With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I wanted to show songs that revolve around love for this music report.
Since my life is very sad, I don’t know very many upbeat love songs, so this report will be more centered for the people who are feeling the V-Day struggle.
Also, as usual, some of these songs contain inappropriate language, so please listen at your discretion.
I will label each song that has profanity with: Language Warning
Joji – Will He, Slow Dancing In The Dark, I Don’t Wanna Waste My Time
Yes. I know this is three songs by the same artist. They are all fairly shorter songs, and as I really like Joji, I feel as if all three of these songs are very sad, and go perfectly with the theme.
Joji became the first Asian artist to top the R&B/Hip-Hop Album Billboard chart with Ballads 1.
The song “Slow Dancing In The Dark” comes from Ballads 1, and talks about wanting to find the person you can slow dance in the dark with.
Language Warning
“Will He” is one of Joji’s favorite songs that he’s ever recorded, and the sad melody along with lyrics really show the emotion and heart Joji has put into his music.
Language Warning
“I Don’t Wanna Waste My Time” talks about waiting around on a love that may never happen, and is more fast paced than the previous two songs.
You can mix these songs in any order, but playing these three all together makes my hair stand up, so I thought I would show you these.
The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part 1
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots is the tenth studio album by band The Flaming Lips. The album peaked at number 50 in 2002 while the song “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Part 1” peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart.
The song appeared on Rock Band 3 and was actually comedically rewritten for the show Friends, specifically for the character Phoebe, where the main character of the song Yoshimi was changed to Phoebe!
This song’s subject matter is about cancer, and the love Yoshimi has for herself while going through the battle.
This is one of my favorite songs, so make sure to check it out.
Twenty One Pilots – Cancer
Sticking with talking about cancer, this song is a cover of My Chemical Romance’s “Cancer”, redone by Twenty One Pilots.
The song reached number 6 on the US Hot Rock Songs Billboard.
The subject matter is very dark. As a person goes through the latter stages of cancer, they are losing sight of life and what it means to be alive.
The final lyrics of the cover, mixed with the open melodic tone makes for one of the saddest songs I know.
From Indian Lakes – The Bad Parts
Coming from the third studio album Absent Sounds, From Indian Lakes gives us one of their slower songs from the album.
In 2014, the album peaked at number 200 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart.
So while finding a little success, the band is not as well known.
The song “The Bad Parts” combines piano, synth, and haunting vocals to describe the aftermath of being torn apart from something terrible.
“They’re slowly picking away, and leaving only the bad parts of me” is repeated many times throughout the song.
The ending lines “When it’s creeping in, and we’ve nowhere to hide/We try to love again, we’ll try to love again” show how even though a person can be diminished to nearly nothing, they can still have the will to keep trying for something that may just keep hurting them.
Citizen – How Does It Feel?
I discovered this song while listening to The Wit (which is something everyone should do!)
Coming from the album Youth, “How Does It Feel?” talks about how a person moves on and becomes everything they said they never would be, and how it affects the other person who has watched them change into something they’re not.
Youth reached number 171 in 2013 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart.
The song uses deeper chords and a rough bassline that you can feel in your chest, alongside depressing lyrics to really pull emotion from the listener.
Have Mercy – Level Head
While eventually finding Billboard success for their newer work in 2017, 2013’s The Earth Pushed Back from rock group, Have Mercy, has some very harrowing songs on it.
One of my favorite songs from the album, “Level Head”, discusses themes of death and desertion.
This is also one of the saddest songs I know, as it is uses lyrics that paint everyday life mixed with the thoughts of someone who has clearly gone through a lot with their love.
Blue October – Hate Me
Language Warning
One of the more popular songs in this report, “Hate Me” by Blue October comes from the album Foiled.
The song has had tons of critical acclaim as it has peaked in multiple categories on the Billboard, been in a few different video games, and won lots of awards.
Although this song is very popular, it is also very sad, as it discusses the loss of someone very important. The loss sticks with the person, because they feel as if they should be the one gone, rather than their loved one.
The song deals with themes such as death, addiction, loss, hatred, sorrow, and restrained acceptance.
Night Beds – Ramona
Language Warning
The 2013 album Country Sleep reached number 15 on the Billboard’s Heatseekers Album Chart.
The song “Ramona” is the second song from the album, and talks about a love that is fading as it goes on.
The happiness in the beginning isn’t matching the current emotion, and the singer wonders how to get it back. He tries talking about different things that might bring renewal back to the love, but it doesn’t seem to work.
The song ends with darkness and dreaming.
Radiohead – Fake Plastic Trees
Radiohead is one of the most popular bands ever. Their different sound and wide range of lyrics have catapulted them to stardome.
Coming from the album The Bends, “Fake Plastic Trees” talks about a plastic world and how people can live in a fake world of love.
The plasticity of the relationship and the fake emotions the couple shows each other, are reflected upon by a person on the outside who wishes they could still be apart of their lover’s life.
Staind – Right Here
The song “Right Here” from the album, Chapter V, peaked at number 55 on the Hot 100 Billboard Chart.
The song talks about how the singer is willing to wait around even through the worst of things, but questions if the other person would do the same for them.
This song is also one of my favorite songs, although it hurts me to listen to it. It has provided me with a lot of help along with a lot of heartache.
Final Note
With all of these songs, I just wish to show you some new music, and while the songs are very sad, I do hope they help you as much as they have helped me.
I also hope your Valentine’s Day is filled with love, friendship, heart, fellowship and not too much sadness.
