Songs for the broken-hearted on Valentine's Day
By J.T. Morand
Chicago Sun-Times - February 8, 2012

Valentine's Day means love, and that's rotten for single folk who'd rather spend the day with someone special. Even if you don't celebrate Valentine's Day because it's cheesy and sappy and triggers the gag reflex, it's nice to have the option.

So, for those who are feeling the sting of being single this Valentine's Day, I present to you a list of favorite break-up songs I compiled from suggestions made by readers, some who are single and some who are married. I threw in a few of my favorites, too.

"Straight into Darkness" and "Change of Heart," by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. These two songs are back-to-back on Petty's "Anthology: Through the Years" album, which I find interesting. In the first song, Petty sings about a relationship that died because he fell out of love, but offers this glimmer of hope: "I don't believe the good times are over/I don't believe the thrill is all gone/Real love is a man's salvation/The weak ones fall, the strong carry on." But, in "Change of Heart," he's done: "I'll get over you, it won't take long/I've stood in your gallery/I've seen what's hanging from the walls/You were the moon and sun/You're just a loaded gun now/It gets me down." You have to be strong to listen to them one right after the other.