Love wouldn't be nearly as fun if you didn't have to work at it... but come on, who doesn't wish it could be just a little easier sometimes? For those of you that really suck at relationships, here are some songs to jam out to if...
1. You can't commit to someone, but you can't let them go either.
“And I’d beg you, but you know I’m never home. And I’d love you, but I need another year alone. And I try to ignore it every time you phone, but I never come close.”
–“7” by Catfish and the Bottlemen
The beat of this song is incredible. It’s fast-paced, in a way that makes you live in the song and sing along. We’ve all been at that halfway point in a relationship where it’s impossible to hold on and impossible to let go. Whether you’re at the end of a relationship that isn’t working out, or you’re at the beginning of one that may not work out, this song is for you.
2. You always get hung up on the person who won't commit to you.
“He likes me, but only part of the time. He likes me, if he can keep me in line.”
–“Voices Carry” by Vitamin C
Honestly, this is the song for every person who has fallen for someone who loves to keep the lines blurred, someone who refuses to define the whole mess of chaos that makes up any unofficial relationship.
3. You just can't fall for the person that you know would be good to you.
“He’s everything you want. He’s everything you need. He is everything inside of you that you wish you could be. He says all the right things at exactly the right time, but he means nothing to you and you don’t know why.”
–“Everything You Want” by Vertical Horizon
“Everything You Want” has got a nice, solid beat, but it’s more slow-moving. It really harps on not being able to fall for a person, and not knowing why. And the reverse in this song works too—if you can’t understand why someone can’t fall for you.
4. You start a fight with your significant other every five seconds.
“It’s been one week since you looked at me, threw your hands in the air and said you’re crazy… Yesterday, you’d forgiven me and now I’ll sit back and wait till you say you’re sorry.”
–“One Week” by Barenaked Ladies
This upbeat song makes fun of all the couples out there who constantly fight over the minor details. If you learn the lyrics, you’ll literally have fun laughing at how ridiculous it all seems when you look at the big picture. Contrary to the other songs on this list though, this couple is having more fun with how much they suck at relationships. It has really fun lyrics like, “I don’t make films, but if I did they’d have a samurai”. Check it out when you’re in the mood to laugh it all off.
5. You or your partner-in-romantic-crime expect love to be perfect.
“The time has come to get rid of these ideas conspired in my head. You open the door; I walk in with my two feet. Take off our Sunday clothes—they were wearing me out.”
–“Wearing Me Out” by Rio Bravo
Relationships can be tiring if you’re not getting along. It’s like coming home to a fight when you’re not getting along, even if you don’t live together. For those of you out there who can’t deal with what’s expected of you and you wish things could just be easier, check this one out.
6. You don't feel ready to be that person for someone.
“Baby needs some protection, but I’m a kid like everyone else. So let me go. I don’t want to be your hero. I don’t want to be your big man. I just want to fight like everyone else.”
–“Hero” by Family of the Year
“Hero” is an acoustic ballad that softly declares that they’re not ready to take on the responsibility of a serious relationship. There is a ton of pressure that comes with dating someone—to be there for them as often as possible, and to take care of them in the best way you can. It can a petrifying kind of pressure, especially when you feel like you’re figuring yourself out.
7. You want someone to be something they're just not.
“I keep provoking you to leave me. Why can’t you be like a candle I can snuff? You’re still a diamond in the rough, and I swear to god I’ve had enough.”
–“Why Can’t You Be” by Third Eye Blind
Here’s another that has some objectively funny lines in it that help you laugh at yourself, such as “why can’t you be like an outsourced government contract?” The version on the Red Star album has a hilarious introduction too. The entire song is a couple going back and forth, saying what they wish the other one could be. Neither are willing to just give up the relationship, but neither can accept the other as they are either. It’s got a great amount of tension that makes you feel less alone in seeing the potential in your partner and wishing they could just freaking reach it.
Love can suck, but sometimes it's just people that do. So here's to trying to suck just a little bit less.
