This post was submitted by Rocky

Welcome to TNG’s new Tuesday afternoon mixtape, The People’s Playlist, where every week we choose a theme and make a playlist of songs based on that theme. Also, be sure to stay tuned for our weekly Left Turn, a special video surprise!

“It still smarts like it was four minutes ago…”

It was a chilly night in May 2006. We were bundled up, chatting on his front porch, and I was still so in love I could barely contain myself. But I knew something wasn’t right, so I braced myself, drew up all the innocence and nonchalance I could muster, and asked the question I’d been dreading for days: “So when you and [evil bitch's name redacted] left that party the other night, where’d you guys go?”

“Uh, you know…”

Indeed. I knew.

We went into his bedroom to have it out and a short time later, it was over. All the questions had been answered; all the sins had been confessed. And I emerged into the hallway a new person:

An idiot. A complete, total, stupid fucking idiot. Goddammit, how could I be so fucking stupid?

Of course, this is the point where I should have left, but no. Somehow, I managed to meander into the kitchen where our friends were hanging out, sharing a bottle of wine. I made a valiant attempt at behaving normally – for a few seconds at least – but it was impossible. I’d been gutted. My brain went numb. My knees went out and suddenly, as if pulled down by Hades himself, there I was, in a room full of people, a pathetic, catatonic little heap on the floor.

His roommate noticed immediately. He knelt down and asked what was wrong, but I was incapable of stringing words together in any coherent way. Besides, he’d known for weeks. Everyone had. So he helped me up, grabbed the bottle of wine, and the whole party shuffled into his bedroom. For hours it seems, their words of encouragement bounced off me; I couldn’t hear anything. Somehow, a joint found its way into my hand, but I couldn’t feel anything. Across the room, Craigslist m4m ads were surreptitiously being sent to my inbox, but I couldn’t care. I’d already resolved to never fall in like – let alone love – ever again. Caring hurt too much. Crying hurt too much. Hell, existing hurt too much.

…And then the evening ended when, in an effort to finally move, I accidentally knocked the entire contents of the wine bottle onto the roommate’s computer. Tragic.

It took me nearly a year to recover.

So the moral of this little story? Broken hearts suck. (Well, that and don’t ever try to date [Fine. Asshole's name redacted as well.].)

Getting your heart broken seems to be something that we all have to go through at some point in our lives and, without question, it’s the worst thing ever. Yet, somehow, most of us seem to survive. Isn’t it funny? How do we do that? For me, being a lifelong musician, music is the cure for every ill. (My roommate at the time of that unfortunate incident I was talking about earlier got fired the next afternoon, so we got Chinese food and started a band that very evening.) However, when it comes to heartbreak, I think it’s that way for most people. Sometimes a little bit of cautious optimism set to a jaunty tune or hearing your own heartache echoed back to you in lovely, florid poetry is the spark you need to get out of bed, and remind you that there’s still a whole big world outside your apartment to explore. Besides, they’re not worth your tears anyway, right?

So, because I was curious, last week I asked everyone to send in their favorite song to mend a broken heart. And a lot of folks responded, so well done all of you! Here are the results. Let the healing begin! If you feel as though we’ve missed something, feel free to sound off in the comments, and if you’d like to have your voice heard next week, here’s the topic for next week’s playlist:

Let’s try something a little less depressing. My older sister left for college when I was three, and left behind a bunch of her old records. It was a bit like Almost Famous, except replace Led Zeppellin and Simon and Garfunkel with Foreigner, Huey Lewis and The News and Debarge. But dancing around the living room to Huey Lewis with my mom is one of my fondest childhood memories. (I still love Huey to this day. Even this!)

So what song brings back the fondest memories of your childhood? Is there a song that takes you back to those treasured, halcyon days when you were but a wee little tyke and your parents were still the coolest people you knew (if they ever were)?

Email me at rocky@thenewgay.net by COB on Friday to get your choice on next week’s tape. Meanwhile, enjoy the music and stay tuned for this week’s Left Turn! Do it to it, y’all!

Learn To Pretend There’s More Than Love That Matters – 7/28/09

Fiona Apple – “Extraordinary Machine” (Adam)
Bis – “Am I Loud Enough?” (Michael)
Atmosphere – “Fuck You Lucy” (Cliff)
Walkmen – “The Rat” (Rohan)
The Streets – “Dry Your Eyes” (Levi)
Elton John – “Sad Songs Say So Much” (Matt’)
Dionne Warwick – “You’re Gonna Need Me” (Joojoobooboo)
The Wrens – “Happy” (John)
REM – “Everybody Hurts” (Chris)
Coldplay – “The Scientist” (Jean)
Bright Eyes – “Cleanse Song” (Jolly)
Patsy Cline – “Leavin’ On Your Mind” (Mike B.)
Death Cab For Cutie – “Someday You Will Be Loved” (Gem)
Helio Sequence – “Lately” (Whitney)
Tom Petty – “Walls” (Zack)
Indigo Girls – “Love Will Come To You” (Rocky)

And now for the Left Turn! It’s come to my attention that some people don’t like to wallow in misery and regret. Imagine that. Well, for those of you eternal optimists, here’s the loveliest, gooiest love song in the history of the world: “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys live from Amsterdam in 1969. Have at it!

And that’s that. Have a fantastic week and be sure to send in your submissions for next week’s tape. Until then! XO

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