In Dishonor of This "Holiday"...

...here are 15 songs about doomed relationships and breaking up. The list is by no means comprehensive, but these are some good'uns. Please let it be noted that this post does not reflect on bitterness about my own relationship--my marriage is very healthy, thank you very much. I just think Valentine's Day is ridiculous. I don't have time to put up links (again), but I highly encourage anyone to check these artists out if you've never heard of them. If the original album is not listed here, I probably have the song on a Greatest Hits and can't be bothered to look up anything beyond that. Otherwise, these songs all come from highly recommended albums.

• "Pet Name" by They Might Be Giants (from Factory Showroom). This song always reminds me of my first real girlfriend, who was very mean and really not pet name material.

• "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)" by Jim Croce. I confess that it's only recently that this song no longer made me tear up a bit when I heard it.

• "I'm Like Yeah, But She's All No" by Mr. T Experience (from Love is Dead). I think the title says it all, right?

• "Weary Memory" by Iron & Wine (from The Creek Drank the Cradle). One of my favorite I&O songs, and perhaps one of the saddest.

• "Bird Feet Feeling" by Trailer Bride (from High Seas). The sadness in Melissa Swingle's voice on this one almost makes my tummy ache.

• "Marching Band" by Evil Wiener (from Billy Sugarfix's Lost Gumdrop Kingdom). This song pretty much sums up my entire high school lack-of-a-relationship experience.
  

• "The Cactus Where Your Heart Should Be" by The Magnetic Fields (from 69 Love Songs). The title of Stephin Merritt's magnum opus is kind of a misnomer, since there are plenty of anti-love songs on this concept album, too.

• "What Happens When the Heart Just Stops" by The Frames (from For the Birds). Probably the most depressing song on this list.

• "Wish You Were Dead" by Lincoln (from Lincoln). This song is a lot more amusing than the title would suggest.

• "Lost Cause" by Beck (from Sea Change). This entire album is a downer, break-up song compilation. Lots of good songs, but this is one of my favorites.

• "Game Shows Touch Our Lives" by The Mountain Goats (from Tallahassee). From a concept album that tells the story of a couple who move down south, where their marriage subsequently falls apart. Arguably the best Mountain Goats album.

• "Everything Hits At Once" by Spoon (from Girls Can Tell). One of the more accurate descriptions of how a break-up can affect a person.

• "Why Can't He Be You?" by Patsy Cline. Pretty much all of Cline's hits were about breaking up or being in a terrible relationship. Can anyone name a happy song that she made famous?

• "Tornado" by Damien Jurado (from Rehearsals for Departure). Another song about a bad relationship that borders on too realistic. Who doesn't know a couple like this one?

• "Good Woman" by Cat Power, with a little help from Eddie Vedder (from You Are Free). I saved the best for last, as far as I'm concerned. A very simple song that encompasses the best and worst parts of ending a relationship. Sad as it is, it's one of my favorite songs of the past decade.