The perfect mix for the bitter and broken-hearted

So here comes Feb. 14 again. In the past, it has been about love, chocolate, flowers and all… So here comes Feb. 14 again. In the past, it has been about love, chocolate, flowers and all that sappy stuff that half of you reading this article are ready to burn in a big bonfire on the Cathedral Lawn. Your girlfriend/boyfriend recently broke up with you for some new love he or she met over the keg at a local house party. You are not amused, and you might think that this former love would not merit your spending ridiculous amounts of time preparing a gift for him or her, this year. But your ex should get a gift, and here’s the perfect idea. This time it is free, thanks to our RIAA-fighting friends at Kazaa. This year you are going to give them the perfect mix CD – a reflection of the relationship. It’s a middle finger to the person who left you in the dust. Here are some suggestions to put on that collection.

1. Frank Sinatra – “Strangers in the Night”

You want to start off kind of sappy. Why not start with none other then Old Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra? You first met as strangers in the night and were completely caught up in the moment. There is a reason why you were with this person, right? “Something in your eyes was so inviting/Something in your smile was so exciting/Something in my heart/told me I must have you.” Start this tape off lightly. Make them think you want them back, and then the next four songs can hit them like a ton of bricks.

2. Alanis Morissette – “You Oughta Know”

This is the “right after the breakup” song. You’re still a little sad, almost psycho-stalker. “And I’m here/ to remind you/ of the mess you left when you went away.” Morissette shares a post-breakup anthem that has had millions of the broken-hearted singing along with her.

3. Ben Folds Five – “Song for the Dumped”

So you just got dumped. You realized all the money you spent last Valentine’s Day on that person was a waste. Ben Folds says it best in this song when he says “I wish I hadn’t bought you dinner /Right before you dumped me on your front porch /Give me my money back/Give me my money back, you bitch/ I want my money back.”

4. Dashboard Confessional – “Rapid Hope Loss”

You ask, if you are picking Dashboard, why not “Screaming Infidelities”? Well, do you really want your ex to know on Valentine’s Day that you are pining over them alone in your room? No. You want them to feel like you are moving on, but still a little bitter that they left you alone on this dreaded day. So sing along with Chris Carrabba when he says “Sometimes you’ve got to fall/before you’re found out. /Well thanks for waiting this long to show yourself/ ’cause now that I can see you/ I don’t think you’re worth a second glance.”

5. Brand New – “Seventy times 7”

So they hurt you, and you’re angry. What better way to share your feelings than with the poetic words screamed by Jesse Lacey “So don’t apologize/I hope you choke and die. / Search your cell for something with which to hang yourself.” This song may be scary, but it is very helpful in giving a confidence boost fresh after a screw-over. You might have scared them off, but did you really want a person like that back anyway?

At one point in his or her life, every person has felt this way. Maybe it’s right now or maybe it was before you found that great person you are with now. Just throw these songs on a mix CD, send it in the mail, and get that burden off your chest. In a weird way, it can be your sense of closure. For all of you single and broken-hearted people out there, Valentine’s Day isn’t for moping. It’s for having fun with your other single friends and, of course, redemption!