Across the sea: songs for those left behind while their loved ones study abroad

This August, a nice little slice of Pitt’s student body hopped on airplanes en route to… This August, a nice little slice of Pitt’s student body hopped on airplanes en route to tropical islands, ancient cities and obscure French towns as part of Study Abroad programs, heartlessly leaving behind their loved ones. While students sip on their Chianti, bathe in crystalline oceans and go wild at foreign nightclubs, fathers, mothers, siblings, friends and, most importantly for the sake of this article, significant others are left to lament in their absence.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ So, in the spirit of what must be quite a large number of abandoned ‘spouses’ currently bumming around Pitt’s campus, myself being one of them, here are seven songs that might provide an apt soundtrack to your sobbing, lonely bantering and/or neurotic insomnia.

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Magnetic Fields — ‘Come back from San Francisco’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Overtop the sedate acoustic guitar pluckings of songwriter Stephin Merritt, vocalist Claudia Gonson assumes the character of a worried girlfriend in New York City calling out for her lover to ‘Come back from San Francisco/And kiss me, I’ve quit smoking!’ Though dealing with distance within U.S. borders, this song undoubtedly characterizes the woes of the unhappily separated, as Gonson concludes, ‘Damn you/I’ve never stayed up as late as this.’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Likely to induce: all-nighters, self-pity, chain smoking.

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Dismemberment Plan — ‘The City’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Off of the band’s fantastic Emergency and I album, this song delves into the idea that one’s love for a place is directly attached to the people in it. Front man Travis Morrison sings, ‘I see why you left/There’s no one to know/There’s nothing to do/The city’s been dead/Since you’ve been gone,’ over buoyant guitars and jazzy drums.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Likely to induce: Sulking, staring out the window for extended periods of time, existential anxiety.

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Patsy Cline — ‘You Belong to Me’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Though having been covered by the likes of Bob Dylan and that guy from Lifehouse, Patsy Cline’s classic rendition of this tune is supremely charming. Backed by a full orchestra of Nashville country musicians, Cline sings, ‘See the pyramids along the Nile/Watch the sunrise on a tropic isle/Just remember darlin’ all the while/You belong to me.’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Likely to induce: nostalgia, stupid grins, staring at pictures.

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The Roots — ‘You Got Me’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Dealing specifically with a long-distance relationship between a touring musician and his girlfriend, Black Thought’s call-and-response duet with Erykah Badu, an ‘Ethiopian queen from Philly/taking classes abroad,’ is sure to strike a chord with those detached from their loved one. Badu sings, ‘If you were worried ’bout where/I been or who I saw or/What club I went to with my homies/Baby don’t worry you know that you got me.’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Likely to induce: Sighs of relief, constant re-listening to make out lyrics.

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Cake — ‘Never There’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ A band best known for their ability to dream up deliciously catchy choruses, Cake’s 2000 single found front man John McCrea putting an unmatched level of energy into maintaining a relationship. He sings, ‘On the phone/Long long distance/Always through such strong resistance/First you say you’re too busy/I wonder if you even miss me,’ while the band taps their feet to sliding guitars and wavering horn lines.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Likely to induce: tearing of pictures, angry phone messages, dancing!

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Everything but the Girl — ‘Missing’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ This dance floor smash saw British Electro-diva Tracey Thorn grieving over the loss of what could be anything from a friend or family member to a lover who’s simply disappeared. Thorn sings, ‘And I miss you/like the deserts miss the rain,’ overtop oblique synths and thumping beats.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Likely to induce: more existential anxiety, glow-stick recreation!

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Weezer — ‘Across the Sea’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ At the height of Rivers Cuomo’s most emotionally unstable period, documented by Pinkerton, this song found Weezer’s front man calling out across the Pacific Ocean to a 16-year-old Japanese girl with whom he shared a platonic bond. While distorted guitars soar behind him, he sings, ‘Why are you so far away from me?/I need help and you’re way across the sea,’ but finds solace in knowing that he has her ‘letters’ and she has his ‘songs.’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Likely to induce: staring at the ceiling, the purchase of black-rimmed glasses and black hair dye.

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‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ OK, so maybe four months apart isn’t going to kill a relationship. Absence, if you’ll pardon the cliche, might make the heart grow fonder, but it may also make it confused, anxious, paranoid, or plain lonesome in the meantime. So, it’s nice to have the music to fall back on.

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Clinton Doggett apologizes for his sickening sappiness and hopes you will forgive him for it. E-mail him at funnyasinhaha@yahoo.com if you would like to recommend some songs to him.