This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Vanderbilt chapter.
Sometimes, when I drive down the same back roads I used to take to my ex’s house, I wonder why I’m not heading there now. I wonder if he ever thinks of me, the way I think of him when I hear a song that speaks to our relationship.
I’ll turn to songs like Icona Pop’s “Just Another Night” or Natalia Kills’ “Marlboro Lights” on those nights. He might not still be a significant part of my life, but music always will be. Years go by and these songs don’t change—a consistency that I’ve come to rely on in hard times.
When I play certain songs, I am reminded of him in a way that comforts me. I can think of him for three minutes and thirty-six seconds, then put those memories back in the mental drawer I keep them in. I’ll shuffle until I get to a song like Sara Bareilles’ “Gonna Get Over You” or Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” and transition back into the moving-on phase. I begin to feel more inspired to get on with my life, to take back all the time I wasted on a relationship that wasn’t going anywhere.
You don’t need me to tell you that breakups suck. What you need is a playlist (aptly named “but I can’t have you”) of over six hours of music that will guide you through the healing process. I’ve compiled songs from across the genres that will show you that others have weathered the storm and come out stronger—and you will too.
Here are some albums as well to assist you in the cause of moving on.
First Days of Spring by Noah and the Whale
Hospice by the Antlers
Chapter Three by Make a Change
Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt
21 by Adele
Get Lonely by The Mountain Goats
Tallahassee by The Mountain Goats
Ceremony by Ceremony
Red by Taylor Swift