A Dozen Dead Roses: An anti-Valentine's Day mix for the jaded heartbroken

Published at 2:11 PM on February 14, 2009

By Steve LaBate

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Above: "Broken Heart" by Fabu

Any hint of bitterness aside, I've always felt Valentine's Day was a silly holiday, even when I was happily in a relationship. The idea of celebrating your love for someone by showering them with expensive gifts, candy, flowers and really cheesy Hallmark cards on a designated day when everyone's supposed to do it anyway seems the antithesis of showing sincere appreciation for a loved one.

Anyway, I thought today was as good of an excuse as any to take a listen to some of the very best songs exploring popular music's most fertile themes—heartbreak, lost love, unrequited love, love affairs, longing and any other "L" words that apply.

Since I decided to go for more modern tunes, I didn't include Leonard Cohen's "True Love Leaves No Traces," but I'll lead you in with my favorite lyric from that song, a lyric about the aimlessness of young love:

Through windows in the dark

The children come, the children go

Like arrows with no target

Like shackles made of snow

Beck - "Guess I’m Doing Fine"

From Beck’s heartcrushing divorce album, Sea Change. One of the saddest, most nakedly honest and unpretentious songs I’ve ever heard. Coming from Beck, no less, who generally shies from confessional songwriting.

Ryan Adams - "Come Pick Me Up"

While I was working on Paste’s Ryan Adams cover back in 2007, Adams told me about this song, “So she took a couple records. Big fuckin’ deal. I just made that shit up anyway. I stole her records.” Crafty bastard.

Okkervil River - "Calling and Not Calling My Ex"

Why it took me so long to get excited about this band is beyond me. I sort of (stupidly) blew them off until their latest record, The Stand Ins, just knocked me on my ass. This is tied for my favorite song on the album (with "Singer/Songwriter"). It’s a mix of nostalgic remembrance and slightly removed present-day observation of a lover who’s gone on to become a celebrity. Lyrically, melodically and - in pretty much every other way, too - brilliant.