While many of us return to UCSB after Thanksgiving filled with dreadful thoughts about Dead Week and looming final papers, some of us are also suffering from the all-too-common heartbreak known as the Turkey Drop.
If you were a victim of the Turkey Drop, the excitement of seeing your significant other back home after months away at college turned to crying by a leftover turkey sandwich when they said it wasn’t working out. Perhaps you were on the other side of it, and after months of being surrounded by your attractive fellow Gauchos, you decided to reconsider your relationship status.
However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and the therapeutic sounds of music may just mend your broken heart. Here are the 10 breakup songs that can help you survive the Turkey Drop!
1. “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye
This song is a great breakup song for a few reasons. If you’re one of those people that had a mutual breakup and are still getting along well with your ex, you can take comfort in the fact that things could be a lot worse for you. It’s bad enough getting broken up to face to face, but hearing about your partner cheating on you from someone else is infinitely worse. I hope you aren’t in the same situation legendary soul singer Marvin Gaye croons about in this tune, but at least when your roommates hear you blasting this song, they will know how horrible your ex was. And, they’ll probably take it easy on you if you don’t help out around the apartment for a few days.
2. “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” by Hank Williams
As the John Green quote goes, pain “demands to be felt.” Hank Williams actually wrote this song when he was having relationship troubles with his first wife, so you can tell he must’ve been in a tough place. So when your pain demands to be felt, just sing, “As I wonder where you are, I’m so lonesome I could cry,” as you actually do cry into the half-eaten pint of Ben & Jerry’s.
3. “Self Control” by Frank Ocean
This standout track from Ocean’s stellar 2016 release, Blonde, was written about a relationship that ended. In a New York Times feature, he says about the relationship, “We just couldn’t really relate. We weren’t really on the same wavelength.” This song has beautiful metaphors that anyone struggling in the aftermath of the Turkey Drop can relate to. As you reflect on what could’ve been, “sometimes you’ll miss it, and the sound will make you cry,” and that’s okay.
4. “Roses” by OutKast and “Fuck You” by Ceelo Green
Okay enough with the sad stuff! Not every good breakup song is sad! These catchy songs from Atlanta-based artists will help with that third stage of grief known as anger. “Roses” is all about how André 3000’s ex, Caroline, was not as good as she thought she was, and I have a feeling Big Boi and André 3000 got their frustrations out in the expletive-filled outro. If that wasn’t enough, there’s also the second song in this pair, “Fuck You.” Not only is this song a great breakup song, it’s also catchy as hell and will probably get you dancing enough to forget that you were sad in the first place.
5. “Flesh Without Blood” by Grimes
The amazing Canadian singer-songwriter delivers this track off of her amazing 2015 release, Art Angels. This catchy and fun song explores a different side of breakups: not caring anymore. A fact about the track is that while it’s a great song about breakups, Grimes has said that her inspiration was about a falling out between friends, which can be just as painful as a falling out between romantic partners.
6. “Eventually” by Tame Impala
There is another side to the Turkey Drop: Feeling a lot of mixed emotions. This song by Australian psychedelic-genius Kevin Parker and crew is only one song from an entire concept album about the singer’s breakup with his longtime girlfriend. Take comfort in Parker’s words, “I know I’ll be happier, and I know you will, too, eventually,” because with luck and holiday leftovers, both you and your ex will be.
7. “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor and “Make Your Own Kind of Music” by Mama Cass
These tracks are perfect for when you’ve finally accepted your breakup and are ready to move forward. Of course, no great list of breakup songs could exclude “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor. This iconic track is practically an anthem for the dumped masses of the world. The other track is less known, but no less powerful and possibly one of this writer’s favorite songs ever. Here, Mama Cass sings the 1969 pop version equivalent of “do you, boo boo,” and it’s amazing. At the end of the day, “there’s only one song worth singing,” and that’s your song. One day you’ll sing the lyrics to these classics and mean it and know that you’re ready to move on.
8. “I’ll Be Your Mirror” by The Velvet Undergound
So now that you’ve gotten through the worst of it and your friends are getting pretty annoyed with your drama, you can start looking toward the future. You may be pretty jaded after your experience with the Turkey Drop, but it’s important to remember that there’s someone out there who will recognize all the amazing things about you. This track is one of the greatest love songs ever written, because when you find someone who reflects, “the beauty you are,” you’ll realize that all the struggles of your Thanksgiving heartbreak were worth it in the end.