches. Probably one you weren't expecting to see grace this list but we think it's an ample addition. Even if just for the last verse and absolutely vile breakdowns. all the way from the sunny shores of Brighton The Wytches have blessed us with two incredible albums of graveyard surf rock. Their style is quirky, unique and best described as a mix of Black Sabbath, Nirvana and Arctic Monkeys (humbug era). The guitar reverberates around your mind in haunting fashion whilst the percussion takes you back to an early hard rock/ border line metal era. Lead singer Kristian Bell's vocals are deafening at the best of times as he contrasts between powerful screams and soulful harmony. This track is taken from their 2014 debut album 'Annabel Dream Reader' which again is one of our all time favourite albums. The protagonist of the record, Annabel, features in this track as Kristian bellows over the top of the dirty guitar accusing poor innocent Annabel of 'ruining his life'. "Fragile Male for Sale" spins the tale of a seductress who tempts and lures men astray with her 'lovely thighs'. Causing them to brawl, beg and offer to be her slave as they compete for her hand.
We hope you enjoyed our TOP 10 ANTI VALENTINES DAY TRACKS we'll be putting them into a playlist over the next few weeks and adding to it over time until we've built the ultimate fortress of bah humbug love songs. You're welcome!
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