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Forget Roses, Give 'Em Rock'n'Roll This Valentine's Day: The Soundcheck's Playlists For The Lovers, The Heartbroken & Beyond

  • Writer: Tiana Speter
    Tiana Speter
  • 4 days ago
  • 10 min read

Updated: 2 days ago


It's that magical time of year when it's not socially acceptable to wish anyone happy new year anymore, the hot cross buns are inexplicably (but deliciously?) already out, and little pockets of red and pink are popping up in shops around the place. The cause for the latter? The commercial February juggernaut that is Valentine's Day.


Valentine's Day has gifted some memorable pop culture moments over the years (e.g. The Simpsons' "I Choo- Choo- Choose You", Parks and Rec's Galentine's Day, and "none for Gretchen Weiners" if you're in my similar age bracket), but all in all it's hard not to feel jaded by the weaponisation of love, or a lack of love, hurled in your face and sold for a premium price tag year after year.


Zero shade on Cupid's big day, but spending a week's paycheck on roses, or whatever your vibe is, one day a year to allegedly show how much you care for someone else feels pretty outdated (unless someone wants to convince Derrick Rose to make his flower shop available in Australia?). If you're looking for a different way to speak from the heart, soothe a broken soul and/or ditch the capitalist expectations that usually come with the Valentine's territory, I've rounded up a bunch of songs from the rock, metal, punk and alternative realms that will suit any, or at least most, moods.


All loved up? Getting stuck in your feels? It's complicated, or you're in your heart healing era? I've got you covered below with some less traditional ditties about matters of the heart. Fair warning, I limited myself to only five songs per category (plus some honourable mentions), so guaranteed there may be outrage certain songs aren't in the mix. Firstly, how dare you. Secondly, nothing's stopping you from making your own lists. And honestly? Most of these songs go hard no matter what day/month/year it is.


And as a side note: no matter your thoughts on Valentine's day or love in general, don't forget that love comes in so many shapes and sizes, it ain't just always about the romantic stuff. Tell your friends you actually like them, hug the dog, call your mum or dad if you can and let them know how much they mean to you. It's definitely cheaper than flowers, and given how much connectivity we're all losing despite being more connected than ever, don't wait for February 14 to spread a bit of the good stuff far and wide.


But, onto the songs, lovers!




FOR THE LOVERS

Odes for those who are all loved up.

  • The Cure - Lovesong: a charmer from Mr Robert Smith about his love for his partner (and eventual wife) that stemmed from ongoing time spent apart while the band were on the road. Simple, heartfelt, grounded and unironic, Lovesong lives up to its name without feeling cliché, which is genuinely a tricky but winning achievement for a love song...called Lovesong.

  • INXS - Never Tear Us Apart: I'm biased because this song inevitably gives me goosebumps every time I hear it, but between the sweeping synths and urgency, along with Michael Hutchence's unforgettable delivery, this song feels like falling in love in a movie while also memorably underpinned by a real life love story. A waltz-esque heart-fuelled power ballad for the ages.

  • Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight Tonight: an anthem steeped in reality for frontman Billy Corgan, Tonight Tonight is delicately loaded with catharsis and positivity, both lyrically and instrumentally. Amplified by an accompanying fever dream music video that follows a whimsical love story of its own, Tonight Tonight oozes with romance and empowering finesse.

  • Queens of the Stone Age - Make It Wit Chu: This list has been pretty wholesome so far, so let's pour one out for one of the sexiest rock songs in more modern memory: QOTSA's Make It Wit Chu. It's slinky, sonically sparse and oozing with sexuality, and balances its steamy, bluesy hues with Josh Homme's husky drawl. Passion, sensuality and intensity at its finest.

  • Deftones - Sextape: if we're talking sexy or sensual, Deftones should definitely have their own category. In fact, I could pretty much put a Deftones song in every single list here today (and this won't be their last appearance). But for the sake of brevity, this category's rounding out with Sextape. A dreamy track that revels in atmospherics and intimate arrangements, this is an immersive ode to desire and intimate connection that spicy dreams are made of.


Honourable Mentions:

  • The Damned - Love Song: lyrically it's satire, but it's kinda cute as hell at the same time.

  • Paramore - Still Into You: this effervescent lil' number absolutely won't be the last entry for Paramore. A love song with a charming candy coating.



GOT THE BLUES: HEARTBREAK & BEYOND

Songs for the romantically blue at heart. PLEASE listen responsibly. Break this round up with some Shania Twain or call a mate instead if you're feeling extra low.

  • Pearl Jam - Black: from the jam-packed 1991 record Ten, Black is a beautiful and yearning look at unrequited love and the tender anguish of a first proper heartbreak. And while certainly one of Pearl Jam's better known songs, it also acts as a true emotional North Star on Black. It's sad and it's emotive, yes. But it's also a raw, open-veined love-centric masterpiece that deftly and gently cuts to the core.

  • Alkaline Trio - Radio: kickin' it back to the turn of the century, Radio is the closing track on Alkaline Trio's sophomore album Maybe I'll Catch Fire. Opening with the lyrics "Shaking like a dog shittin' razorblades / Waking up next to nothing after dreaming of you and me", the song's content isn't difficult to grasp. It's a bitter and dark break-up track, but it ebbs and flows nicely around a sparse punk backdrop.

  • Loathe - Two-Way Mirror: an introspective beauty from one of the most exciting bands on the modern scene right now, Loathe's Two-Way Mirror forges the hypnotic, sultry elements of Deftones with captivating introspection. A cathartic and sonically sprawling escape that threads its strong lyrical content with lush backdrops, Two-Way Mirror is definitely on the lighter side sound-wise for Loathe, but it's a stunner for rain, hail or shine.

  • Nine Inch Nails - Something I Can Never Have: a brooding, cinematic turn from Nine Inch Nail's 1989 debut Pretty Hate Machine, Something I Can Never Have is not a happy song. And while not explicitly a "love" song, it's unfiltered melancholia, instrumentally and lyrically, captures depression in a visceral display. Between its swollen and ethereal piano line and Trent Reznor's piercing anguish, it's dark and fearful; and yet quietly beautiful.

  • Biffy Clyro - Many of Horror: Biffy Clyro have a habit of penning heart-wrenching stunners alongside their more raucous material, and their 2010 album Only Revolutions gifted Many of Horror; a tranquil yet powerful rock ballad that is equally mellow yet beseeching. While some of its lyrics have mistakenly been taken literally (acting instead as a metaphor for chaos and struggles in a relationship rather than actual violence), it's full of sweeping urgency and hope against the storm.


Honourable Mentions: 

  • Misfits - Saturday Night: is it about a serial killer or a relationship breakdown? You be the judge. But more importantly, it's a Misfits ballad that can readily soundtrack a broken heart.

  • Mazzy Star - Fade Into You: slide guitar-tinged sadness that will also make you miss the 90s.


WHEN YOUR HEART WANTS TO SCREAM

When love grinds your gears. Again, listen responsibly. Punching inanimate objects will often lead to more rage so choose wisely.

  • Alice In Chains - Love, Hate, Love: a song that perfectly bridges the heartbreak category to the angrier side of the fence, enter: Love, Hate, Love. This absolute monster of a track dropped in 1990 and of course appears on the debut Alice In Chains album Facelift. Joining the likes of Man in the Box and We Die Young, the true jewel in the crown, personally, is this almost dirging delight. Moody as hell, a blazing guitar solo for good measure and one of the most iconic vocal performances from Layne Staley...need I say more?

  • Deftones - My Own Summer (Shove It): Told you there would be more Deftones! And what better track to capture and channel some rage and frustrations than My Own Summer (Shove It). From the iconic opening drum hit, the track slinks into barbed-wire riffage and sinuous melodies before exploding into an angst-laden chorus. Penned by Chino Moreno against a claustrophobic Seattle summer, distortion is just what the doctor ordered if you're carrying a tumultuous heart.

  • Slipknot - Vermilion: Corey Taylor tackles intense fixation and chaos on this 2004 track, with part one of the Vermilion saga taking on the point of view of a fictional obsessed stalker (side not: definitely not condoning stalking in any capacity). Vermilion whips rage and frustration alongside a twisted buildup that is perfectly anchored by Taylor's undulating baritone.

  • PJ Harvey - Rid of Me: another obsessive pearler, PJ Harvey's 1993 song Rid of Me, also the title track of her album of the same name, is pure viscera; seemingly soft and simmering before oscillating with dynamic chaos. The word "raw" may seem overused, but this one may very well take the cake. Aggressive, assertive and therapeutic all in one, dare you not to shout along to the closing lines "Lick my legs, I'm on fire / Lick my legs, of desire".

  • Killswitch Engage - My Curse: while this one has gone over to feature on multiple video game soundtracks (and also unsurprisingly showed up as a UFC walkout song back in 2009), Killswitch Engage's My Curse has undoubtedly become one of the band's most enduring hits. Starting life as nothing more than a riff, My Curse is now a metalcore classic that centres around the titular "curse" of heartache and longing for what you can't have.


Honourable Mentions: 


WHEN YOU'RE IN YOUR HEART HEALING ERA Maybe you're not quite there yet, but this is for when you're ready to start to feel something again.


  • Thrice - Beyond The Pines: interestingly, Thrice are another band who could've had multiple entries throughout these categories. But when it comes to a song that can bolster a weary soul, there's no going past Beyond The Pines. The closer on their 2018 album Palms, it's difficult not to imagine a sea of people screaming the chorus to Beyond The Pines along with Dustin Kensrue's gravelled whiskey tones. And it's the glimmers of peace and connection that settles this stunning tune into this category.

  • Deftones - Cherry Waves: yes, it's a third appearance from Deftones today, but...Cherry Waves. Come on. Fragile and beautiful, moody yet uplifting, and sparkling with intense undulations from start to finish. A gaze-y delight taken from the 2006 album Saturday Night Wrist, it's a song that organically festers fear and hope amongst other lyrical connotations. And it's a song that will meet and melt your anxieties in equal measure.

  • Spiritbox - Secret Garden: a 2021 anthem from Canadian trio Spirtbox, Secret Garden hits that introspective sweet spot while also fusing a poppier spark into the band's earlier metal wares. An infectious chorus, a sprinkle of prog and plenty of emotional weight makes this track a sturdy candidate for pumping up some empowerment; and it loudly showcases that Spiritbox have plenty of fluidity both in and beyond metal.

  • Van Halen - Dreams: like tying a bunch of balloons to your soul and instantly feeling lighter, Van Halen's 1986 Dreams is wall to wall positivity. But instead of being about toxic avoidance, Dreams dazzles with pop rock and soaring structures, complete with a fiery guitar solo (obvs, it's Van Halen after all), and lyrically it's hard not to get swept up in the feel-good furore.

  • Paramore - The Only Exception: not gonna lie, it was insanely hard to pick which Paramore song to put in this category, but I've gone with the bittersweet beauty of The Only Exception. Driven by a gentle acoustic guitar, The Only Exception starts out lyrically sad and gently cynical before glowing into a ballad of vulnerable hope. Paramore fans are pretty vocal about it for a range of reasons, but it's a special sort of balm.


Honourable Mentions: 


HEAD OVER HEELS & ALL THE FEELS It's that spark when you first lock eyes with that person, like you're a teenager falling in love for the first time all over again.

  • Blink-182 - Josie: the majority of Blink's back catalogue could fill this final category, but 1998's Josie wins out largely because of how this underrated gem balances blistering catchiness with genuine poignancy. Detailing an idealised (fictional) girlfriend, Blink-182's endearing and earnest romantic undertones shine especially bright on this track. It's a bona fide Blink classic with an equally fun music video along for the ride.

  • Marmozets - Meant To Be: the moment I heard this song way back when, I instantly fell head over heels. A powder keg that flits between melodic alchemy and passionate ferality, English rockers Marmozet hit a home run with a song that perfectly captures the kinetic moment of fateful meetings and trusting the process. An outing that also is roaring to be heard in a huge festival setting, this is a positive heart-pumper.

  • The Hives - Tick Tick Boom: a garage rock delight that burrows into your brain with elasticated riffs and charismatic chants, Tick Tick Boom erupted in 2007, taken from The Hives' fourth studio album The Black and White Album. It may not be a black and white "love" song itself, but it's a cornucopia of self confidence and pushing beyond hesitation that ultimately earns it a place here in this category.

  • The Ataris - I.O.U One Galaxy: short but sweet, I.O.U One Galaxy from The Ataris' 2001 album End Is Forever is a heartfelt pop punk ditty that reminds you to stop and smell the roses while also doling out some optimism and the rollicking joy of new relationships at the same time. Upbeat with plenty of melodic punk flavours to sink your teeth into, I.O.U One Galaxy is also way more mature than it seems on the surface.

  • Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love: while it wasn't their first single, Led Zeppelin's 1969 track Whole Lotta Love was a game-changer in many ways. From its iconic chugging riff through to its cascading drumwork, unleashed sexuality and psychedelic mid-section, Whole Lotta Love is a delirious foray into all things lust. Yes, the lyrics were appropriated from Muddy Waters' version of You Need Love, but in Whole Lotta Love, Led Zeppelin created the sweatiest hedonistic fever dream.


Honourable Mentions: 


BY TIANA SPETER

 
 
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