Love can be a many splendoured thing, but that's what makes the pain worse when it's all over. While some look forward to spending Valentine's Day with that special someone, others are nursing broken hearts. If disenchantment with love has gotten you into an anti-Valentine's day mood, you're not alone. Valentine's Day makes depressed people more depressed and poor blokes, poorer.
The comforting thing is that there's a song for everyone - something to put into words your unrequited emotions, to deal better with the heartache, to find some therapy, or to cry to. This Valentine's Day, let one of these 10 songs soothe your broken-hearted soul.
At this year's Grammys, tribute was paid to The Beatles with a President's Award
to mark the 40th Anniversary of their arrival in the US. And even The Beatles,
yes, the greatest band to go down in history with hits such as "She loves
you", "I want to hold your hand", "Hey Jude" and "Let
it be", mobbed by women everywhere they go, know the ugliness of love.
Listen to the choking emotions within this classic hit. It's the perfect sad
love song that depicts what belongs only to "Yesterday".
"Yesterday, love
was such an easy game to play.
Now I need a place to hide away.
Oh, I believe in yesterday."
Even the king suffers the tribulations of mere mortals. As Elvis Presley, tries
to make sense of what's gone wrong in his relationship, sometimes, he realises
that even he has to go "Separate Ways" from the woman he loves. This
is the American icon's most introspective song to date as he sings about his
broken marriage with his wife, Priscilla.
"Love has slipped away left us only friends
We almost seem like strangers
All that's left between us are the memories we shared
Of times we thought we cared for each other
There's nothing left
to do but go our separate ways
And pick up all the pieces left behind us
And maybe someday, somewhere along the way
Another love will find us."
Just when you think you've gotten over the hurt, it deals you an upper cut and
puts you right back in that place of pain. Even with all the ups and downs in
her marriage to Bobby Brown, diva Whitney Houston still doesn't know "Why
does it hurt so bad?"
"Why does it hurt so bad?
Why do I feel so sad?
Thought I was over you
But I keep crying
When I don't love you
So why does it hurt so bad
I thought I had let you go
So, why does it hurt me so
I gotta get you outta my head It hurts so bad."
It's okay to cry if you feel like it. "Everybody cries", so there's
no need to resist the tears. From the 3rd single of their sophomore album, take
good advice from Liberty X. A good cry is cathartic, and maybe after the rain,
you'll see a rainbow.
"Is something wrong, is there
a reason why
We're putting up a fight
Don't be ashamed to open up your heart
Everybody cries
I look above and search into the sky
To help me make it right
And now you're gone, well what am I to do
Everybody cries
Goodbye is kinda hard."
Sometimes, it feels as though you aren't ready to give up just yet. You want
to persevere, and hang on to the broken pieces, even though he's moved on. From
her second album, Life for Rent, Dido shows us how to forge ahead, and
never raise the "White Flag".
"I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder
Or return to where we were Well I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door
I'm in love and always will be."
"The Trouble with Love is" it can play tricks on you sometimes. Who
would have expected the pain, the disappointment and the disillusionment at
the start? But the reality of love is bittersweet, both tender and harsh. American
Idol Kelly Clarkson knows how blue it can be even as she croons this track from
the Love Actually soundtrack.
"The trouble with love is
It can tear you up inside
Make your heart believe a lie
It's stronger than your pride
The trouble with love is
It doesn't care how fast you fall
And you can't refuse the call
See, you got no say at all."
It's tough being on you own, especially when everyone else is all lovey-dovey
and your loneliness is highlighted through that. But what doesn't kill you can
only make you stronger. Take it from Cher. You'll be "Strong Enough"
in no time.
"Cos I'm strong enough
To live without you
Strong enough and I quit crying
Long enough now I'm strong enough to know you gotta go
There's no more to say
So save your breath
And then walk away."
Perhaps a good way to deal with sadness is to focus on other things around you.
Given enough distractions, someday, just out of the blue, you might just find
yourself so strong that you're hurting "No More", just like the stunning
late Billie Holiday.
"You ain't gonna bother me
no more
No how
Love goes just so far
Woke up this morning and found I didn't care for you no more
No how
Never felt so good before
You're down to my size
It's over and done
So kindly step down from your throne."
It's over now, and you're feeling the emotions fade away, and finally it comes
down to you realising that when love is selfish, it's about "Me, Myself
and I". You may not be able to return to the past, but like this year's
big winner Beyonce Knowles who bagged 5 Grammy awards for her debut album, Dangerously
in Love, you can always learn to look on the bright side.
"Ya, you hurt me
But I learned a lot along the way
After all the rain
You'll see the sun come out again."
We've saved the best for last. This is the quintessential anthem for the jilted,
jaded and plain just-tired. Covers of this song have been done and redone, and
it's still a favourite hit. With Diana Ross, Gloria Gaynor, Cake, and even American
Idol Kelly Clarkson egging you on, surely you can say, or even sing "I
will survive" as well. Oh, come on, you can do this!
"Oh as long as I know how
to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
And I've got all my love to give
I'll survive
I will survive."