From Heartthrob to Heartbreak: Strike UF’s Valentine’s Day Soundtrack
Image Courtesy: Strike UF
From rose-petal-lined celebrations to a quiet reminiscing of more joyful Februarys, the two sides of the Valentine’s Day coin have us dancing on the line between love and heartbreak.
When the day finally comes, will I be head over heels, gushing over new love, reveling in a relationship? Or, instead, will I be left alone with memories that refuse to fade, wondering yet again when the right one will come?
Love is beautiful, but it is not a constant. Once you do find your way into a space of love, maintaining that space can be a boiling pot of anxiety in itself. Love winds and jolts and spins and lifts, a rollercoaster of experiences. Just as there’s no one way to express it, there’s no one way to feel about the nature of its presence in your life. There’s the lifting elation of first-date butterflies, thoughtful gifts from friends, warm meals made just for you. But there’s also the jolting feelings of wanting to kick (metaphorically, of course), scream and cry when love doesn’t go our way.
I’ve had my fair share of experiences on either side of the romance coin, and even the worst of the worst, the moments where I felt like a “Liability” or an “Afterthought.” Yet through these winding paths, I learned to recognize I was always loved.
Image Courtesy: Pitchfork/ Savanna Ruedy
No matter your experiences with romance, what you make out of your relationships, or the sources from which love enters your life, what this month should be about is taking whatever you have and embracing it.
Let’s be real, unconditional love is rare and undefinable; love cannot be equated to romance. From family members to teachers to friends to partners to coworkers, love can be found in just about every corner, so when it is around, I say to take it all in when and where you find it. Take that risk.
Image Courtesy: Adele/ YouTube
Image Courtesy: @theweeknd on Instagram
Whatever part of the journey you’re on this month, Strike’s newest playlist, “Love Letters,” is here to ride it out with you. From Adele and Billie Eilish’s explosive slow-burn breakup ballads, “To Be Loved” and “Happier than Ever,” to a futuristic, longing declaration of love in the Weeknd’s, “How Do I Make You Love Me?” our new mix will wind you through the fine lines of love. FKA Twigs will bring you a stinging, expressive masterpiece with “Cellophane,” while Mitski recounts the whirlwind of first love with “First Love / Late Spring.”
From heartthrob to heartbreak, you can hear it all here.
Strike Out,
Writer: Quinn Healy
Editor: Kate Corcoran
Graphics: Dina Coletti
Gainesville
