Anti-Valentine's Day Rock Songs

Screencap from Alanis Morissette's music video for "You Oughta Know"

It's Valentine's Day and it's the time of year where people couple up and enjoy each other's company. Unfortunately, this doesn't work out for everyone. Due to circumstances, love isn't in the air on that particular holiday. A few years ago, I wrote a blog with recommended music for putting you in the mood and for those who aren't so fortunate, here's a list that will help you out.

1. "Love Stinks" by J. Geils Band
This song, originally released in 1980, really hit home with the heartbroken crowd when Adam Sandler sang in in the movie The Wedding Singer. There's anger, pain, and even vengeance in this song and is a good way to kick of this list.

2. "Cup of Coffee" by Garbage
Shirley Manson has a wide range of emotions that can be found in her lyrics, but "Cup of Coffee" may be the best. The lyrics, along with perfectly matching music, set the mood for a breakup song. The emotion that comes through can be felt by and sympathized for by anyone who has ever been dumped. This song expresses what it's like for one person of a relationship to not have full closure in their relationship. Sadly, this song had no music video, but I can imagine a real dark, black and white one could have been shot.

3. "Completely Miserable" by Lit
The Orange County band's music video for this song took on public attention when they got Pamela Anderson to star in it. The band is eaten alive by a 50 foot woman-sized version of the former Baywatch star. Lyrically, the song reveals a guy who knows the relationship is bad for him and that he's giving up everything that makes him happy at a shot to be with the girl. Yes, he may get the girl in the end, but it can be asked if it is worth it in the end?

4. "Pictures of You" by The Cure
The goth rock band which released a ton of songs about love and breakups, really hit a chord with this song. The song focuses on a person who is essentially reliving memories with a past loved one by looking at the pictures he has of his former loved one. The lyrics reveal a person who regrets his relationship ending with his significant other.

5. "The Thrill is Gone" by BB King
You can make a list such as this without including a good blues song and it doesn't get much better than BB King when it comes to blues music. A legendary blues artist and one of the best guitarists to ever live, BB King's "The Thrill is Gone" is an essential song on any good anti-Valentine's Day list.

6. "Don't Speak" by No Doubt
It wasn't their first hit song, but it was the song that solidified Anaheim's No Doubt into becoming a A-list rock group. Written by Gwen Stefani after her breakup with bassist Tony Kanal, the song pulled on the heart strings of everyone going through a breakup in the 1990s.

7. "You Ougtta Know" by Alanis Morissette
Released around the same time period as No Doubt's "Don't Speak", Alanis Morissette took a different approach to her famed break up with Full House star Dave Collier. She ripped him apart and empowered women to be able to express their anger for being left for another woman. Morissette's lyrics were sharp and memorable. This song had lyrics such as:
"Does she know how you told me you'd hold me until you die, 'til you die, but you're still alive"
"And are you thinking of me when you fuck her?"
"And every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back I hope you feel it"

8. "I Will Survive" by Cake

Yes, Gloria Gaynor performed the more successful version of this song, but it was too dance-able for me to include on this list. Cake, who also released a hit cover to this song, added a more angry tone to it, even dropping F-bombs where Gaynor probably should have.

9. "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley

Originally inspired by a man who leapt out of a window to commit suicide, the lyrics of a broken-hearted person were added to this song to make it one of the biggest break-up songs of the 1950s. 

10. "Crying" by Roy Orbison
Another member of the early rockabilly movement which included Elvis, Roy Orbison released this song in 1961, which became one of his biggest hits over his Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame career.

11. "Are You Happy Now?" Michelle Branch
The 21st century saw its share of breakup music as well, but it was really Michelle Branch's "Are You Happy Now?" that kicked off the breakup music in the pop/rock genre in the 2000s when it was release in 2003. Used to her more hopeful tracks released on her previous album, Branch released this song as her second hit album's lead single, showing she had more depth in her musical repertoire.

12. "Foolish Games" by Jewel
The Alaskan acoustic guitarist really changed things up when she released this single which is accompanied by sad piano music. Jewel's voice really conveys her depression after a hurtful breakup and was one of many breakup songs released by strong female lead singers in the 1990s.

In Memoriam, 2015

Every year, the world loses out on a group of celebrities that succumbed to death in one form or another. It's inevitable for us all, but at least for these celebrities, they entertained us in some way while they were still alive. Over a one year period, there are too many too write about them all in one blog, so instead, I give you 10 celebrities that probably had the biggest impacts on me while they were still alive. Rest in peace...

1. Donna Douglas (8/26/32-1/1/15) 82 years old: Douglas landed appearances on shows such as The Perry Cuomo Show, The Steve Allen Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Twilight Zone, and Route 66 before landing her most famous role as Elly May Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies. She ran into being type-casted as the sexy country girl after The Beverly Hillbillies went off the air after nine seasons. Eventually she moved on to singing gospel music. Douglas would pass away from pancreatic cancer at a Baton Rouge, Louisiana hospital on New Years Day.

2. Ernie Banks (1/31/31-1/23/15) 83 years old: Known as Mr. Cub, Banks is perhaps the most famous player to play for the famed Chicago Cubs. The Hall of Famer was once quoted as saying, "We've got the setting, sunshine, fresh air, the team behind us. So let's play two!" which became one of the most iconic quotes in baseball history. He was a two-time MVP who hit over 500 homers, and had over 2,500 hits. Some argue that he might be the best shortstop of all time, but he played more games at first base. He was the very first Cubs player to have his number retired and a statue stands in front of him stands in front of Wrigley Field. Banks died from a heart attack at a Chicago area hospital.

3. Leonard Nimoy (3/26/31-2/2715) 83 years old: Known for his iconic role as Mr. Spock in the Star Trek TV shows and movies, Nimoy's role is arguably one of the most famous in sci-fi history. As Spock, he was nominated for three Emmy's before moving on to another hit show, Mission Impossible. He also made appearances on other hits such as Dragnet, Perry Mason, The Twilight Zone, Wagon Train, Bonanza, Combat!, The Outer Limits and Get Smart before locking down the role of Spock. Nimoy also tried his hand in photography, music, writing, and directing movies including two of the Star Trek movies and Three Men and a Baby. Nimoy passed away in his home from complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to his years of smoking.

4. Grace Lee Whitney (4/1/30-5/1/15) 85 years old: Most famous for her role as Janice Rand in the original Star Trek series and films, Whitney only appeared on eight episodes during the first season before reprising her role in the films. She made many more appearances on other popular TV shows including Mannix, Batman, Bewitched, The Outer Limits, 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, and Gunsmoke. Whitney also was a singer who opened up at Chicago nightclubs for Billie Holiday and Buddy Rich. She died of natural causes at her home in California.

5. BB King (9/16/25-5/14/15) 89 years old: Ranked as the sixth greatest guitar player in the world by Rolling Stone, King has perhaps the greatest career of any blues artist in history. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and is nicknamed "The King of Blues". King began his recording career in 1949 and performed up to the year of his death in 2015. During his career, BB won 15 Grammy Awards and was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom. His song "The Thrill is Gone" is considered by many the greatest blues song ever written and performed. In the 90's, he opened up the BB King Blues Clubs of which two are still open, with two more scheduled to open up soon. His guitar is also one of the most famous in history, nicknaming the Gibson ES-355's he prefers to use "Lucille". Unfortunately, at the end of King's life, he battled diabetes and would have to perform while sitting down on a stool. He eventually passed away while sleeping from multi-infarct dementia brought on by a series of small strokes caused by atherosclerotic vascular disease as a consequence of his diabetes.

6. Yvonne Craig (5/16/37-8/17/15) 78 years old: Craig began her career as a dancer before finding herself in television and movie roles. Finding herself in small roles in the movie version of Gidget, she would go on to play the love interest in two Elvis Presley movies (It Happened at the World's Fair and Kissin' Cousins) as well as finding herself appearing in various hit TV shows such as The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Wild Wild West, and McHale's Navy. It was then when she was cast in her most famous role as Batgirl in the Batman TV show alongside Adam West and Burt Ward. Not long afterward, she would also be cast in her second most famous role in Star Trek as Marta, the green skinned Orion slave girl. Craig would go on to more appearances in hit shows such as Starsky and Hutch, Fantasy Island, The Six Million Dollar Man, Kojak, and Love, American Style. She died at her home from metastatic breast cancer that spread to her liver.

7. Yogi Berra (5/12/25-9/22/15) 90 years old: Yogi Berra is considered one of the greatest catchers in Major League Baseball history, but despite this, he is almost as well known for his quotes to the press that would be known as "Yogi-isms". Some of them include, "It ain't over till it's over,", "The future ain't what it used to be,", "Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical,", "I really didn't say everything I said." Berra is one of only five players in history to have won the AL MVP three times and was a first ballot hall of famer in 1972. He was also one of only seven managers in history to lead an AL and NL team to the World Series. Yogi was an 18 time all-star who had his number 8 retired by the Yankees. He also holds the record for most World Series rings with 10 as a player and 3 more as a coach. He passed away from natural causes on the 69th anniversary of his debut game with the Yankees.

8. Maureen O'Hara (8/17/20-10/24/15) 95 years old: The fire-redheaded starlet was one of the biggest names in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Perhaps most famously known for her role as Doris Walker in Miracle on 34th Street, a Christmas favorite that is aired every December on a television near you, she had also starred in other hits. She had starred in Sinbad the Sailor with Morgan Fairbanks, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, How Green Was My Valley, and The Black Swan over her career as well. Acting during the rise of color films, she was dubbed "The Queen of Technicolor". She passed away in her sleep at her Boise, Idaho home.

9. George Barris (11/20/25-11/5/15) 89 years old: Not a name that some people may recognize, but Barris was one of the masters at creating iconic cars for television and movie shows. His two most notable creations were the Batmobile from the Batman '66 television show and the Munster Koach of The Munsters. During his time working on customized automobiles, he had also designed or customized other cars such as the Clampetts's truck from Beverly Hillbillies, the General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard, KITT from Knight Rider, and the tour vehicles in Jurassic Park. At the age of 89, Barris passed away in his sleep.

10. Scott Weiland (10/27/67-12/3/15) 48 years old: Lead singer to Stone Temple Pilots and later Velvet Revolver, Weiland battled through drug addiction while establishing himself as one of the greatest rock stars of the '90s and 2000's. With the initial release of Core in 1992 with Stone Temple Pilots, the band released a ton of hits including Plush, Creep, Big Empty, Vasoline, Interstate Love Song, Big Bang Baby, Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart, Lady Picture Show, Down, and Sour Girl which would be enough for a band to land in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Weiland then moved on to join members of Guns N' Roses to form Velvet Revolver and produced hits such as Slither, Fall to Pieces, and She Builds Quick Machines. Found dead on his tour bus with his current group, The Wildabouts, it was later determined that despite his claims to have recovered from previous drug and alcohol addictions, his death was caused by a lethal mixture of cocaine, ethanol, and Methylenedioxyamphetamine.