I love this <3 </3. The first and last epigraph of my memoir come from "Farewell Transmission", though it was never a breakup song for me. It's a real place-in-time song for me; this isn't the first Songs:Ohia reflection I've read that someone talks about a very specific drive in a very specific place. Molina locates us, I think. Roots us.
I was just thinking about how the songs that break my heart the most are the love songs that you know didn't last. "Our House", especially the Joni Mitchell/Graham Nash demo version splits my heart open every time. An idyllic scene that was, of course, fleeting. My own particular breakup songs are random and just specific to the person. I couldn't listen to The Pogues for a bit; an M. Ward song that played while an ex sort of quasi-proposed; embarrassingly, The Lumineers for my last relationship, and also a Maggie Rogers song that played in a movie we saw together and have an inside joke about.....
Had to come and share the one-two punch of breakup salves I had in 2019: I Am Easy to Find by the National (specifically "Where is Her Head") but even more than that album, it was M for Empathy by Lomelda. It's not even 20 minutes, so it's hard to parse the individual tracks but I would pour it over me in its entirety several times a day for a couple months, and even with the pain of that breakup behind me that album is sacred forever ❤️
( " You take things so much easier than I do. You could live your life without me if you had to. And you believe in the end it all works out right; and I might- if not for you. If you ask which one lives just alone for love .. I do."
Mine is actually another Songs:Ohia track- "Being in Love" from "The Lioness". I put it on a mix CD for them early on, and I remember it feeling a bit like handing them an emotional live grenade- its not a light song. Still gives me chills when I listen to it- I almost feel like our relationship grew into the song at the end.
My favorite break-up song generally depended on my mood at the time.
But the first songs that occurred to me right now are a couple of older ones from Elvis Costello: "Just A Memory" and his cover of "Getting Mighty Crowded."
I love this <3 </3. The first and last epigraph of my memoir come from "Farewell Transmission", though it was never a breakup song for me. It's a real place-in-time song for me; this isn't the first Songs:Ohia reflection I've read that someone talks about a very specific drive in a very specific place. Molina locates us, I think. Roots us.
I was just thinking about how the songs that break my heart the most are the love songs that you know didn't last. "Our House", especially the Joni Mitchell/Graham Nash demo version splits my heart open every time. An idyllic scene that was, of course, fleeting. My own particular breakup songs are random and just specific to the person. I couldn't listen to The Pogues for a bit; an M. Ward song that played while an ex sort of quasi-proposed; embarrassingly, The Lumineers for my last relationship, and also a Maggie Rogers song that played in a movie we saw together and have an inside joke about.....
I wanna write one of these! I'll message you. :)
Somehow I'm just learning about Joni/Graham version of Our House!!!
I'll be looking for that message ...
"Bad Best Friend" by Nada Surf. Has the line "Every time I move I'm hurting you" in it. Ouch.
So late to this conversation but I loooove heartbreak songs. Future Islands “Where I Found You” still gets me a little teary eyed.
Had to come and share the one-two punch of breakup salves I had in 2019: I Am Easy to Find by the National (specifically "Where is Her Head") but even more than that album, it was M for Empathy by Lomelda. It's not even 20 minutes, so it's hard to parse the individual tracks but I would pour it over me in its entirety several times a day for a couple months, and even with the pain of that breakup behind me that album is sacred forever ❤️
" Last Tears" by the Indigo Girls.
( " You take things so much easier than I do. You could live your life without me if you had to. And you believe in the end it all works out right; and I might- if not for you. If you ask which one lives just alone for love .. I do."
AND
"If you See Her Say Hello" and
"Idiot Wind" both by Bob Dylan.
Mine is actually another Songs:Ohia track- "Being in Love" from "The Lioness". I put it on a mix CD for them early on, and I remember it feeling a bit like handing them an emotional live grenade- its not a light song. Still gives me chills when I listen to it- I almost feel like our relationship grew into the song at the end.
My favorite break-up song generally depended on my mood at the time.
But the first songs that occurred to me right now are a couple of older ones from Elvis Costello: "Just A Memory" and his cover of "Getting Mighty Crowded."
Great picks -- with two very different moods!