So a couple of years ago I posted a Valentine’s Day Mix Tape on the blog. And if you are looking for love songs, it is still an awesome list. This year I was inspired by my awesome folk radio promoter Tracey Delfino of Trespass Music, who put together a list of Anti Valentine’s Day songs from the artists she works with (scroll it and you will see a few songs from yours truly). I figured it would be fun to put together my own list of Anti Valentine’s Day songs. I enrolled my husband/manager Dino to help me, so that we would have a very varied list. We put no boundaries here, so you will find many genres represented. Of course, I picked a couple of my favorites “not so lovey dovey” songs from my own catalog.
So without any further ado, here we go! Don’t be afraid to scroll down, because there are a lot of goodies!
Anti Valentine’s Day Mix Tape Song List
Susan Cattaneo – Worth The Whiskey
My attitude song from Haunted Heart, you know I had to start from here!
Loretta Lynn – Don’t Come Home A Drinkin’
Sticking with the drinking theme. Good advice for the boys. And look who is playing with her on this version (you will have to wait for the end).
Bonnie Raitt I Can’t Make You Love Me
One of my favorite artists. I love the story behind this song. I was at a workshop with Mike Reid, and he said the song started when he saw an article about someone who drove his truck into his ex girlfriend’s house, and when the police arrested him he just said “I guess I can’t make her love me if she don’t”. He tried to write it as a funny uptempo based on the story for a while, and couldn’t get anywhere. And then one day he was just playing around with the piano and just sang it slow, and then… magic!
Solomon Burke – Cry To Me
A little old school soul. Dino sings it, but it doesn’t sound like this…
Cindy Lauper I Don’t Want To Be Your Friend
Haven’t we all wished to say this to someone at some point in our life?
Kim Richey – Don’t Let Me Down Easy
It is mind boggling to me how someone who is such and incredible songwriter and singer never became a major star. If you are not familiar with Kim Richey, do yourself a favor and go pick up a few of her albums. You will not regret it. This song is on her second record.
Alanis Morissette You Ought To Know
And we are back in the 90’s!!! Still not a fan of the mistressed phrases, but this was a cool song for the 30 seconds before it became a massive hit.
The Clash – Train In Vain
A concession to my husband. This is one of his favorite songs. We played it together at a show for his birthday.
Fleetwood Mac Silver Springs
If you don’t think this is an Anti Valentine’s Day song, take a look at how Stevie stares down Lindsey at the end as she sings “I’ll follow you down ’til the sound of my voice will haunt you”. Epic.
Bob Dylan – If You See Her Say Hello
Picked up as the representative track from Blood On the Tracks the greatest break up album ever recorded (as you can tell from the title). Of course, you could do an anti valentine song tape just with Dylan songs.
Johnny Cash – It Ain’t Me Babe
Sneaking in another ferocious break up song by Dylan through another artist…
Susan Tedeschi – Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright
Cheating again to get another Dylan song in. Sung by another of my favorites. Apparently the first time Dylan played this song live he said “this is a song about a relationship that went on way too long”, and his then girlfriend was in the audience and ran away crying.
Beth Nielsen Chapman – Five Minutes
This was a hit she originally wrote for Lorrie Morgan. She just released it on her new record Uncovered. I could not find a Beth Nielsen Chapman version on YouTube, so here is the Lorrie Morgan. But make sure you go get the Beth Nielsen Chapman version!
Carly Simon – You’re So Vain
Carly Simon was at my commencement when I graduated from Berklee, and she actually handed me my diploma. I couldn’t leave her out!
Taylor Swift – White Horse
I saw Lori McKenna sing this with Mark Erelli and Jake Armerding at one of their Under the Covers shows at Club Passim a few years ago. And I realized it is a really good song. Of course is co-written with Liz Rose.
Susan Cattaneo – Wrecking Ball
This song opened my first record. I wrote it with my friends Scarlet Keys and Joie Scott. I would like to point out that we wrote a song titled Wrecking Ball after Neil Young wrote his (covered by Emmylou Harris) but before Bruce Springsteen and Miley Cyrus wrote theirs. When the song came out, someone going though a divorce wrote me that this song captured exactly how she felt and it really helped her. I was so grateful to know that I had touched at least one person.
Cee Lo Green – Fuck You
I wanted to close on an upbeat note. This song is fun, and it has a ton of attitude. And yeah, it doesn’t really work as well when you say “Forget You”…