It's not very often that you pick up a pop (country or hip-hop) record without finding at least one song about a break up. I mean, everyone loves break-up songs right?
Wrong! Aarrrrrggghh! There are too many. Poison! Poooiiiison! *gasps for breath*
I don't.
But it's not about me. I guess I'm a rarity in this case because break-up songs sell... like a lot.
Need proof: Taylor Swift's new break-up ballad might sell 450,000 copies this week alone.
Adele's success (in my opinion) is hugely based of two albums themed around her break-up.
I'm beating about the bush.
Here's why break-up songs smash the charts easily:
The most obvious answer: Because we have all been broken-up with before. Be it a relationship, friendship, being fired, in some way we all have been in a break-up.
But that's not where I'm going with, with this.
Break-up songs are major hits because they play with our emotions. I'll say they do so almost perfectly well.
Humans are emotional beings but in varying measures.
Music that strikes a chord with your emotions is likely what you'll want to play over and over again.
Think about it. These songs are so well constructed that they bring out something in us that makes us feel like we relate to the song.. and in some cases we actually do.
They make us want to hit something, punch the guy that broke Taylor Swift's heart (:D ) or worse.
However, some might argue that break up songs bring out the good in us. Uh, ok.
How?
"Well, they make us think more about our actions, they make us feel sorry for the person that was broken-up with" (or something along those lines). That's a Christian trait isn't it? To want to help people.
True.
But that's not the case here. Break-up songs make you feel something that's not real.
They take you to a fairy-tale land of unreal dreams and outcomes.
They make you hate instead of forgive.
Make you dwell on the past instead of move on with your life.
They make you feel depressed instead of uplifted.
That's not good.
That something is highly accepted and seen as norm doesn't make it right or good for you.
Break-up songs are not good for you emotionally or spiritually.
↑ That's the point I was trying to make all along :D
