KXT’s inaugural Anti-Love Song Bracket has reached its final week, which means – ugh – it’s almost Valentine’s Day. We’re down to the final two tunes you, our dear, disenchanted readers, have decided are the least lovey-dovey tunes out there.
This last pair illustrates how someone can either let all the bile out, or turn anxiety inward, letting it fester. Representing the more vocally furious end of the spectrum is Alanis Morissette’s stone-cold ’90s anthem of anger, “You Oughta Know,” which still packs a punch despite its age. “And I’m here/To remind you/Of the mess you made when you went away,” Morissette howls during the chorus, the verbal equivalent of flinging dishes across the kitchen in hurt and disappointment.
On the other end of things is Joy Division’s post-punk masterpiece “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” as succinct an evocation of a relationship slipping through a person’s fingers as has possibly ever been written: “There’s a taste in my mouth as desperation takes hold/Just that something so good, just can’t function no more,” the late Ian Curtis intones over the insistent backbeat and razor-wire guitars.
Neither one of these tunes should put anyone in anything resembling a swooning mood, which makes them ideal to battle it out for the winning spot in KXT’s inaugural Anti-Love Song Bracket. Instead of buying candy or making plans for a romantic dinner out, spend your Valentine’s Day voting for your favorite feel-bad love song.
You can see the updated bracket below. Voting for the top anti-love song closes at 5 p.m. Central on Feb. 14. The winner of the bracket will be revealed live on-air on the evening of Valentine’s Day. Cast your votes now!
