V-Day special: Ultimate single & fabulous playlist
Editor’s note: Once a month we gather suggestions from the splainer fam to put together an awesome playlist—each with its own theme. For this edition, we asked you for songs that celebrate being unhitched—just in time for the V-Day madness. It’s got everything from Miley Cyrus to Nirvana! You can check out the full playlist over on our Spotify account!
- ‘Flowers’ by Miley Cyrus: What better way to start this playlist than this chart topping Grammy winner. Poprock production peaked here.
- ‘Go Your Own Way’ by Fleetwood Mac: Prachi suggested this song because: “It's the greatest breakup song fuelled by the real-life drama of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks' breakup.” Duh!
- ‘Love Is Just A Four-Letter Word’ by Joan Baez: Akanksha loves it for “it’s melodious in a way that's incongruous with the hard edge of the lyrics.”
- ‘Ain't Got No, I Got Life’ by Nina Simone: A more upbeat recommendation by Akansha that “puts things in perspective.”
- ‘Just Like A Pill’ by P!nk: This Pink number is Chitra’s recommendation.
- ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen: Of course, we needed to have a Queen anthem on this list!
- ‘Jackets’ by Goa Trap Culture: According to Rohit: “Jackets is in equal parts a song about moving on and self-hype. Sometimes, the "I don't care" teenage energy is just what I need, and Tsumyoki and friends never fail to deliver it.”
- ‘Udhungada Sangu’ by Anirudh Ravichander: Straight out of someone named Brulowskey’s playlist, this track was composed by Anirudh for the 2014 Tamil movie ‘Velaiyilla Pattathari’ better known as ‘VIP’—starring Dhanush.
- ‘Nodi Swamy Navirodu Heege’ by SPB: This old Kannada song from the titular movie makes Sharath feel like everything is fine and that he is good :)
- ‘What You Are’ by Audioslave: Anchored by Chris Cornell’s iconic vocals and tight instrumentation from three-fourths of RATM, Ankan’s pick is appropriately blunt and cathartic.
- ‘I Will Survive’ by Gloria Gaynor: Mabel’s selection is a classic from disco-soul’s heyday, combining Gaynor’s range with effortlessly immaculate production.
- ‘Rare’ by Selena Gomez: Arunima suggests this Selena Gomez number, where the bass is just addictively funky.
- ‘Baby Bye Bye’ by Nowhere Station: This trio of Delhi boys ditched architecture school for Indipop sensibilities in this hook-filled throwback trip.
The splainer team’s picks
- ‘Love Myself’ by Hailee Steinfeld: This one’s pretty straightforward as the lyrics go “I love me, no I don’t need anybody else”.
- ‘I Forgot That You Existed’ by Taylor Swift: Aarthi likes this post, post breakup song where you’re doing well and great without ‘that’ person in your life.
- ‘SOLO’ by Jennie Kim: This K-pop song by the BlackPink member was her first solo song which actually talks about how bright she’d been shining post her romantic breakup.
- Defying Gravity by Idina Menzel: Yup, it’s the ‘Wicked’ song but taken out of context, Aarthi believes that this live version is the perfect singles anthem!
- ‘Waiting’ by Green Day: Yash says it’s the perfect anthem for anyone tired of society’s expectations. If you are over the pressure of ‘couple goals’ and excited for the future, this track is for you.
- ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana: Teenage angst at its best. But it also resonates with how today’s generation is finding its own path.
- ‘I Am The Highway’ by Audioslave: One for claiming self-worth after foiled and broken relationships. Go and grab your freedom and independence!
- ‘Delicious’ by A Perfect Circle: Raghav’s fave marries relatable themes of schadenfreude and accountability with irresistible melodies and a powerful solo.
- ‘Life’ by Devin Townsend: A motivational slice of late ‘90s pop metal that treats life’s ambiguities with a headstrong resolve.
- ‘Waltz (Better Than Fine)’ by Fiona Apple: Moving to the 2000s, Fiona is the queen of angsty alt-rock in all things romance and anti-romance. No prizes for guessing which category this track falls in.
- ‘Great Things’ by NehruvianDOOM: One of the greatest collaborative records in hatke hip-hop features this groovy cut about prioritising your personal goals with a laser focus.
Enjoy the playlist here.
PS: Check out the splainer fam’s other recommended playlists—chillout songs, heartbreak songs, songs that mention location, one for unwinding at the beach, a soundtrack for the slog, songs to get your karaoke groove on, tunes that mention colour, their favourite cover versions, music for your next road trip, tunes to sing in the rain, songs to dance to in your underwear and a knockout hatke desi playlist.
