The soundtrack to relationships

Today I did a little experiment. I counted the number of people wearing headphones. I stopped at 28 after a guy almost got flattened by one of those wonderful buses. It's funny how putting two earpieces on makes avoiding interaction as simple as dodging eye contact with thousands of strangers brushing by. There is something comforting about knowing I can crank my new MP3 player up and enter another world. \nAnd what's the number one topic written about in music? Yeah, you guessed it, it's love. There's a perfect song for every stage in a relationship. I have my own little Valentine's Day mix of songs. It's called Relationships: Butterflies to Bitterness. Here it is:\nSong #1 to pump you up for the first date: "Crazy Game of Poker" by OAR. There's something about this song that gets me mentally prepared for nerve-racking situations.\nSong #2 for after the date: "Bittersweet Symphony" by Moby. It makes me feel like I just conquered the world.\nSong #3 for that warm fuzzy feeling: This may be a new name to Bloomington. Are you ready for this? "Christmas Song" by the Dave Matthews Band. If you're looking to hop on a new bandwagon and you like the DMB sound, do yourself a favor and pick up John Mayer's new CD. Check out the song "Wonderland."\nSong #4 for when you are separated by distance: "Miss You" by Incubus. I attended a meet-and-greet with these guys. What do you say when it's just you, three other lucky people and the band? I asked them to include this song in their set list. They did.\nSong #5 for the first fight: "Break Stuff" by Limp Bizkit. The name says it all.\nSong #6 for when he or she cheats: "How's it Gonna Be?" by Third Eye Blind. How's it gonna be, when you don't know me anymore?\nSong #7 for when you're bitter after being cheated on: "Untouchable Face" by Ani DiFranco. Yeah, I met her, too. It's funny, her lyrics speak volumes, but she doesn't say a whole lot in person. This song is angry.\nSong #8 for when you're depressed: "Paranoid Android" by Radiohead. Warning: This song will not cure depression, it will probably make it worse. Don't say I didn't warn you.\nSong #9 for when you feel like the world has screwed you over: Pretty much any song by Eminem will work for this stage. The reasons are obvious if you know his music.\nSong #10 for just before the break up: "Why Bother?" by Weezer. There's something about his tone that will give you the courage to get the relationship over with when you know it was a waste of time.\n Song #11 for when you are starting to recover: "Times they Are A-Changing" by Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan walked in front of me last year while I was working backstage at his concert. There was light radiating off of him and all I could say was… "Bob." He ignored me. Regardless, he's produced 50 albums and he's still jamming at the age of 60.\nWithout love and loss and love again, musicians would probably be out of business. Being single is not all that bad. Some of the finest musicians have written their best songs after a break up. Be optimistic. If you're single on this glorified hearts and Cupid day pop in a CD and listen closely to the message. Join the musician in his or her sorrow and remember even rock stars get crapped on. Now do this town a favor and support local music.