Happy Valentine's Day!

And remember every day should be an occasion to buy flowers or chocolates or music (at Amoeba of course) or to make dinner reservations, or whatever-however you demonstrate your love for that special person in your life.  

Of course if you have no significant other in your life at this time, today of all days can be a constant reminder (and not necessarily a bad one) that you are indeed alone with no one to call your own.

And if that last bit sounds like the lyrics to some song you've heard, it probably is. In fact it's probably the lyrics to countless songs as there are as many songs out there of love gone sour or unrequited as there are happy songs about being in love.

Personally I often find the sad, anti-love songs more profound since I am of the belief that some of the best art is created under times of heartbreak, upset and anger. Or when, as in the case of Joe Jackson's "Happy Loving Couples," there is no love past or present.  Of course there are some artists whose anti-love songs are thinly masked as love songs; think R.E.M.'s The One I Love. Then there are some artists  who seem to base much of their lyrical content on themes of alienation, unrequited love, and love lost-- think Patsy Cline and Everything But The Girl.

Of course Elvis Costello has quite a chunk of anti-love ditties while some genres (think country) appear to have more than their fair share of sad songs about love and relationships.  Then there's a whole strain of anti-love songs that are laced with irony and/or humor which are most effective. Morrissey and The Smiths, Jilted John, and Loudon Wainwright III would be included in this group.