Alright, so the post yesterday seemed to strike a chord with my fellow Belles.  When I went to bed last night I was finally caught up on your emails.  As it turns out, I’m not the only one who prides herself in creating exceptional playlists.  I received just short of 600 gifted songs on iTunes from Belles all over and the recurring theme was none other than… the “breakup mix”.  Whether it was one song or 20, a vast majority of songs were about: cheating, fighting, crying, splitting, or moving on.  I have a feeling if I tried to listen to them all in one sitting… I’d be writing my next post in the midst of a deep depression.

What is evident, is that breaking up sucks for everyone.  And when you are going through a break up, sometimes it’s hard to find the words for how awful you are feeling.  So… when you hear a song that expresses your disappointment, hurt, and irrational thoughts in a clear way, well, it has a profound impact on us.

So as a follow up to yesterday’s post, I thought I’d share one of my “breakup mixes” for a little inspiration and ask you to submit yours.  We’ll pick a winner for “Best Song” and one for “Best Playlist”.

I mean, let’s face it, there is nothing enjoyable about the end of a relationship, regardless of whether you are the “dumper” or the “dumpee”.  I figure we should at least find a way to put a positive spin on all those long dreadful hours we spent carefully selecting the music we chose to get us through the storm, right???

1. Cold Shoulder – ADELE
2. White Liar – Miranda Lambert
3. My Favorite Game – The Cardigans
4. Undo It – Carrie Underwood
5. Bye Bye – Jo Dee Messina
6. Bulletproof - La Roux
7. Stay – Sugarland
8. Picture to Burn – Taylor Swift
9. Should’ve Said No – Taylor Swift
10. What Goes Around – Justin Timberlake

Note:  This playlist was inspired by a philandering asshole.  I’ll now take the opportunity to thank him for screwing up sooner rather than later…

I’ve always been amazed at how music can take you to another place. For me, this started at a young age. For as long as I can remember, my sister and I LOVED to perform… and we were quite the entertainers.  Some of my best childhood memories are of us dancing around in the den with our friend, Erin, singing into hairbrushes (remote controls, markers, you name it).

I don’t know if other kids did this as much as we did.  Part of me imagines my mother in her early thirties, completely overwhelmed with two rambunctious little girls trying to get her attention as she studied for one of her night classes.  I can see her looking up and telling us, “Why don’t you two go put together a musical performance?  I’ll come watch when I’m finished studying!”  And I can imagine how relieved she was when we took the bait enthusiastically and went back into the den to plan our fabulous production.  It’s really genius when I think about it… and I highly recommend this to my abundance of friends who are about to embark on parenthood.  Not only did it get us out of our mom’s hair, but we developed these HUGE imaginations and likely a confidence in our raw talents that allowed us to be less fearful when it came time to audition for the school play, try out for cheerleader, or express ourselves in any number of ways.

Years later, I remember going to my sorority formal with The (Baseball) Player, and slow dancing to “The Dance” by Garth Brooks.  I could hardly breathe as I tried to fight back the tears without letting him see me.  It was one of those moments in life where time stood still.  Instantly I knew that moment would always remain crystal clear in my memory.  And it has.  That memory, that song, signifies so many things to me.  My first love, my first heartbreak… but also a time in my life where I was free spirited and independent, while still so naive.  When I hear that song, I’m transported back to that moment and I vividly remember all the emotions which defined that period in my life.  Now, it brings a smile to my face because I’m grateful for those experiences.

For the most part, now I rotate playlists based on my moods. Rather than a certain song signifying a pivotal moment, I’ll create a playlist of songs to accompany whatever is going on in my life at the time.  I’ve got playlists for practicing yoga, working at my office, to help me fall asleep, to play while looking at stars on my balcony… and yes, I’ve even created my fair share of “breakup mixes” too. (Cringe)

Today though, I just threw together some of my all-time favorites. To no surprise, 30 seconds into the first song I was giving an energetic performance in my living room.  Henry started turning circles and prancing around too.  I figured I’d share today’s playlist and with my fellow Belles in case any of you felt like dancing around your living rooms.  Do you have any special songs or good playlists to share?  As always, feel free to post a comment or email me at Belle@IndependentBelle.com.  Look forward to hearing what you’re listening to!

1. There Goes The Fear – Doves
2. The Tracks Of My Tears – Smokey Robinson
3. The Heart Of Life – John Mayer
4. I Just Called To Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder
5. Goddamn Lonely Love – Drive-By Truckers
6. Signed, Sealed, Delivered – Stevie Wonder
7. Ain’t Too Proud To Beg – The Temptations
8. Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
9. America – Simon & Garfunkle
10. Baby, I Love You – Aretha Franklin
11. Part Time Lover – Stevie Wonder
12. Cecilia – Simon & Garfunkle
13. Yellow – Coldplay
14. Say You Love Me – Fleetwood Mac
15. Respect – Aretha Franklin