Heart Shaped boxes are back in store, personalised gift cards and chocolate galore.February 14th, the marmite of the holidays. Either you’re frantically scrolling titktok for that perfect last minute gift idea or you’re in your local buying booze and chocolate for yourself before tipsly crying to Love Island.
I could recomend some love songs but I feel quite cynical, lets have a collective cry together to the tune of these break up ballads.
RAYE- Escapism
What doesn’t this tune have? RAYE encaspulates the washing machine of emotions you rinse though in the few weeks after a break up. The drunken denial, depressive episodes flung out in bed, nights spent out with neglected friend’s, dressing up and doing it all over again. Pouring drinks, taking shots, spilling yourself over blurred men. The weight of what RAYE has been through serves to her strength in this song as she learns to have fun with her feelings, she may be broken hearted but she’s still that bitch ;
“At least it’s the Prada two-piece that I’m trippin’ in
And I’m already actin’ like a dick, know what I mean?
So you might as well stick it in”
The inability to acknowledge the loss of a lover, the need to feel numb and the escape that comes with this denile and its distractions are all rife in this song. For a heavy topic the beat of the song still sends you in to your own groove when that wine hits or the tears flow. When you’re feeling a certain way escapsim,featuring 070 Shake,becomes a dance party in your ears. You feel RAYE’s rage and channel it through dance.
Escapism has been released as part of RAYE’s new album; My 21ST Century Blues which she has described as,
” A mosaic of different fragmented pieces from the last seven years of my life
with no sonic consistency, and no holding back.”
RAYE ,born Rachel Agatha Keen, went viral on titktok with this song landing her a number one on the UK offcials single charts.Not to steal her spotlight but we jumped on the Raye Tiktok wagon with our own creation;
Raye is a household name in the music industry relasing songs such as Confidence, Tequila and You don’t know me ,to name a few, but after parting ways with Polydor records last year her new album echoes promises of a powerful era for the singer.
Maisie Peter’s – Body Better
Another break up ballad you may want to retreat into comes from Maisie Peters.
Body Better has been described by Peters as a song about;
“Insecurity and vulnerability, about giving a lot of yourself away to someone who decides they don’t want it anymore and knowing where to go from there.”
Writing it in the aftermath of a break up, the song is indepth as we all are when we reflect on every minor detail of a premature departure. The tone of a text message, regretting getting annoyed the bin hadn’t been emptied, being proud you had defended your decisions all become our focus, forgetting who we are. This disorientation in the face of reflection resonates throughout this song. Were we enough? Were we too much? was it you, was it them? What happened? This internal interogation has one destination; Tears. You can text them, you can call, you can relive it all in your head but what sort of freedom is that?
Peter’s remains self assured in this song, her soul bearing lyrics serving as a reminder that we did our best, we were enough, they just didn’t appreciate that. Sometmes it is not what has been done, or even what has been said, sometimes you’re just sleeping in the wrong bed.
“Cause it was nothing I did and nothing I said
And I know I gave you all of myself, one hundred percent”Whilst this song may not warrent a dance party you can still have a bedroom rave to it, or a power walk round your neigbourhood, strutting past all those entwined together.The track itself is very joyous, with an encouraging drumbeat. The bouncy nature of the tune detracts from the weight of the lyrics which are littered with negative comparisons, critising yourself, fearing that your love is not enough when it is your only weapon agaisnt someone you believe has been chosen for their ‘better body’.
Body Better has been released to tease Peters upcoming album- title still to be announced. She’s also touring with a few tickets left! Find out more here.
I have loved her music since Psycho, Blonde and then (more recently) Not another rockstar which again I just had to do a TikTok too, as well as writing a blog piece about.
Shakira and the jam- Her disstrack on Pique
Finally, we’ve all been inspecting our jam jars recently, analysing its levels with a side eye to our signifcant other. If you have no clue what I am talking about, how have you not seen the TikTok dances to Shakira’s, now iconic,disstrack. Aimed at her cheating ex boyfriend Gerard Pique, Shakira holds nothing back remaining confident and cut throat throughout.
It is full blown Shakira, empowered, independent and fierce sick of disapointments and betrayed by the missing jam she leaves the situation.
Her now ex boyfriend Pique was a professioanl centre back, a champion in his league but Shakira was way out of his and he gave her “the worst version of himself”. Claiming herslef back as the ‘She wolf’ she is Shakira seems unphased by his lack of remorse, she is over his actions and empowered by her new found singlehood. The beat before the chorus has very quickly become inconic with its wide use on tiktok dance trends- no this time I haven’t made one but there is still time-
A lose translation of her lyrics shows how strong Shakria is, monetizing the opportunity and moving on’
“Women no longer cry, women get paid”
Alongside Miley Cyrus’s Flowers (which I did create a TikTok about) Shakira’s disstrack has been dubbed one of the most iconic songs in break up history.
Shakira met Pique way back in 2010 when he starred in her music video for Waka Waka, the offical song for the world cup that year. They went public with their relationship in 2011, sharing a kiss on stage at Shakira’s show in Barcelona. The broke up back in 2022 , after 11 years together. Initally Shakira wanted to stay silent about the reasons for the split but it wasn’t long before Picque was seen with another woman. The betrayal became clear.
Shakira has described the disstrack as “cathartic” dedicating it to the “millions of owmen who rise up against those who make us feel insigniciant, women who stand up for what they feel, think and raise their hand when they disagree. They are my inspiration”
However you spend Valentines day whether it be wrath, lust or love look after yourself, each other and remain respectful and true to yourself. Whether you’re searching for love or searching for youself, stay strong and stick some tunes on.
Evolve Music 