34 Comments on “The Song That’s Playing in the Background When You Break Up That Massively Dramatic High School Relationship in the Imaginary CW Show of Your Life”

1. John,

   I thought everyone our age had our high school lives produced and directed by John Hughes.

2. I’m trying to catch up us olds on the music of today, man.

3. Wat?

4. One of the most heart wrenching songs and videos that I have seen in a long time.

   Is this where we post other wrenching songs?
   

5. Xtina shows why she is indeed one of the most talented singers in the business today. She heard the song and wanted to be a part of it. One of the best collaborations I have ever heard.

6. Everywhere I Go – The Call

   http://youtu.be/Vi-CfLsgLyk

7. Wowza – Aguilera’s not exactly been my thing but that was damn nice.

8. This song (and especially the video) gets me every time. At this point, it’s less the young couple breakup imagery and more about the older couple being separated by death. Maybe because my parents are aging far too quickly and I’m nearing my second decade of a happy marriage. Those young attractive kids don’t know about commitment and longevity (and should GET OFF MY LAWN!)

9. Agreed Peter.

10. Well, hey, never let it be said I wasn’t there for the wrenchfest. Here, have The Dutchman.

    Classic sad one; I happen to like Danny Quinn’s version best, but there are partisans of the 25 or so professional covers on YouTube, ranging from Makem&Clancy to Jerry Jeff Walker.

11. Lovely song. Hilariously over the top video.

    My son broke up with his girlfriend last night, but it wasn’t this dramatic. Thankfully.

12. What does “CW show” mean?

13. CW, the Dawson’s Creek of the 2000s

14. And this is how I know you have a teenager. My 19 and 15 year old girls continue to keep me current, extending my hipness. Or did that last phrase just ruin it for me. Crap.

15. Mock me if you want, but I’m a huge fan of Ms Aguilera, and have been since she was a Mouse. She’s got a voice, man, a genuine VOICE. Bguh.

16. when i saw this, my first thought was “something you want to tell us, John?”

    because how cool would it be if our favorite writer were secretly a teen star on a CW show?

    admit john — you’re the guy who plays Arrow? or you’re on Teen Wolf. wait. TW is on MTV… um… that new vampire/werewolf show?

    i don’t watch TV, i’m lost. someone help?

17. OK – > my contribution to bittersweet songs, by Gotye. (Yeah, the king of the non self-aware breakup song)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le34ygtODfI

    After I watched the video, (which got me as a new dad right in the feels,) I looked up the song lyrics and learned he wrote it at the passing of a friend’s dog. Whole different set of feels.

18. Ah, yes. The song I hate the most right now. Not because it’s a bad song per se, but because they play it on the only radio station my wife and daughter will listen to EVERY MORNING while my family is driving to work/school and the last thing I need to rev me up at the beginning of the day, especially in the midst of Polar Vortex 2: The Vortexing, is to hear the single most depressing lyrics in the history of ever.

    No offense, but if the video matches the song in per-capita indoor bummer production, then nope nope nope not watching nope.

19. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3T7-VbfYLU was the first thing that came to mind. Not really a breakup song though. (Maybe, if you squint at it, while doing a headstand.)

    Hmm… lets see, CW also has The Vampire Dairies. Never watched, but I assume some gothiness, so http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulubafrj9a0
    Sad, acoustic, and mentions “Endure the heart’s remains” and “Pain” in the lyrics what more do you want from a breakup song? (I don’t think it is, but closer.)

20. That is hysterically funny, and I am really glad you posted this; it cracked me up.

    Of course I used to listen to Leonard Cohen so I may be permanently warped…

21. Was a little worried when Christina came in that she would do the whole 12-min note warbling hand waving diva thing, but she was perfectly understated and served the song. Very well done.

22. I like it when Scorpius and John get along. Although it kind of makes me feel inappropriate for the song in question.

23. Wow. That should have come with a warning. I guess “break-up…high school relationship” and “Christina Aguilera” weren’t big enough clues for me–Gah! As the kids would say, “All my feels!!”

24. Here’s one of my choices for “because old”.
    

25. The Stone Roses – “I Wanna’ Be Adored”

    …

    According to my brother who just graduated high school, this song has indeed stood the test of time well.

    The music video, I can certainly attest, hasn’t.

26. Augh, thanks for making me tear up. I’m an oldster too, the older couple was what got to me.

    I like my sad and lonely with a dose of hopeful. Thus, “Everybody Hurts” by REM.
    

27. Tom Waits, Green Grass:

28. As much as some folks like to beat up on Christina for being, well… Christina, the woman can sing. And yeah, being a male of the hetero-persuasion, I’ve always thought she was pretty, too. (of course, “pretty” wouldn’t keep her on my iPod for two seconds if she didn’t have that Voice).

29. Christina has a lovely voice and this song (this angsty, oh-god-I’m-just-gonna-slit-my-wrists-now song) shows it off perfectly. My problem with her is that I don’t like the majority of the music she chooses to perform, and more often than not she just goes completely over the top. When there are more grace notes than melody notes in any given line, there’s a problem IMO. Plus the diva hand waving.

    On another note, Steve Goodman’s version of The Dutchman will always be #1 to me.

30. Cue every fan-made relationship super-cut ever, aaaaand action!

31. David Betz: The Goodman version of The Dutchman is indeed very fine; Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem also did a great version of it too. Interesting song for performance because it’s actually moderately demanding vocally but very demanding in feeling and understanding; calls for really smart sympathetic singers with good-to-great voices.

    So if we could get Christina Aguilera to try it, we’d have to begin by telling her to lay of the yodeling …

32. Gnurg. I meant to type “lay off.” My fingers are not all being my friends tonight.

33. @John Barnes I just watched a video of Makem & Clancy doing The Dutchman in July of 2010 and it’s pretty great.

34. I’m not sure, but this might be perfect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeBD3rcAMFw