Roses are red. Violets are blue. I hope these songs are helpful for you.
Is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?
We survived another dreaded day of Saint Valentine, we missed out on roses and fancy dinners, but we did score 50% off on Valentine’s chocolates. V-Day is unique because while some people are having the time of their lives, many feel isolated and hurt. Some ask what is wrong with themselves, while others are confident their ex was the problem. Love is complicated, beautiful and awful. It can bring happiness and heartache. Yet, we all take the risk of falling in love even if we know the pain that often follows. But regardless of why you are alone on Valentine’s Day, I have a playlist for your particular situation.
Group One: Yet to enter the dating game
Maybe you are not old enough to date, but the other teens in your class are getting all the candygrams while your desk remains empty. Or perhaps you are on Team Catfished, the ones who are lied to and stood up. They say there’s plenty of fish in the sea, but at this point, you’d rather take your chances kissing a frog. Hopefully, you find some solace in the group one playlist.
Painkillers by Rainbow Kitten Surprise
24 Hr Drive-Thru by Origami Angel
All Ends Well by Alter Bridge
Shake It Out by Florence + The Machine
Carry On by Fun.
Kids by MGMT
The Middle by Jimmy Eat World
Colours by Grouplove
Float On by Modest Mouse
Juice by Lizzo
Group Two: The folks with the crappy ex(s)
Not only are breakups difficult, but they come with the 7 stages of grief (5 stages of anger and 2 stages of depression, of course.) Depending on how long you were together, you can also feel lost. To make matters worse, often, your ex turns out to be 10x worse than they were before the breakup. The drama, theatrics and gossip make the whole relationship feel like a big waste of time. Thankfully we have a playlist to help you take out the trash.
Love Is A Battlefield by Pat Benatar
Goodbye by Glenn Morrison
Dreams by Fleetwood Mac
Just Apathy by Tally Hall
Hate Me by Blue October
Thnks fr th Mmrs by Fall Out Boy
Mr. Brightside by The Killers
No Children by The Mountain Goats
The Chain by Fleetwood Mac
Gives You Hell by The All-American Rejects
Group Three: Those who have lost significant others.
I see you struggling, and I am here for you. Most importantly, I am so sorry you have been forgotten about on Valentine’s Day. It’s a day that brings joy and sadness; it lets you relive the cherished memories of your loved one but can bring you to tears when you see a young couple that reminds you of the past. Love isn’t easy, but it is eternal. This playlist is for the people grieving or reminiscing.
Waves by Mr.Probz
King and Lionheart by Of Monsters and Men
Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls
Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
The Adventure by Angels & Airwaves
After Midnight by J Minus
Come Sail Away by Styx
We’re Here For A Good Time by Trooper
Your Song by Elton John
Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
Group Four: The Aces and Aros
For the patrons of group four, Valentine’s Day is often frustrating. The little cookie cutter shapes that society tries to squish you into will always fail. Not everyone is interested in a romantic partner, and those that are shouldn’t have to conform to the standards set by a typical hetero relationship. Love can exist without romance, and more importantly, love can exist without sex. It’s your time to shine, group four. This playlist is just for you.
Pam by Victoria Wood
My Friends by The Head and the Heart
Follow Your Arrow by Kacey Musgraves
You’re My Best Friend by Queen
Don’t Tell Me by Avril Lavigne
For Me by Dearlie
Love Love Love by Of Monsters And Men
Dancing on my Own by Robyn
Somebody Else by The 1975
D&D and Asexuality by Skull Puppies
I hope that these songs lifted your spirits and helped you forget about the pointless holiday that only exists to line the pockets of florists, chocolatiers and fancy restaurants. Although you may feel helpless now, things will be better next year. Don’t dwell on the 14th, and don’t forget about the chocolate sales. After all, that may be the one perk that Valentine’s Day has to offer.
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Frankie's Song of the Week: Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter
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By Frankie Martinelli7 days ago in Beat
Uncle Vanya.
For the modern theater lover "Uncle Vanya" at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater may very well be for you. This "Vanya" is not the typical play by Chekhov; in its new rendition by Heidi Schreck, we get more modern language, modern costumes (Kaye Voyce) and modern direction by Lila Neugebauer. Vanya (Steve Carell) has spent most of his life farming the land so that Alexander (Alfred Molina) can carry on with his art studies as a celebrated professor and teacher. Both Molina and Carell as well as Alison Pill as Sonya are standouts in this production, laying waste to all the other actors in the cast. Where the sound resonates in this well appointed theater (Mikhail Fiksel and Beth Lake), the sets by Mimi Lien are unimpressive. Lap Chi Chu gives us the support on lighting and her moods vary well amongst this two hours and fifteen minutes. "Uncle Vanya" is slow at times, very slow due to Neugebauer's direction. Actors don't always blend well causing pockets of weakness in the dialogue. Both William Jackson Harper as Astrov and Anika Noni Rose as Elena cannot hold the stage nor the attention of the audience. Since the show is put in modern language, these two actors appear more like people in the inner city rather than stage professionals; even their body language goes anathema to this great classic. In a slow-go of this play, the show does pick up almost half way through the first act. The dialogue and the melding of characters never fully catches its stride however. We get a mesh-mosh of thoughts, feelings and adversity, but the true feelings are never brought to the forefront emotionally. At the end of the play we get to hear Vanya rant about his feelings, how he gave up his life for the farm which is weakly portrayed at the back of the theater. The audience never feels his pain as Carell holds back and we never feel the strong emotions. More comedic than serious, he is at his best when the show has him bantering about. In Voyce's costumes we get both the elegant and the mundane. Never overwhelmed by the garb, it fades away like much of this play does. For the modern theater lover, however, there are a lot of things in this show that you will like. The sets which never really blend with the show are intricate and give meaning to the modern. The deft sound keeps the play eery at times especially with the reverbs at different times during the performance. The backdrop in the second act is clever even though it is difficult to sift through the conventional writings of Chekhov... it goes against the grain of what we have seen in the past. "Uncle Vayna" is a mixed bag and is not for everyone, it takes the conventional completely out of the picture and puts us in the new world of modern.
By Robert M Massimi. ( Broadway Bob).about 19 hours ago in Beat
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