To Love Or To Hate: Valentines Playlists with Imaginary Gardens

By Imaginary Gardens Staff

When it comes to Valentine’s Day, you either love it or you hate it. Is it a beautiful day made to celebrate your loved ones, or a capitalist horror show meant to make you feel bad for being single? Imaginary Gardens has two amazing playlists here to battle it out and see which one comes out on top to decide once and for all!

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Must Be Love

Evelyn Hawkey, Lead Editor Cartoonist

“In Regards to Love; Eros” by Martha Psyko

While I view myself as an unconditional love type of person, I conceal a fiery passion for life and love itself. This song came from an anime called Yuri On Ice; while I may be an avid anime viewer, I am a competitive skater too. The instrumental is played by an orchestra with a solo by the violinist. Again, I relate to this song because I play the violin as well! Through these art forms, I can express my passion not just for someone else, but through the craft I enamor so. The rhythm and the Argentinian tango style of the track bleeds passion, and dancing the tango with my loved one is something I wish to accomplish. I do hope, one day, I can reveal my passion to a special someone.

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Rebecka Jones, Staff Writer

“Standing Next to You” by Jung Kook

Beginning his music career with the famous K-pop boy band, BTS, Jung Kook released his first solo album, “GOLDEN”, in 2023. Though a few of the songs on the album discuss breakups and broken hearts, “Standing Next to You” sings about loyalty and devotion to one’s partner and is one of my personal favorites of his. With a combination of funk-pop and disco-funk groove, Jung Kook sings about a love “deep like DNA,” inspiring listeners to devote themselves to partners whom they are deeply in love with. He says this is a type of love people must testify to because if it is powerful real love can withstand trials with the two still standing beside each other.

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Em Powell, Graphic Designer

“Beautiful” by HIM

HIM has always had my heart in a chokehold. There’s many songs from their discography I could’ve added, but “Beautiful” in particular speaks to me. The melody with the lyrics gives me the warm lovey feeling inside, and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way listening to this song.

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Jackie Ayala, Editor

“The First Taste”  by Fiona Apple

Fiona is not known for her love songs, but we should start appreciating them. Her love songs are calm, subtle, and give the perfect amount of butterflies in your stomach as she sings about relatable feelings and writes them in a poetic way to emphasize what she’s saying. I feel a sense of tranquility hearing an artist like Fiona Apple, who usually sings about anything but love, sharing her feelings through her music.

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Emma G. Harrison, Editor-in-Chief

“Wondering Why” by The Red Clay Strays

“And I don’t know what happened / But it sure don’t add up on paper / But when I close my eyes late at night / You can bet I thank my maker.” It’s hard to beat a love song with lyrics like this. The Red Clay Strays take themes of country music and, with the help of smooth vocals, turn this love ballad into tender poetry. Released in 2022, this passion-filled track shot up to number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100. The public doesn’t lie about a love song like this, making it a must-add to any romantic playlist. 

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Bean Gast, Editor

“Suzzane” by Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions 

“Suzzane” encompasses me as a lover, or more so who I want to be as a lover. The song itself has a melancholic tune but feels soft and comforting. The lyric, “and she looks just like my sister, but feels just like my man,” is what originally caught my attention. Throughout “Suzzane”, a nostalgic tune plays that reminds me of the lullaby of a wind-up music box where a beautiful woman spins gracefully until the music fades away. This song feels like the lesbian love that I wish to experience one day, to be loved gently and to love someone gently. 

Stupid Cupid

Addison Chrivia, Editor

“Never Wanna Fall in Love With U” by Nelward

Nelward has an upbeat pop electronica sound and combines it with kooky yet catchy lyrics. This song laments the idea of falling in love with someone when you know it won’t end well, all to a funky bass line that you can’t help but find groovy. One line that really hits is “fragile lovers can’t partake in games,” as those in a precarious relationship can’t make an already unstable relationship more unstable by playing with someone else’s feelings. With this track, Nelward warns not to get involved with someone you know won’t treat you well.

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James Cochran, Photo Editor 

“Riviera Paradise” by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble 

Although it is not exactly a song about a breakup or not having someone to love, Vaughan often dedicated this song in concert to those who were hurting no matter what reason. This song comforts me during this time of the year where the reminders of being single are plastered all over the Walmart shelves and on social media. Blues music can be very comforting during emotional times, so drop the needle on this one and let the late Stevie Ray Vaughan pour his emotions out on this instrumental jazzy-blues tune. 

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Draven Copeland, Managing Editor

“I’d Rather Pretend” by Bryant Barnes

After seeing Bryant Barnes open for d4vd (I know, I was one of the unfortunate souls that was a huge fan of his before everything came out), I became an instant fan of Barnes’ style and music. To be entirely honest, I actually enjoyed his set more than the featured artist’s, and have been vibing with this song in particular ever since. To me, this track is exactly the mood for a Valentine’s Day spent alone, as it explores the feelings of wanting a relationship but also being scared to initiate one. If you’re feeling melancholic this Valentine’s, try bumping this one while doing something you enjoy; treat yourself how you’d treat your lover, if you had one.

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Jackie Ayala, Editor

“Pushing It Down and Praying” by Lizzy McAlpine

I was a little late to the hype train with this song but, even without being able to relate to it on a personal level, it truly touched my heart when I first listened to it. With the raw vocals, the quiet instrumentals, the sudden beat drop later into the song, I think this song can be relatable on many different levels. Lizzy McAlpine brings a certain vulnerability to her sad songs which I have rarely seen in other artists – there’s no sugarcoating her experiences and that’s why this has become one of my favorite breakup songs.

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Ruby Caver, Graphic Designer

“The Other Woman” by Lana Del Rey

As always being the last one picked, I constantly dreamed of being truly wanted and appreciated by someone. Even though it isn’t exactly an anti-love song, it’s more about yearning for someone you can’t have. 

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Emma G. Harrison, Editor-in-Chief

“Linger” by The Cranberries

I’m sure you’ve heard this iconic song before, but if not, I implore you to drop everything, put on some headphones, and get in your feels. In this 1993 Irish classic, The Cranberries took all the feelings of deep yearning and put them into universal words. Not only are The Cranberries one of my favorite bands, but this is one of my favorite songs, earning it a 10/10 for any playlist that needs a little Irish yearning. 

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Bean Gast, Editor

“Bored of Men” by Mhaol

This song is the epitome of my love life. I’m bored of men, talking about them, fearing them, healing from them. The lyric that I relate to the most is: “Who’s the guy who’s right behind me? Is it a friend? Or an enemy?” The consistent drumming in the background is a direct reflection of the constant awareness that women have to have when surrounded by men. This Valentine’s day I plan to blare this song and avoid men at all costs. 

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