No more I love yous.
- JACK GARRATT — “I Couldn’t Want You Anyway” — as described by kelsey dayton
oscillations of the heart - DJ Rashad — “Let It Go” — as described by ned hardy
making up memories - BANKS — “Drowning” — as described by analyssa lopez
don’t have feelings - DAUGHTER — “Landfill” — as described by siena streiber
blurred world - ROBYN — “Dancing On My Own” — as described by auden ehringer
forget rom-coms - WILCO — “War on War” — as described by alex cheng
good and dumb to sing along - KANYE WEST — “Blame Game” — as described by anthony milki
yeezy taught me - JAZMINE SULLIVAN — “Let It Burn”— as described by gi (giselle) moreau
lightyears away - RYAN ADAMS — “Wonderwall” — as described by claire kim
our own darkness - NEW ORDER — “Temptation”— as described by ansh shukla
ok to fall out of love - STEVIE WONDER — “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday” — as described by bana hatzey
yester-dreams - THE VACCINES — “Post Break-Up Sex” — as described by elisabeth dee
crawl for plan b - ARCADE FIRE — “Crown of Love” — as described by benina stern
pulsing cacophony - NONAME GYPSY — “Mary Jane Love” — as described by taylor litchfield
cuddle fade - SCOTT WALKER — “Big Louise” — as described by victor liu
jaundiced at j-bo - JESSIE WARE — “Say You Love Me”— as described by alejandra salazar
sometimes you say nothing - BLOOD ORANGE — “You’re Not Good Enough” — as described by sophia laurenzi
manic dancing - BOY GEORGE — “The Crying Game” — as described by britty newell
sad jazzy egg-man - GARRETT HEDLUND — “Give in to Me” — as described by bobby srb
my internet tramp stamp - GLEN HANSARD — “Leave” — as described by katharine schwab
perfect catharsis
JACK GARRATT — “I Couldn’t Want You Anyway” — as described by kelsey dayton
As succinctly captured in the title, this song embodies that disconnect between words and the actual emotions behind them that I think comes with any breakup. The lyrics oscillate between honest heartbreak and hurt defensiveness- especially when Garratt’s voice cracks in this live version. Womp.
DJ Rashad — “Let It Go” — as described by ned hardy
Sometimes when I am feeling happy or sad, I walk around listening to this song and I feel neither better nor worse. I think, a lot. I make up memories. I never even played this for you on a crappy pair of headphones, let alone while speeding down I-95 in an orange Jeep with no roof. I guess it’s normal to miss what you once had. Kind of strange to miss what you never had at all.
I’m ok. I’m sorry.
RIP Rashad.
BANKS — “Drowning” — as described by analyssa lopez
You were not deserving, you were not deserving. I gave you everything, metaphorically drowned for you, and you wrecked it. Isn’t this how people feel post-breakup? I dunno, I don’t have feelings, I certainly didn’t play this song on repeat winter quarter and cry about the break-up of a relationship that wasn’t even real ha ha ha what? This song is pretty indignant, but if you’re feeling sadder than that, I suggest Before I Ever Met You from the same album. Play ’em both and wallow about that girl that broke your heart. Lol jk who?
DAUGHTER — “Landfill” — as described by siena streiber
Picture yourself in 10th grade. Maybe you were really popular, maybe you were the nerd nobody knew. Maybe you were neither. When I was in 10th grade, all that seemed to matter to me was him. Love dominated my senses and clouded my judgement. My world was a blur and he stood at the epicenter of my universe. By putting my him at the forefront of my thoughts, I completely disregarded everything else that mattered to me and wound up broken hearted.
I’m telling you this to say that having moved on, I wish I could go back and tell my 10th grade self that loving said boy and not having said boy love me back was not the end of the world. In fact, it was maybe one of the best learning experiences of my life. So thank you, boy, if you’re out there. I hope you’re doing okay. Because I am.
ROBYN — “Dancing On My Own” — as described by auden ehringer
Forget the ice cream and rom-coms. Turn off the lights, turn up the volume, press play. Dance your heart out.
Editor’s note: Guaranteed to work; 4/5 dentists agree.
WILCO — “War on War” — as described by alex cheng
On your first date together, there’s a moment when she realizes she’s not nearly as into you as she originally thought she was. It comes to her in a sharp crack of inspiration, after you say something particularly stupid or boring; you see the light leave her eyes all at once. Then she doesn’t reply to your pleasant after-date text - ouch. Well, now the writing’s on the wall.
“You have to learn how to die-hi-hii/ If you wanna wanna be ali-ii-ive”. Christgau says of Wilco’s shenanigans, “purty music, but I yawn like a lawn when I hear him recite,” and in a sense he’s right. It feels good and dumb to sing along.
KANYE WEST — “Blame Game” — as described by anthony milki
Kanye via schizophrenic distorted vocal filters, John Legend just being soulful and not being cheese, an Aphex Twin instrumental, an internet poet shout-out, and a 2.5 minute Chris Rock monologue. Yeezy taught me.
JAZMINE SULLIVAN — “Let It Burn”— as described by gi (giselle) moreau
A song for when she’s taken your heart and smashed it into a million different pieces/squeezed the life out of it with her bare hands/sucked the breath from your soul you’re feeling wistful and miss the touch of her lips on your skin, the feel of her fingers in your hair, the lustful twinkle in her eyes at 2AM as you lie in bed holding one another in deep romantic space - millions of lightyears away from everyone else.
Let it burn, baby.
RYAN ADAMS — “Wonderwall” — as described by claire kim
“I don’t believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now”
I believe I can save you from the harm of the world that you fear every night when you fall asleep.
Why do we keep it to ourselves the truth that we need each other more than we would ever be able to tell each other?
Why must any of us fall asleep alone, giving up on ourselves each night, feeling undesired even in our own darkness -
NEW ORDER — “Temptation”— as described by ansh “found his groove again to this song” shukla
PSA: It’s ok to fall out of love. The graceful way to do it is quick, brutal liberation. Thank you for your time.
STEVIE WONDER — “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday” — as described by bana hatzey
If you’re looking for a way to wallow in style, look no further. This song captures bittersweet nostalgia with grace. Stevie Wonder sings here: “Now it seems; those yester-dreams; were just a cruel and foolish game we had to play.” These words artfully express the question that you often ask after a loss: “What was the point?” Stevie’s song is so pure and relevant that you’ll play the song on repeat to accompany your pain, but so special that it hopefully will make you feel better, too.
THE VACCINES — “Post Break-Up Sex” — as described by elisabeth dee
Because the best way to get over one is to get under another (is what you say until you drink too many margaritas and you screw the “6/10” guy in the bathroom of the seedy taqueria with the buzzing fluorescent light and crawl to take Plan B the next morning.)
ARCADE FIRE — “Crown of Love” — as described by benina stern
This is the end of a love that you have when you’re still young (but aren’t we all still young?). Those tidal waves of feelings, mirrored perfectly by crescendoing strings and win butler yelling “YOUR NAME IS THE ONLY WORD THAT I COULD SAY” into the pulsing cacophony.
NONAME GYPSY - “Mary Jane Love”- as described by taylor litchfield
“I need more exes, I need more hoes.”
I mean, same. Luv life sux cause let’s be real, boys suck. Sooo maybe it’s time to fall in love with the new gurl. Let’s get faded and cuddle in bed while listening to Noname’s flow, because who can be sad when this cheery tune is playing. But really, she’s the female version of Chance the Rapper (personally I think she’s better, but that’s just me). Peep their duet after this and you’ll believe it too. Waiting for more from Noname, cause I need more of this.
JESSIE WARE — “Say You Love Me” — as described by editor alejandra salazar
Sometimes you’re not on the same page, which sucks. Sometimes you are but you don’t say a thing, which is arguably worse. Thinking about this makes me sad.
SCOTT WALKER — “Big Louise” — as described by victor liu
The drive-thru at Jack-in-the-Box is the only place open at this hour. Not that you’re hungry, stare down each chicken strip and feel the earth turn. Things could be better.
BLOOD ORANGE — “You’re Not Good Enough” — as described by editor sophia laurenzi
The only song on both my “gets you in a good mood” and “break-up” playlists. Cue the manic dancing.
BOY GEORGE — “The Crying Game” — as described by editor britty newell
I am seriously obsessed with this song. After not hearing it for, like, probably a decade, I now awake in the middle of the night or interrupt myself because I’m so desperate to hear it. No joke, as soon as I wake up, my thoughts are a) coffee b) wedgie c) georgie MUST PLAY GEORGE. I’m simply in love with that sad jazzy egg-man. Going down a Wikipedia wormhole the other day, I discovered that this song is actually a cover, and the original was performed by some schmaltzy straight dude in the 60’s. Guess what? I’m obsessed with that version too. How such a heartbreaking song could give me such constant pleasure is a question for the ages…but then again, why does Delaware exist? The world is full of beautiful mystery.
GARRETT HEDLUND — “Give in to Me” — as described by incoming e.i.c. bobby srb
I’ve written too many risqué things for this mag to ever even dream of running for office. So, why not this ultimate tramp stamp:
I like country music.
GLEN HANSARD — “Leave” — as described by outgoing e.i.c. katharine schwab
Hansard’s heartbreaking demand is the perfect catharsis, with brilliantly simple lyrics and guitar — further proof that all you need to make art is for someone to break your heart.
(‘15) hails from Cotati, California and has a compulsive obsession with all things film, politics, and creative writing. Her favorite pastimes include overanalyzing screenplays while watching TV, hiking, and running illegally through other people’s property.
(’17, Art History) thinks almost exclusively about dogs, micheladas, and Kanye. He’s from Connecticut by way of London and wishes it would rain more here.
('16) made this sad world a par•a•dise. She is cultivating both her Twitter persona & her Kristen Stewart aesthetic, is a firm believer in selfies & has the same taste in music as that one guy you dated in high school.
(’18, undecided) makes excellent pesto and has previously experimented with the violin. Loves labrador retriever puppies and Fleetwood Mac.
('17, Human Biology/Creative Writing) is from Palo Alto and listens to a lot of Kanye.
('18)'s dream job is the CEO of Ben & Jerry's. Nuff' said, everything else is irrelevant.
('18, Undeclared) prefers oil-water rainbows on the ground over the ones that appear in the sky. She’s always looking for things that will hydrate her soul, like youth, dark chocolate, and eyes. She thinks she wants to take control of herself but maniacally enjoys the sensation of infinitely losing control when in love. She’s in love with people; you can always find her falling in love, wherever she is existing.
(‘14, Science, Technology, and Society) grew up in Seattle Washington. In her spare time, Bana enjoys being barefoot in grass, dreaming and then talking about her dreams, and city-hopping to a good soundtrack.
('17, Anthropology) hails from the vast expanses of Utah. She wears purple lipstick to intimidate you. Her interests include writing list poems on napkins, Dvorak, geometric tattoos, and using healthy food as a means to peanut butter.
('16, American Studies) is from Los Angeles and probably has more nicknames than you. She enjoys theatre-y things, cats, and her ukulele.
(‘17, Communication, Music Editor) is a contributor from San Antonio, TX. She believes in making playlists for every occasion and chronically overthinks everything.
('18, Art History) hears the beat but claps on the two. Whatever art is, you can find their attempts at it at http://www.victorhliu.com.
('17, Psychology, Performance Editor) likes spontaneous dance parties and drawers full of snacks. She's (proudly) from New Jersey and loves California but misses the pizza.
(‘16, Culture and Commentary Editor) (also known as Ratty St. John) is in your walls. Her chewing sounds lull you to sleep. Keep abreast of the bastard at rattysaintjohn.tumblr.com.
(‘16, English, Editor-in-Chief) learned most of his English from Cartoon Network. What Bojan cares about: Freud, cities, gazpacho, and you.
(‘15, English, Outgoing Editor-in-Chief) likes to write songs about gravity and days that don't end. Katharine is from Pasadena, CA and she's only been to one Rose Bowl game. Ever.