Love – Part Two: I Don’t Even Think of You That Often...

Seeing as nearly a month has passed since I put up a selection of love songs for those of you who needed help with a little wooing, it’s probably time to try and help you thorough what is probably by now the inevitable break-up. I feel responsible.

There are as many kinds of break-up songs as there are reasons for break-ups so I’m not going to be able to satisfy every punter here, however I shall do my best. You should look forward to this as there’s nothing that alternative music does better than a good break-up song and there are some real classics here...

First up is Favorite T by The Lemonheads. This is you as road-kill. They’ve dumped you for someone else and you’re left ruined in the corner hugging the tee-shirt that they used to wear. But there’s hope, by the end Evan Dando seems to be pulling himself out of it.

Fill in the shadows of a certain corner
You used to sit there
Got me a brand new lamp, plugged it in
And now the dark don’t fit there

Now, I’m not saying that Evan is a good example in this matter. As much as I love him (and I love him very much), I suspect he can be a tad fickle with his affections. However, it’s always good to hear examples of people who have walked through the shadows and dragged themselves out. This song is on Come On Feel The Lemonheads which is a very fine album indeed - get it from here. I’ve seen Mr Dando play many a time and although I think he’s probably done every other Lemonheads song but this one, next time he’s in town go and see him as he never disappoints. That voice just does not fade.



Lemonheads – Favorite T


Now our next case is Mr Elliot Smith with Somebody That I Used To Know. This really reminds me of For No One by The Beatles and is as good, if not better; which I do not say lightly. This is someone who has been dumped and is a little... resentful about it. Is there a greater line to say to someone who has hurt you than "You’re just somebody that I used to know". It’s a "fuck you" but through tears and gritted teeth. The brilliance is in not being sure if he’s saying it to her or if it’s how he feels that she now thinks of him.

I had tender feelings that you made hard
But it's your heart, not mine, that's scarred
So when I go home, I'll be happy to go
You're just somebody that I used to know

Man... I could do the whole blog about this song. I haven’t even mentioned the guitar playing which is in itself wonderful, but move on we must. The album this comes from is called Figure 8 and I only discovered it recently. It’s certainly the best thing I bought last year and I can heartily recommend it. Poor sad Elliott... Maybe at some point I’ll put up Son Of Sam and Everything Reminds Me Of Her off of it in case you need further convincing to buy it.



Elliott Smith – Somebody That I Used To Know


Scott Walker is up next with a love that seems to have ended some time ago but he can’t move on. Every lover gets compared to her and what they had together. It happens sometimes I’m afraid; we’ve all been there for a time at least. Maybe there are some you never get over.

When you kissed my eyes awake
Running mornings crowded streets
Just to find we've missed our bus
But we'd laugh, kiss, what the hell

It’s off the album Scott, which I think is underrated; sure, it’s got a couple of fillers but overall it certainly approaches the greatness of the other 3 in the Scott Quartet. Buy them all.



Scott Walker – Always Coming Back To You


Finally I’m going to leave you with First Girl I Loved by The Incredible String Band. This is from The 5000 Spirits album which gets compared a lot to Sgt Pepper and Forever Changes etc due to coming out at pretty much the same time. It’s nowhere near as accessible as them, but if you can deal with trippy hippy folk excesses then this is the album for you.

After the fatalism of the Scott song this one offers a little bit of hope that someone else will come along that helps you beyond it. When I was in my teens this was one of my favourite songs but it only grows in poignancy as I get older. It’s about looking back on a relationship that went wrong, probably through your own doing, and coming to terms with it. It’s got a melancholy sound but you know that he just misses her a little and that it doesn’t really hurt too much any more. It’s about moving on, which is what we all must do lest we end up like poor Elliott. Good luck.

So its goodbye first love and I hope you're fine
Well, I have a sweet woman
Maybe someday to have babies by me
She is pretty
She’s a true friend of mine



The Incredible String Band – First Girl I Loved


Ricky Stardust


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