Valentine’s Day Special: Unrequited Love
Rock ‘n’ roll is filled with songs about Unrequited Love. This week Jim, Greg and listeners from around the country pick their favorites for Valentine’s Day.
Music News
Sad news for a number of rock fans this week. Both The White Stripes and LCD Soundsystem have announced they are closing up shop. James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem suggested he'd be calling it quits (at least under that name) when he was on Sound Opinions last year. But the White Stripes announcement has come as a surprise. Greg is disappointed since Jack White's other side projects as a member of The Dead Weather and The Raconteurs and producer of albums by Wanda Jackson haven't provided him the vehicle he deserves. But, as Jim notes, the adage is true: nothing gives an artist a greater boost than dying or breaking up. Albums by The White Stripes have seen a massive sales surge.
U2's Bono and the Edge have joined forces with veteran theater and film director Julie Taymor to bring Spider-Man to the Broadway stage. The early reviews are in, and they ain't pretty. From The New York Times ("sheer ineptitude") to the Los Angeles Times ("an artistic form of megalomania") to the Chicago Tribune ("incoherent"), the critical pans are far harsher than anything U2 has received on any album. And it wasn't for lack of funds. The $65 million musical production is charging fans up to $300 just for previews. Jim and Greg wonder if Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark will fare any better than Capeman.
Unrequited Love Songs
What would rock ‘n’ roll be if not for the thousands of songs about love and heartbreak? Jim and Greg explore this legacy for this week's Valentine’s Day episode featuring the best Unrequited Love Songs:
Jim
- Redd Kross, "I Don’t Know How to Be Your Friend"
- Bill Withers, "Ain’t No Sunshine"
- Roky Erickson, "You Don’t Love Me Yet"
- Aimee Mann, "Save Me"
Greg
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Maps"
- Smoking Popes, "Need You Around"
- Jurassic 5, "Thin Line"
- Billy Bragg, "A New England"
Our hosts don’t leave out all of our lovelorn listeners. Here are their favorite tracks about love not returned:
- Erica in Syracuse, NY: Sam Cooke, "Bring it On Home to Me"
- Sean in Omaha, NE: Pulp, "Babies"
- Jane in Minneapolis, MN: Twilight Hours, "Alone"
- Joe in Austin, TX: Dire Straits, "Romeo and Juliet"
Featured Songs
- White Stripes, "We're Going To Be Friends," White Blood Cells, V2, 2001
- U2, "Boy Falls from The Sky," Live From Good Morning America, unreleased, 2011
- Cheap Trick, "I Want You To Want Me," At Budokan, Epic, 1979
- Redd Kross, "I Don't Know How To Be Your Friend," Third Eye, Atlantic, 1990
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Maps," Fever To Tell, Interscope, 2003
- Bill Withers, "Ain't No Sunshine," Just As I Am, Reel, 1971
- Radiohead, "High And Dry," The Bends, Capitol, 1995
- Neil Young, "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," After The Gold Rush, Reprise, 1970
- Smoking Popes, "Need You Around," Born To Quit, Capitol, 1995
- Roky Erickson, "You Don't Love Me Yet," All That May Do My Rhyme, Trance Syndicate, 1995
- Jurassic 5, "Thin Line," Power In Numbers, Interscope, 2002
- Sam Cooke, "Bring It On Home To Me," The Best of Sam Cooke, RCA, 1962
- Pulp, "Babies," His N Hers, Island, 1994 (1:00)
- Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, "I Second That Emotion," Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, 1968, Motown
- The Left Banke, "She May Call You Up Tonight," Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina, Smash, 1967
- Twilight Hours, "Alone," Stereo Night, Princess, 2009
- Dire Straits, "Romeo And Juliet," Making Movies, Warner Bros., 1980
- Aimee Mann, "Save Me," Magnolia O.S.T., Reprise, 1999
- Billy Bragg, "A New England," Life's A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy, Charisma, 1983
- Baths, "The Vapors," Pop Music/False B-Sides, self-released, 2011
- Chromeo, "Call Me Up," Fancy Footwork, Vice, 2007
- The Decemberists, "Calamity Song," The King Is Dead, Rough Trade, 2011
- Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, "Come Walk With Me," Ballad of the Broken Seas, V2, 2006
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