For the heartbroken: the ultimate bad breakup playlist

Breakups suck.

There’s no debating this.

With Valentine’s Day — a celebration of joyful, loving relationships — taking place a week ago, let’s turn toward the sadder side of relationships. Because, while many celebrated the day with endless affection through hearts, candies and gifts, others weren’t so fortunate. Instead, they wallowed in the sadness that comes with the end of relationships, because heartbreak takes no days off. Breakups occur all the time, and they’re never pleasant.

Living in a time where relationships carry so much weight in our daily lives, the tumultuous endings can bring a devastating blow, just crushing someone with heartbreak.

In the midst of (what I like to call) the “Post-Valentine’s Day Blues,” I too find myself sorrowfully dealing with the (horrible) end of a meaningful relationship.

It sucks.

But I know many others have dealt with, are currently dealing with or will deal with the pain of heartbreak following a bad breakup.

No matter the catalyst for the breakup, the pain is there. Pain is pain.

Maybe the relationship just didn’t work out. Maybe you and your partner just lost interest in each other and decided to part ways. Maybe there was a lack of trust, and jealousy poisoned the relationship. Maybe someone cheated, completely tearing apart the trust and intimacy established. Maybe there was a lack of clarity and transparency, and the honest truth was kept from someone. 

Maybe there was too much distance to overcome. Maybe a horrible fight, or a series of fights, created an atmosphere of pain and unhappiness that just couldn’t exist any longer. Maybe someone else came into the picture, and love was lost on one side. Hell, maybe your partner fled to be with a circus clown with the dream of creating the perfect clown family (OK, maybe not the last one).

Regardless of what caused the relationship to end, the act of breaking up itself was painful, likely leaving some emotional pain and scarring behind.

Whether consumed by longing for an ex, regret over a sad ending, guilt over what could’ve been done better, resentment for an ungrateful partner or even hatred toward a cheater, everyone feels some type of way. Everyone feels the need to cope somehow.

And music is perfect.

Music is dope. Its language is universal, as it’s able to speak to anyone and everyone in an interpersonal way. The ability of certain songs to speak to one’s emotional needs is unmatched, and the healing powers of music knows no bounds. 

So, here’s a playlist of 30 songs that many may relate to. Whether you’re screaming along to Big Sean, crying to Rascal Flatts (I certainly was not crying while making this playlist. No, not at all), or letting your pettiness shine to Meghan Trainor, your musical needs will be met.

(Note: There are definitely many more songs that can meet your musical needs, especially the relationship-centric songs from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. However, Spotify does not hold the rights to various songs by the two artists, hence why there’s a lack of T-Swift and Bey. Trust me, if I could, there would be a LOT of “Lemonade” and practically all of Taylor Swift’s songs in this playlist. But, oh well.)

@TheMark12

swerve@dailytarheel.com