Reflection 2: All By Myself—Anatomy of a Heartbreak Song

Love, we can’t get enough of it. But when things in that department go south, we often turn to the old standby: the heartbreak song. Paradoxically, it is often not cheerful, uplifting music that gets us through our darkest moments, but sad songs. In fact, there’s a heartbreak song for just about every occasion—getting dumped, despair, unrequited love, regret, anger, infidelity, and unrelenting heartache.

For this reflection, analyze three of the following classic heartbreak songs according to your birthday month. In your analysis, consider how these songs have become stand-in therapy for millions? Why do they speak to listeners? And finally, what are the stories these songs tell? 

January:

• Toni Braxton, "Un-Break My Heart"
• Bonnie Raitt, "I Can't Make You Love Me" 
• Bill Withers, "Ain't No Sunshine"
• ABBA, "The Winner Takes it All"

February:

• Olivia Newton-John, "Hopelessly Devoted to You" [from Grease]
• Chicago, "If You Leave Me Now"
• Jewel, "You Were Meant for Me"
• Candace Glover, "I Who Have Nothing" [Tom Jones cover] 

March:

• Roy Orbison, "Crying" 
• Jim Croce, "Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels)"
• Patsy Cline, "She's Got You" 
• Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald, "On My Own" 

April:

• Beyoncé, “Irreplaceable” 
• Eric Carmen, "All By Myself" 
• Alicia Keys, "If I Ain't Got You"
• Sam Smith, "I Know I'm Not the Only One"

May:

• Macy Gray, "I Try"
• Etta James, "I'd Rather Go Blind"
• Chris Isaak, "Wicked Game"
• Skeeter Davis, "The End of the World"

June:

• Elton John, "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word"
• Bee Gees, "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart" [Al Green cover]
• Lea Michele, 'What I Did For Love" [from A Chorus Line]
• Sinéad O'Connor, "Nothing Compares 2 U" [Prince cover]

July:

• Carole King, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" 
• Adele, "Hello"
• Barbra Streisand, "The Way We Were"
• Hank Williams, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”

August:

• The Beatles, "Yesterday"  
• Dusty Springfield, "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" 
• Whitney Houston, "I Have Nothing"
• Mariah Carey, "We Belong Together" 

September:

• Brenda Lee, "I'm Sorry"
• Samantha Banks, "On My Own" [from Les Miserables]
• George Michael, "Careless Whisper"
• Frank Sinatra, "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" 

October:

• Bonnie Tyler, "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
• Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Neither One of Us"
• Annie Lennox, "No More 'I Love You's'"
• Madonna, "The Power of Good-Bye"

November:

• Gordon Lightfoot, "If You Could Read My Mind"
• The Cure, "Pictures of You"
• Lauryn Hill, "Ex-Factor"
• Bob Dylan, "If You See Her Say Hello"

 December:

• Boyz II Men, "End of the Road"
• U2, "With or Without You"
• The Righteous Brothers, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"
• Queen, "Love of My Life"
  

Notes:
You are responsible for sourcing the lyrics for your songs. It is recommended you find more than one source per song as online lyrics are notoriously inaccurate. Additionally, you should credit the lyricist—which may or may not be the singer—for the words. Cite the songwriter as follows:  

 

Lennon, John. Lyrics to “Imagine.” Performed by John Lennon, Ascot Sound Studios, 1971. Accessed September 17, 2024. https://play.spotify.com/344gCuhG02f.

Also, remember that the goal of all solid analysis—as well as this exercise—is to examine a text at a "below-the-surface" level. In other words, simply stating what a song is obviously about ("surface-level analysis") is insufficient. These songs are laced with regret, sadness, desperation, and loss, and they often become richer the deeper you dig. For instance, should automatically you trust the perspective of your protagonist? Might you be dealing with an unreliable narrator, who may or may not be lying to themselves, as well as you, the listener? Something like that can't be properly ascertained without a "below-the-surface" analysis. 
 

Required: 

• MLA Style, including works cited
• 500 words (≈2 pages) 

Due: Fri 10.10 (via Canvas)