A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do. You’ve got to kick off with a corker, to hold the attention[...], and then you’ve got to up it a notch, or cool it a notch, and you can’t have white music and black music together, unless the white music sounds like black music, and you can’t have two tracks by the same artist side by side, unless you’ve done the whole thing in pairs, and . . . oh, there are loads of rules.
– Rob Fleming – High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Rob’s right. There are loads of rules for making mix tapes. This probably won’t surprise those of you who know me, but I’ve spent many many hours trying to make the perfect mix tape. For friends, for people who became exes, for my husband and for myself. One of the things I hated the most was finding the perfect songs in the perfect order, then losing that person in my life so I no longer had access to that brief moment of musical perfection.
I’m pretty sure that’s why I started dubbing all mix tapes I made for myself and keeping a notebook with track lists.
You know who won’t ever take the mix tapes and run? Fictional characters. Unless you subscribe to a Nextian BookWorld (see Jasper Fforde for more information), the characters we love in books will pretty much always be there waiting for us. If I make a mix tape for them, they won’t be going anywhere – and with the loveliness that is YouTube, I can create a playlist for a character then share it with everyone. That’s what I’m doing today (and hopefully, in the future). A playlist for someone that only really exists in the minds of the readers, along with a Top Five list to continue to honour the inaugural playlistee.
Mix Tape
Today’s mix tape is (obviously) for Rob Fleming (or Gordon if you’ve only seen the movie) of High Fidelity. Rob listens to a lot of pop music, but also sneers at things that are too mainstream. Kind of early hipster, I guess? Anyway, for Rob I tried to make a mix tape that was full of pop sensibilities, but that wasn’t necessarily full of popular music. I hope that makes sense to someone other than myself. I’m pretty sure Rob would get it.
Rob’s mix tape can be found here on YouTube. Go give it a listen and be my first commenter/subscriber/liker (shut up, I’m making those work). I’ll be your new best friend.
Top Five
Was Rob miserable because he listened to pop music? Or did he listen to pop music because he was miserable? Doesn’t matter, really. Today’s Top Five will be based on Rob’s first Top Five in the book – his Top Five Breakups.
Top Five Breakup Songs
- Ben Folds Five – Song for the Dumped
- The Steinways – Dear Girl
- Matt Skiba – Good Fucking Bye
- Rilo Kiley – Breakin’ Up
- Ridel High – Self Destructive
I know, I know – I missed a lot of them. Obviously, there are as many broken heart songs as there are love songs (probably more). What’s the worst thing I left off the list? Seriously, I want to know.
I feel like no breakup-song list could be complete without “You Oughta Know.” It may be an eyeroll-worthy cliche by now but it’s still a nice angry screw-you-for-dumping-me song.
I used to rock that song at karaoke.
I gave Alanis some serious consideration. In the end, I decided against it because I still can’t listen to that album after playing the crap out of it in high school.
Her album “Flavors of Entanglement” has an AMAZING breakup song called “Not As We” that makes me cry every time I hear it. That woman can write the crap out a breakup song.
In high school. *sigh* My husband bought that CD for me the first Christmas we were married. We did marry young, but not THAT young.
Sorry! It was late high school if that makes it any easier on you?
I will not tell you what grade I was in when it came out. If it makes you feel better, at least you had awesome music during your formative years. Mine was iffy going on crappy.
Gah me too!
Weird Al has a lot of great break up songs like I’m so Sick of You or One More Minute.
I should have done all Weird Al songs, I think.
I’m all about the screw-you breakup songs. “You Oughta Know” is classic, obviously, but also…
“Never Again” by Kelly Clarkson
“Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood
“Hit ‘Em Up Style” by Blu Cantrell
Good choices, I never would’ve thought of those! :)
Well they probably wouldn’t fit the character you’re talking about, but they’re some of my favorites.
When I was in college, my roommate used to listen to “Hit ‘Em Up Style” so much. It brings back fond dorm memories.
Do you know how much I love Rilo Kiley? The MOST, is how much. *swoon*
I have a total girl crush on Jenny.
I just have a crush on her. And on Budnick.
Yeah, but he kept the hair when he went to Bad 4 Good. I’m all for gingers, but…
One of my favorite things about Jenny is that she popped up in some of my favorite childhood movies and TV. : ) She was like a younger Kerri Green.
Not really a breakup song so much as a “broken-up” song, but I’ve always been struck by the melancholy of The Weakerthans’ “Civil Twilight.”
I LOVE the Weakerthans! I kind of didn’t use them today because I’m hoping to use SOMETHING ELSE they’ve done another time.
They are so awesome they grasped that our entire city would love a song whose chorus is “I… hate… Winnipeg.”
Looking for that SOMETHING ELSE post. Oooh, wait, I know, I bet it’s all about [REDACTED]. Right? Or [REDACTED].
I shouldn’t even tell you WHAT SONG, but it’s the second track on their third album. A CLUE! A CLUE!
Heh, I’m guessing “Somebody That I Used To Know” would be too mainstream for this character? It’s one of those songs that’s going through its [insert appropriate length of time] of fame and plays often on pop stations. I still like it, though (and the music video is delightfully bizarre…and also the nekkid guy — er, I mean the creative artistic-ness *innocent cough* )
Yeah, I don’t think Rob would appreciate Gotye.
;)
You never know. He also thought he hated Peter Frampton. BUT HE WAS WRONG, bahaha.
But seriously, I want a recording of Lisa Bonet (or whoever did the voice) singing “Baby I Love Your Way.” WHY DOES IT NOT EXIST.
There is only one song that I’ve ever used as a break-up song, and I actually left it on the driver’s seat of the asshole’s car when I finally got the hell out of there (long story). Usually, when I had a break-up (there were only a couple others), I’d just listen to music that made me feel good; my favorites are not necessarily “break-up songs.”
ANYWAY, the song I mentioned above is Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s “Last Goodbye,” and I still love listening to it. It still makes me feel strong to this day.
The only song of his that I’ve listened to repeatedly is While We Cry.
I love the idea of making playlists for book characters. Reading these posts is going to be so much fun!
The song that got me through my first real break-up, where it actually hurt because I had written Mrs. So & So all over my notebook (7th grade, I believe), was Boyz II Men’s “Water Runs Dry.” Every time I hear that song I think of the little ginger dude I was crushing on.
Yay! When I learned that you love High Fidelity in the intro post – I will not lie – I became VERY NERVOUS.
I’m nervous too about you guys reading anything I’ve written after reading your blogs (and twitter convos); you are all so witty and quick! I was totally excited when I saw what you’d be doing, and your post did not disappoint!
NO PRESSURE
:D
LOL seriously! :D
The Smiths, I think, are probably full of good breakup songs. Or at the least, good dysfunctional relationship songs. “Heaven knows I’m miserable now” is a good one, and perhaps “Bigmouth strikes again.” From the latter:
Sweetness, sweetness I was only joking
When I said I’d like to smash every tooth
In your head
Srsly, good call on The Smiths. I would have probably included them if I weren’t almost positive that Rob hated them. ;)
I totally wanted to do this in a gif but the scene is TOO LONG:
“You guys are snobs.” “No we’re not!” “Seriously. You’re totally elitist. You feel like the unappreciated scholars so you shit on the people who know less than you.” “No!” “Which is everybody.” “Yeah.”
So quotable.
Yup, that’s totally me and YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE IT ANYWAY!
<3
Also, just so there’s no misinterpretation, that quote was brought forth in reference to Rob hating on music that other people like :D
What I love about those scenes in the movie (and in the meditations in the book) are the way that sense of I-think-about-this-way-too-much carries an undercurrent of no-one-else-thinks-about-this-nearly-enough. Seriously, it captures the spirit of every music argument I ever had in high school, the finer points of which seem patently ridiculous now.
That’s kind of why I think I’ve glommed onto this book/movie. When People (proper noun) ask how I know all this stuff, my first response (in my head) is “How do you NOT know all this stuff?”
There’s no like button, so I’ll just say “I like” no “I love this”. I’m on a big Smiths/Morrissey kick right now.
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I would think a bit of Tori Amos is missing in there somewhere.
I just randomly stumbled on your viewing party post for Holy Grail, and then this list. I don’t have a break up song to add to the conversation, but I had to say, this is one of my favorites. And I have had this movie in my head for months and finally put it on last night. Coincidence? I just got one 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover Paul Simon. Better Off Dead. Staying with the John Cusack theme
I WANT MY TWO DOLLARS!!!
So random question – do you like the film adaptation? I’ve been thinking about adaptations kind of this entire year; I had a class in the spring that dealt with only literary adaptations, then I wrote a paper I’m whoring out for publication on an adaptation, and then I was following your LOTR stuff. I know you dislike the LOTR movies (which gives me a sad, I love those movies BUT I’m not mega attached to the books, which I think makes a difference), so all of that random shit in my head made me wonder if you like the film of High Fidelity?
I think not being mega attached to the books (as you say) makes a huge difference. Of course, I know plenty of people that are fans of both – I’m just not one of them.
ANYWAY.
High Fidelity. Yes, actually I do enjoy the film adaptation. I think it was kind of stupid that they changed his last name (?) but for the most part, I enjoy it. The first time I saw it, I was prepared to HATE IT (because that’s kind of what I do), but was pleasantly surprised. It has grown on me even further with each viewing.
Totes agree re: mega attachment. When you get immersed in a book world so deeply, you come to love so much about it, and get to know all of its secrets . . . and you have your own thoughts and ideas about how characters look and how settings look, how they talk and their mannerisms, stuff your brain has extrapolated from the details in the book(s). Seeing it on the screen can be jarring, not to mention, every time they get something “wrong”–even if it’s perfectly right that they should change bits because a novel doesn’t translate exactly to the screen–it feels like a betrayal of the story and of the people that seem almost real to us. But if you’re not too attached to the books, you don’t care as much.
Like, the Harry Potter films–I wasn’t mad about any changes in those because, while I enjoyed the books, I wasn’t TOTALLY INTO them. Something like The Dark Tower on the other hand . . . . it’s gonna get ugly ’round here if it ever gets released. It doesn’t really matter if it’s an exceptionally fine film, they will HAVE to change things and rabid fans such as myself will not be happy when Ron Howard interprets the material, because it likely won’t match our own interpretations.
Sorry to be a buttinski; I just thought it was an interesting topic to think about while I try to get sleepy (fucking insomnia!).
I love adaptations (well, analyzing/thinking/talking about them, anyway), so I think it’s super interesting to hear what people think about their fave books on film. I like High Fidelity quite a bit, but I saw the movie before I read the book. I LOVE the HP movies and books, in different ways, but equally as much, I’d say.
I can’t think of any breakup songs per se, but typically when my heart was hurting, I’d just listen to ragey music. To be literal, lots of Rage against the Machine, mixed in with “Kiss Off” or “Gone Daddy Gone” by the Femmes, then some Nine Inch Nails or something yell-ey.
On a side note…one thing I really related to with High Fidelity, that really resonated with me, was Rob’s noting that certain bands or songs can be destroyed for you if you link them with another person. For example, I still can’t listen to Tool (Markus), can’t listen to NoFx’s version of “Last Caress” (Driego), can’t listen to “Float On” (John), can’t watch “Chopper”, “Ziggy Stardust”, or “The Toxic Avenger” (Tony), can’t listen to ANY reggae (Sheridan, my hippie roommate who played it OUT. She was living the cliche!). So, I try to not connect people with music. I better not lose my husband, or I’ll lose Joy Division, The Smiths, and Johnny Cash!
Yeah, I have a lot of bands and books that I can’t ever listen to again. I almost lost the Beastie Boys over a friendship but eventually said “fuck that, SHE CAN STOP LISTENING TO THEM THEY WERE MY BAND FIRST.”
I don’t have a coherent suggestion because I am too excited about this feature! All I can think of is Tegan & Sara’s “Where Does the Good Go?” but I don’t know enough about the character. I really need to get on reading some Nick Hornby. I have a feeling the new booksluts are going to make my reading list that much longer! Yay/sigh.
AW! Yay, I’m excited that you’re excited!