Ah, the feeling of separation, the feeling of cold dread mixed with desperation or resignation. Whether on good terms or bad terms, drifting apart from loved ones or dealing with the greatest divider ever, death, we have all faced a form of separation in our lives. Personally, slowly drifting away from friends you once considered family is one of my top ten worst emotional crises. Probably why I have so many songs in my playlist that share that same feeling.  

“Two Birds On A Wire” by Regina Spektor is quite vague with its meaning but isn’t art supposed to be interpreted by the audience. I first heard a small snippet of the song on the popular vortex known as TikTok and wanted to hear more. When I heard the entire song, this is what I thought it meant. The two birds can be seen as a metaphor for two people in a relationship (whether that be romantic or platonic) and the wire is that connection between the two people but also the shackles keeping one or both from doing what they need to be satisfied. This resonated with me because truth be told, I often cling tight to the good memories and the people I made them with. Knowing it’s for the best for both of you to go your separate ways and yet finding yourself still trying to make it work must be one of the most exhausting self-inflicted pains ever.  

“Moral of The Story” by Ashe easily had to be one of my top ten songs last year. Divorce has to be one of the most terrifying things ever. Imagine living a good chunk of your life loving a single person and it ends bitterly. You consider all that time wasted! Gone forever and you can never get it back. However, “Moral of The Story” helps ease that fear. Ashe wrote in her song about her divorce and how she managed to get past it. Ashe talks about learnings from her relationships, and it is okay to have your heart broken. The song is based on the idea that “it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Now, whether or not that idea is nothing, but a sweetened lie is still up for debate. Nevertheless, a sweet lie is still a comfort.  

“Sunsetz” by Cigarettes After Sex captures the feeling of losing a loved one perfectly in quite a beautiful way. We all have that special someone we love, whether you admit it or not, that we can’t bear the thought of losing. You don’t even want to imagine the pain. With “Sunsetz,” you won’t have to! I haven’t found my special someone yet but this song gives me that feeling of loss and emptiness. All that is left are the memories of beautiful moments with them; all you can do is cling to them until they fade. To put it simply, “Sunsetz” is a song about a man trying to cope with his girlfriend (or maybe ex-girlfriend) not being there. The song consistently brings forward the themes of longing, memories, and “visions of such sweet days.”  

“Mr. Loverman” by Ricky Montgomery has to be one of my favorite songs ever. One of the few songs that actually made me weep for someone that never existed. The feeling of losing someone to death is one of the worst feelings you could ever feel. That feeling you get knowing you will never hear their laugh, see their smile or feel their warmth is the type of feeling that the average person cannot bear. In the song, Mr. Loverman turns to alcohol after losing his partner. Drowning his sorrow and feeling so much emotional pain that you can feel it physically. A beautiful song that helped me understand that painful emotion.  

“Someone Like You” by Adele isn’t her most recent song out there, but how could I not add it in? A beautiful song that everyone should hear at least once, “Someone Like You” is about finding your ex and seeing that they have moved on, and you, being optimistic or stubborn, think you can convince them that you are still the one–only to realize that you are wrong. And even though you realize you can’t have them, you simply tell yourself (and possibly them) that it’s not impossible to find someone like them. Someone to share memories and moments with and to give you that remarkable sensation of love. A bittersweet farewell to the one you loved.