The other day I made a personal post - a "State of the Chris" that concluded with a list of 12 great breakup songs, with the promise that the songs would be posted promptly. I didn't live up to that promise, so I'm reposting the list without all the me-drama. Because I'm just a nice guy that way.

(REPOST)

So here's twelve great breakup songs. They run the gamut from "my whole life is over because you left me" to "you fucked me over and now I can't feel anything," and on to "God, I'm an idiot for ever going down this road in the first place." Breakup songs are one of the four things that rock 'n' roll was invented for. The other three are: 1) I'm so fucking in love with you, 2) Let's fuck, and 3) Let's get fucked up. (#4 is rightfully stated as, "You fucked me over") So there are literally thousands of breakup songs, but these are twelve that I have enjoyed even when I wasn't brokenhearted.

1. Pearl Jam - Black

This was my high school girlfriend's favorite song. And "Ten," the album that it comes from, is one of the top 10 albums of the '90s.

2. Stabbing Westward - Shame

A good companion piece to "What Do I Have to Do? (#99 on my 500 Songs)," "Shame" is just about the most pathetic thing ever written, and totally inelegant to boot. But anyone who has ever been dumped or had a relationship end badly knows how this feels, if only for a little while.

3. The Wreckers - Leave the Pieces

The Wreckers is Michelle Branch's new band, showcasing a more country-fied (not "fried") sound. And frankly, this song hews the closest to my own situation.

4. Jenny Owen Youngs - fuck was i

I mentioned this song in Mix 14 when I posted "Drinking Song." This song is also from that same album, "Batten the Hatches." It highlights that most frustrating of stages post-breakup: "I knew better than to get into this, but I did it anyway." My relationship previous to Brooke was my best example of this.

5. Jeremy Fisher - Scar That Never Heals

Since I discovered it, I've been pimping this song like a hooker with no teeth and no gag reflex. Not only is it eight shades of awesome, but it sounds uncannily like it was written and performed by Paul Simon.

6. Imogen Heap - The Walk

This is more like a pre-breakup song. It's about knowing that you're going down the wrong road and having to fight yourself to make the right choices.

7. The Features - Wooden Heart

Like #5, this song is a bucketload of awesomeness. And like #5, I've been pitching it at anything with a pulse that expresses the slightest interest in music because it balls-out rocks.

8. Cake - Sad Songs and Waltzes

This is a special subset of "you fucked me over" in which the songwriter is short-circuiting his unhappiness with a little bit of whimsy. And it's a waltz. I like a waltz now and then.

9. Bruce Springsteen - Lonesome Day

This has been a favorite of mine since I found it on The Boss' album, "The Rising." It's basic Springsteen, and it has that lyrical economy that he does so well. The first verse works especially well for me.

10. Blues Traveler - The Mountains Win Again

This one has been in my back pocket for the last 13 years, and it's been in the rotation every time I've gone through a breakup. It's about taking your time to heal.

11. The Be Good Tanyas - Only in the Past

Yeah, yeah. This one's a retread from Mix 13. But, like #5 and #7, it's three large burros carrying several sacks full of awesome. (OK, that one was a stretch, I know)

12. Aerosmith - What it Takes

We end with an absolutely stupendous live recording of one of the most overproduced songs in the most underappreciated capital-G-Great American rock band's catalog.

Tags: music
hey little fella, how are you doing today?: dorky
soundtrack: Peter Frampton - I'm In You