Storm Clouds are Here....

Today is one of those days- fill in the blank. Moody, dark, an air of anticipation mixed with some feelings of melancholy and memories. In honor of the dark side of Valentine's Day, I have made a very short list of some songs and albums to keep in mind or to view on Utube if you, like myself, need a fix of sad ballads and rainy day blues.
"One" by U2. I get chills when this song plays, and it reminds me of two things, inexplicably- my senior prom ( I remember seeing the video on a condo tv during all the partying hubbub, and just like that a sweet snapshot memory was born) and the words are so perfectly written it makes me teary-eyed. The "Joshua Tree" album was a pinnacle in their history, but this song just blew it all out of the water.
"Running to Stand Still" by U2. More of a love song to drug use, this song is bittersweet and the crescendo of Bono's Irish wailing towards the end is beautiful.
"Mad World" by Gary Jules. I first noticed this song at the very end of "Donnie Darko" and looked it up on UTube for more information. It's a soft, playful melody that gets sharper as the strings come in alongside the piano. It's mournful, catchy, and a very pretty song that fits "Donnie Darko" perfectly.
Any song on Beck's "Sea Change" album fits the mood for this day so well. Songs like "Paper Tiger" make you feel like wallowing in Beck's misery for hours because he makes it sound so cool.
Any song on Tori Amos's "Little Earthquakes". Except for the funky "Leather" song, about the fun side of leather, almost every song on this album, like "China", are songs about loss, hope, lost dignity, and revenge- all great themes for a lover in crisis.
"Hallelujiah" by Leonard Cohen- sung by Cohen, Jeff Buckley or Rufus Wainwright.
"Creep" by Radiohead. This song played almost every time I crossed the Hathaway Bridge during two years of my life in PC and my Tercel speakers could only go up so loud to blast this tune. Even now, the lines "you're so very special...I wish I was special" send me into a blissful moody heaven.
"Save All your Love" by Great White. Don't laugh! This ballad is dark, eerie, mournful and bluesy. Turn this one up loud and dive into a classic 80's hairband ballad. I had a boyfriend (for a week) a long long long time ago who would call me up and play this on my parent's landline. Amazing what love does to eighth-graders.
"Goodbye My Lover" by James Blunt. I don't always love Blunt's warbly voice, but sometimes it's perfect for a day when you're teetering on the edge of sadness. This is a musical letter fit for a current love or for someone you've held onto for years, in secret.
Wow- I need a tissue and to get to the gym to run off the melancholy clouds that have surrounded me today.
It's good to dive deep into the dark side of love, for then you can appreciate the light and happy air of love that lifts you up and makes life sweet.