MINT MALE

Bittersweet Mixtape

No one to share Valentine's Day with?

Create an anti-love playlist and maybe you'll be grateful.

Kind of makes you sick, doesn't it? You know, couples pecking each others cheek while walking their little dog, or holding hands while waiting to get into that delicious Asian-fusion place, or maybe your best friend always trying to work their beau into casual conversation. "Oh, Steve does that all the time!"

Gag.

For all the happily single, or perhaps bitterly so, here's a playlist of songs to help you celebrate your unattached-ness, or revel in your loathing rather than love. I apologize ahead of time for the surplus of female artists ? I tend to find they say it best when it comes to saying goodbye.

*Fiona Apple "Oh Well" (from Extraordinary Machine) ? Fiona's jilted songs definitely flow in the same vein as any of Alanis Morissette's angriest anthems, but this one in particular cuts to the marrow of what it's like to feel used by another. Besides, there's no better way of getting over a failed love than giving a simple, "Oh well" to the entire situation.

Key lyric: "What wasted unconditional love/on someone who doesn't believe in the stuff. Oh well."

*Jazmine Sullivan "Bust Your Windows" (from Fearless) ? Who wouldn't feel empowered by a good ol' fashion glass shattering? Sure, you'll regret the repayment later (unless you're smart about it and do it Dexter style: no evidence). For that moment though, your ex better thank you that it's just windows your breaking.

Key lyric: "I'll probably always have these ugly scars/but right now I don't care about that part."

*Gossip "Four Letter Word" (from Music For Men) ? L is for the way you look at me? O is for the only one I see? Oh, no. Queer rock band Gossip takes that all-too famous acronym and assigns each letter to the uglier side of love. They remind us that love, while also a four-letter word, has many other four letter words that aren't so happy associated with it.

Key lyric: "Love is a four letter word that should never be heard."

*A Camp "Love Has Left the Room" (from Colonia) ? Nina Persson sings a send-off to love, not a person in particular, and eloquently mourns her sanity in this lush track. This song is almost a sequel to her home band The Cardigans' hit "Lovefool," in that the fool realizes that the love she longed for wasn't worth it. Then again, it rarely is.

Key lyric: "And I'll let you go if you just tell me/Give back the pieces of dreams that you sell me, they trick my mind."

*Kelis "Caught Out There" (from Kaleidoscope) ? Really, this should be on every list. It even mentions Valentine's Day at the beginning. While some artists may prefer deep metaphors about their feelings being like fragile pieces of glass, Kelis lays it out with no pretense.

Key lyric: "I hate you so much right now."

*Two Loons for Tea "Toxic Shellfish in the Sun" (from Nine Lucid Dreams) ? This Seattle band is known for their dreamy, noir pop. This song is the pinnacle of their genre, with a haunting string line, lead vocalist Sarah Scott's smokey vocals, and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Kochmer's musical buildup. Not to mention, it's a wealth of quotable lyrics; it doesn't get anymore accurate when comparing a dying love to a toxic shellfish burning in the sun.

Key lyric: "I'm so tired of grieving the death of something we never had."

*Rilo Kiley "Breakin' Up" (from Under The Blacklight) ? Imagine what it would be like to end things with someone at a roller disco, and then take a victory lap ? that's exactly what it feels like to listen to this upbeat number about finding joy in the end.

Key lyric: "Oooo. it feels good to be free" (complete with cowbell)

*The Magnetic Fields "I Thought You Were My Boyfriend" (from i) ? Stephin Merrit may be a tad angry that his new guy didn't workout, but he wastes no time and putting things into perspective for this guy. The result is a synthy, dirge of a song with monotonic yet effective vocals that capture the ambivalence of the lyrics.

Key lyric: "Love or not, I've always got ten guys on whom I can depend/ And if you're not mine, one less is nine, get wise."

*Tori Amos "Doughnut Song" (from Boys For Pele) ? This entire album documents a woman's breakup with a man, and her regaining her fire. Yes, it could be a bad Lifetime movie, but Tori tackles every emotion in the heartbreak handbook. On this track in particular, the intensity of this quiet song leaves the listener feeling the artist's sting, perhaps with a bitter recognition.

Key lyric: "And if I'm hanging on to your shade, I guess I'm way beyond the pale."

*Garbage "Metal Heart" (from Bleed Like Me) ? For the day after you part ways with someone, this song is perfect for trashing your room, ripping up vacation photos, or just letting out a few screams. Shirley Manson has a voice to represent the scorned, far and wide. Backed by crunching guitars and a frantic beat, Garbage racks up another one for Team Love Sucks.

Key lyric: I wish I wasn't flesh and blood/I would not be scared of bullets built with me in mind/For then I could be saved."

Kylie Minogue "So Now Goodbye" (from Light Years) ? Every list needs a little bit of gay disco. After you're done with the temptation to sit in your bed and mope, the clouds will clear and you'll need a hairbrush to? help you wave your hair and get your sass back. Let Kylie guide you with this sexy send-off.

Key lyric: "It started out with trust but it isn't just about the good times, baby."

Don't see your favorite song? Tell us what song you play loud and proud when you're feeling down on love. Here are some of our readers' suggestions:

Christine B: "H.A.T.E.U." by Mariah Carey
Jon D: "Don't Want You Back" by Eamon
Aaron D: "Song For the Lonely" by Cher
Cory J: "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette
Raymond S: "Chivas" by Kelly Clarkson
Alex M: "Bought and Sold" by Neko Case
Ryan R: "How's It Gonna Be" by Third Eye Blind
Trisha S: "Wish You Well (You Can Go to Hell)" by Bouncing Souls
William R: "Handle Me" by Robyn
Vanessa D: "The Scientist" – Coldplay