For this week’s edition, take the opportunity to swallow your pride and right those wrongs.
Love is never simple. Some situations are harder then others but we’ve all had that time when we realized we fucked up royally, and that the person we love could be in danger of being gone forever. So what are you going to do about it? Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself is an option, but come on, you’re better than that. Winning back the girl or boy of your dreams isn’t easy, and it subsequently can be hard to get the words out. Maybe I’ve seen too many John Cusack movies but honestly, sometimes just hearing the right song at the right time is all you need. Some things are worth fighting for whether it’s with a boombox (see above) or a killing spree (okay, that’s probably not the best way to go about it even if it is saving your girlfriend’s father’s life).
This is not some manipulative, Frank “TJ” Mackey rule book method for tricking someone into liking you, nor is it the “You Complete Me” speech in a box. The latter is your job, and the former, please don’t ever do. Personally, I’ve never done the teary eyed speech in the rain thing — maybe I never had the balls to. However, I invite you to join me in living vicariously through this playlist, which may give you the added push you need to get out there and make it happen.
The Jackson 5 – “I Want You Back”
This one’s a no-brainer, but is essential to any mix of this sort. Despite the fact he was only eleven years old at the time of the song’s recording, Michael Jackson‘s delivery is so pure and unbridled that you find yourself in his corner anyway. With the exception of “ABC,” “I Want You Back” is the group’s defining moment, and a kickoff to a decade of essential pop/soul.
LCD Soundsystem – “I Can Change”
It’s rare in the field of electronic music for a songwriter to not only be able to conjure up amazing dance grooves, but to also write songs that see into your soul. James Murphy did it several times before on songs like “Someone Great” and “All My Friends,” but with “I Can Change” he manages to write something he thought he never would do — a love song. And not just any love song. “I Can Change” features one of the most sincere pleas to make a lover stay in an indie pop song from our generation. The song is like a an episode of Seinfeld turned serious in terms of its realness, between Murphy asking her to “bore me, and hold me, and cling to my arm,” and his incredibly human desperation in the chorus – “I can change, I can change, I can change/If it helps you fall in love.”
M83 – “Reunion”
M-83 Reunion by ProjectX1
M83‘s latest record, “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming,” is a nostalgic thrill ride that desperately cries out for love and past glories. No song captures that more than “Reunion,” a track that sounds pulled straight from John Hughes’ subconscious. Its momentous chorus where he asks “Will you stay in this land forever?” washes over the listener like a baptism in 1980′s pop perfection. Anthony Gonzalez has made a career out of creating sky high anthems of desire, but it’s in this song where he may have reached his zenith.
Prince & the New Power Generation – “Nothing Compares 2 U”
Originally performed by the Family, then made famous by Sinead O’Connor’s transcendent 1990 cover, nothing really compares to this live rendition by the song’s composer, Prince Rogers Nelson. Dueting with NPG vocalist Rosie Gaines, the song takes on epic proportions as the two trade off the events that took place during the seven hours and thirteen days since they parted. While the saxophone solo is campy as hell, the passion that pummels back and forth between the two vocalists is astounding, making the reunion at the song’s conclusion like a cap to an intense romance novel.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Maps”
The reason why this is a “Win Her Back” mix as opposed to a “Win Your Significant Other Back” mix is it just has a better ring to it. It’s also true that stereotypically we think of men in this position more mainly because of the Hollywood construct. However, in the case of “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (an acronym for “My Angus Please Stay”), gender line preconceptions are shattered with Karen O delivering the “please come back” speech with tender vulnerability. Written to her then boyfriend, Angus Andrew of the band Liars, the song is a painful plea resting gently on Nick Zinner’s muscular guitar work. The infamous video features Karen O breaking into tears while performing the song in an auditorium with the band. Watching her struggling to sing the words, “Wait – they don’t love you like I love you” is hard to watch without getting teary eyed yourself.
The Dream Academy – “The Edge of Forever”
The Dream Academy were a band best known for their hit “Life in a Northern Town,” a song that appropriated an African chant into a pop hook chorus. While that song has aged poorly due to that hook being re-appropriated in an awful mid 90′s Olympics anthem, the album from which it came boasts a far better track which you may remember from its appearance in the film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Playing in the background while Ferris says goodbye to Sloane, it kicks in right at the kiss and follows through the start of his race home. The aforementioned “Reunion” by M83 is largely in debt to the song’s shimmering grandeur, both of which are in a long line of inspirational “Win Her Back” anthems.
Arcade Fire – “We Used to Wait”
“We Used to Wait” is Arcade Fire‘s tribute to missed opportunities. Win Butler examines the regret of never writing a letter to his true love which he seeks to rectify even though it may be too late. As if the song wasn’t intense enough by itself, the music video features an accompanying interactive website where the listener can watch a short film of a person running through street-lit suburbia, a hooded sweatshirt giving them an anonymous identity (we all wore hoodies right?) With the aid of Google Maps and Google Chrome, your own neighborhood can be inserted into the footage. Check out an example above or go to the Wilderness Downtown website to make your own — don’t forget write “don’t fuck up, asshole” on the letter to yourself.
New Order – “Temptation”
Already a stellar song upon its original 1982 release, the more popular redo for 1987′s singles collection, “Substance,” has since been hailed as the definitive version of “Temptation.” Bernard Sumner has always been a clumsy lyricist/vocalist, but there’s something in his simple uttering of the line, “No, I’ve never met anyone quite like you before” that always feels uniquely romantic. Even his inexplicable listing of her eye color feels more like a way for you to personify the song rather than some surrealist lyric. The truth is, even if the song had no words, it wouldn’t matter – “Temptation” is New Order at the absolute top of their game in terms of composition and performance, with every note and beat aching with confident longing.
Cut Copy – “Need You Now”
Playing like a modern day update of “Temptation,” New Zealand’s Cut Copy make a worthy sequel to the synth pop classic. Dan Whitfield’s vocals even hit on the same profoundness-through-simplicity angle that Bernard Sumner achieves, with the near passive first reading of, “I know we’re going crazy but I need you now,” sounding like a Shakespearean proclamation. He eventually belts it out for more dramatic effect, but also like “Temptation,” the tune itself carries with it a desire that burns deep.
Sigur Rós – “Viðrar vel til loftárása”
It should also be noted that this list does not look to exclude men seeking to win back men either. The video for “Viðrar vel til loftárása” showcases a pretty epic young love story between two teenage soccer boys sharing a kiss after a winning goal before being torn away from each other. The song can be applied to any instance of reflecting back on who you really love. Much like “Temptation” and “Need You Know,” the emotion behind the music says it all, especially in “Viðrar”‘s heart-exploding orchestral climax. The English translation of the lyrics does reveal Jónsi expressing a difficulty in moving on though, most particularly in the second verse that roughly translates, “We had a dream, we had everything/We rode to the end of the world/We rode searching/Climbed skyscrapers/Which later exploded…I slide forward/and somehow I always return to the same place.”
Stars – “Reunion”
High School reunions are usually pretty depressing which is a shame because the concept behind having an event where everyone from your alma matter shows up can be kind of exhilarating. Unfortunately the only people who usually do are the guys that still live with their parents near the school, but the Stars song “Reunion” takes the ideal situation in which the opportunity arises to profess your love to your high school sweetheart. Stars are a band designed for those who still have the eager passion of a high school student and although it’s not as famous as “Your Ex-Lover is Dead,” it’s the band’s quintessential song.
Peter Gabriel – “In Your Eyes”
The famous scene in “Say Anything” when Lloyd Dobbler blasts “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel outside Diane Court’s window may be the best example of a song being used as a bridge between two people shown on film. The image of Cusack holding the boombox has since become one of the most recognizable images from 1980′s cinema, often featured in montages documenting the era as well as being printed on several t-shirts. Peter Gabriel was well known for being a figurehead of experimental rock, which made his successful attempt at making a perfect pop record with 1986′s “So,” so surprising. While not sacrificing his penchant for new sounds and structures, he and producer Daniel Lanois crafted an album full of songs that were technically very advanced while still worthy material for mainstream radio. Assuming Lloyd wasn’t playing the cassingle of “In Your Eyes,” it’s a good thing he found the right spot on the tape as it might not been as effective if he accidentally played “Sledgehammer” or “Big Time.”
Beach Boys – “God Only Knows”
I once talked to my ex-girlfriend about why “God Only Knows” sounds so sad despite the fact that Brian Wilson is proclaiming his love to he girl he’s singing the song to. She said, “it’s about admitting that things don’t always last forever.” The idea that this message can be an underlying theme in a pop ballad is a testament to Wilson’s genius. “God Only Knows” can easily go both ways. While he does say that “you’ll never need to doubt it/I’ll make you so sure about it,” the first line of that song is “I may not always love you.” It’s a chilling lyric that was meant to raise a few eyebrows waiting to be set straight by the rest of the verse, to which Wilson patiently delivers. The song doesn’t pander to the notions of true love. Its lyrical focus is on the “what if” aspect, lamenting that although life would go on if she left, “the world would show nothing to me/so what good would living do me?” “God Only Knows” is serious shit. It’s the type of song that everyone should listen to when making a big decision in regards to a relationship, whether you’re pondering a proposal, a breakup, or a teary, rain soaked speech.
At the end of the day, I don’t have the answers, but maybe this set could help you find something in yourself that you didn’t know was there. You may not be in it now, but take note of a few songs — they may come in handy down the road.
