#i love it when we're discussing about harry's music

[becauseheartsgetbroken-hs]

I feel like, and this is gonna sound terrible but like in the least worst way possible, we want to see his heartbreak/pain/negative emotions in HS4?? cause HS3’s obligate sad song was Matilda but that wasn’t His pain to speak of ya know? But Fine Line had peak angst in Falling and Fine Line (song) and patheticness in cherry, Tbsl… I’m hoping that he dabbles back into the murky waters of melancholy and brooding for artistic purposes only for HS4 lol

yeah, i get what you're saying!! it's not like we want him to be sad of course (his happiness is very important). but harry writes sad songs (even if they have a happy beat- like as it was for example) most of the times anyway because he finds healing in the writing process. When he is emotional, his writing is very raw and genuine ("crisp trepidation i'll try to shake this soon" ??? or "what if i'm someone i don't want around"??? or "i get the feeling you'll never need me again"?? i mean it's devastating). Also he is a human being with great depth and it's always beautiful to have the opportunity to take a look in his mind through his music.

p.s if he writes something about his baby niece in the album i think i will burst into tears. 🥹

[harrysfolklore]

dog love - blurb

day 3!! if you’re still following along ilysm okay?💗

GIF BY @delicatepointofview <3

MASTERLIST | MY PATREON

//

Yours and Harry's relationship was still a secret to the world.

Even though both of you were famous for your careers and fans and media were always following your every step, you have managed to keep what you had to yourselves for six months now.

Rumors were out there, for sure. And they started when you decided to be in the crowd with Harry's friends for his final show in Reggio Emilia, instead of hiding from prying eyes backstage.

However, no one had really caught up that you were in a relationship, people just assumed that you were friends and you wanted to see the show.

Right now, you and Harry were spending a few months together in his London home, you decided to do that since soon you both would have to go back to your busy careers and be away from each other. You basically moved in to his place, with your dog included.

"Milo! Come over here buddy!" You called out for him, sitting on the den and watching play around Harry's backyard, "You're such a good boy!" You cooed at him when he curled up to you.

"What are you pals doing?" Harry asked, walking through the sliding door that connected the kitchen and the backyard, sitting down next to you and pecking your shoulder quickly.

"We're just hanging out over here," you turned your face to look at him, matching his soft smile, "But I think Milo is eager to go outside, poor thing couldn't go on his walk yesterday because of the rain."

"I can take him for a walk," Harry said, and you noticed that he was indeed dressed up to go outside, "I'm actually meeting with Brad in a few minutes, I can take him with me."

"Would you?" you asked, and he pecked your cheek, standing up and offering his hand so you could join him.

"Of course, love. I can pick up some wine and food on the way back for dinner, you stay here and relax."

You pecked his lips softly before speaking, "You're a dream," he smiled and pecked your lips again, "And you, be a good boy for H, okay?" you knelled down to pet Milo, and with a final kiss to Harry's lips they were off.

You took in Harry's words and decided to relax since you had the house to yourself, you filled up the bathtub, lit up a scented candle and put on some music, leaving your phone behind as you took a bubble bath.

When you were done in the bathroom and clad in one of Harry's soft hoodies, you grabbed your phone and decided to lurk on social media as you waited for Harry and Milo to come home.

You opened Tiktok, your explore page showing you some Harry videos, cute dogs and even some edits of yourself. When you got bored of scrolling there, you decided to open Twitter, which wasn't your favorite platform at all but every now and then you got there to see what fans were on about.

However, you were surprised to find out that what fans have been discussing over the last few hours was Harry walking your dog.

At first, you found funny that his fans were trying to decode if he had adopted a dog, or where did the dog had come from, not knowing hat it was your dog and you were practically living with him.

However, your mood changed when you scrolled down and saw that they somehow connected the dots and found out that the dog with Harry and Brad was your Milo.

You shook your head, surprised by how quickly fans could put the  pieces together, and not sure about how to feel about yours and Harry's relationship being exposed by your dog.

As in on cur, you heard Harry and Milo walking up the stairs to the bedroom, and soon you saw both of them enter the room.

"We're back, love!" Harry cheerfully said, sitting on the end of the bed and Milo staying close to him, "Brought the wine and some food, are you hungry yet?"

"I think Milo just exposed our relationship." You simply said, laughing and how comical the situation sounded out loud.

"What do you mean?" a confused look appeared on Harry's face, and you showed him your phone so he could see.

After a few minutes of scrolling to your Twitter and seeing what fans were saying, Harry couldn't help but find the situation comical too.

"Well, that's better than TMZ, right?"

taglist: @lightsoutstyles @willowpains @straightontilmornin @sleutherclaw @gimsaysay @hazzassmirk @platinumbarbie143 @musicforcinemas @celesteblack08 @scntfrhs @eleanordaisy @lomlolivia @iceebabies @iloveshawn @be-with-me-so-happily @watermelonsugacry @rayisthehoe @drewrry

[daisyblog]

Hormones

Our Story Masterlist Summary: YN gets emotional listening to Louis’ interview.

34 weeks and 5 days pregnant 

YN was watching Louis’ recent interview with Foquinha, where he was discussing music, tour, writing and his One Direction days. It was her favourite pass time, watching the boys old and recent interviews. She loved reminiscing on the One Direction days that seem like a lifetime ago. 

She was smiling happily to herself as Louis discussed his relationship with the boys, comparing it to brothership. YN couldn’t help but think back to her wedding day, where all the boys had come together to celebrate YN and Harry’s big day. No matter what happened in the past, it was soon forgotten about when they stood together and shared a drink. 

Louis was asked about his thoughts on a One Direction reunion and if he thought they would get back together one day. This question always got YN excited because she was one of their biggest fans and always tried to encourage a reunion. 

"I hope so. Do I think it's likely? I don't know. Honestly I have no idea. I think the tough thing is that as time goes on it kinda feels harder to foresee. If I had a gun to my head right now I would say yes. I do think we are gonna get back together. But you never know. There's a million different things that could happen. And also at the moment we're all making such different music so how does that collect back together? It'd be interesting, it'd be interesting."

Tears started to run down YN’s cheeks, wet streaks being left behind in their memory. “The answer is yes, Lou! It’s always yes”. She mumbled to herself.

Harry entered the room, his smile soon disappeared when he could see YN crying as she looked intently at her phone. “Babe? What’s wrong?”. It wasn’t unusual lately for YN to be an upset. Her pregnancy hormones were definitely heightened. 

Last week she cried because Harry wore a grey hoodie instead of his black one. The following day YN cried because of the way Teddy was looking at her, she was adamant the little pug didn’t like her anymore. Two ago, her tears erupted because Harry tried to walk over the freshly mopped floor. 

“Lou-Louis said…sa-id One Direction…I-is not get-ting back together!” YN managed to sniffle out in between her tears. 

Harry sighed knowing Louis probably tried to scoot around the question being asked without giving a yes or no answer. “Babe…you know how interviews are…sometimes we just have to give an answer in a way without giving an answer”.

YN shook her head, wiping away her tears. “No…even the baby is sad about this…I can feel her sadness”. 

Harry tried to hold back his laughter at how dramatic his wife was being, but he had learnt the hard way when it came to YN, pregnancy hormones and laughter. But right now he was glad he wasn’t Louis. 

Tag List:

@pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @harrys-flower @platinumbarbie143 @frickin-bats @harrysbbyh0ney @chronicallybubbly @goldensunflowe-r  @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @kaverichauhan @peterholland04 @panicattheuc @or-was-it-just-a-dream @hittiesontour @bunnyharold @fanfictioncafe @lilfreakjez @iamahallucinationnn @theekyliepage @indierockgirrl @buckybarnessimpp @ashleighsss @jerseygirlinca @fake-coolbeans @itsmytimetoodream @treehouse-mouse

[zarry-ot5]

Love You Goodbye

This will be discussing March 2015 and include whatever I can find on all of the boys in that timeframe. I believe Truth lives in the middle. I don't want to spread opinions, so these will contain facts only. If there are pictures I will indicate, but due to limitations of Tumblr can't post them all. There is a 6-7 hour time difference between Asia and London.

Another thing of interest, at this time, Dan Wooton is over The Sun and The Daily Mail. Simon Jones is the Publicist in charge of the image of all the boys in One Direction. Simon Jones is still the active publicist for Perrie Edwards, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan.

March 10, 2015:

Lou Teasdale, Lux, Gemma Styles and Lottie Tomlinson arrive at Changi Airport in Singapore. Pictures with fans.

Niall tweet

H pictured leaving LAX on private jet

March 11, 2015:

H pictured arriving at Changi airport wearing Red Velvet Star Jacket.

Louis is pictured with fans in Changi airport.

Z pictured on private jet with cousin Jawaad. Upon landing in Singapore takes pictures with fans.

One Direction performs at the National Stadium in Singapore.

Gemma is seen at Singapore show with Lou Teasdale and Baby Lux.

March 12, 2015:

H arrives in Bangkok. Pictures exist of Harry at Nightclub with Gemma.

(Pictured Jawaad Malik, Zayn Malik, Martina Olsson, and her friend). Notice his and Jawaad shirts are the same night he's pictured with Laura.

Of note, Seduction Nightclub is an adult themed night club, with scantily clad women dancing on tables. It is not a strip club, just adult themed. This Nigh Club permanently closed in 2019.

According to The Daily Mail, Maria Olsson says Zayn and Louis went to Seduction Night Club where she met and left with Zayn, had a one night stand, and met up with him again the next morning after Lauren had left.

March 13, 2015:

I do need to make a side note, the distance from Smalls to the Sukhothai Hotel, where everyone stayed, is 3 min in a car. Literally just around the corner and up the street. The distance from the hotel to the stadium where they performed is 22 miles in a car.

Smalls is a 3 story building with a restaurant in the lower floor, where they have live music and a DJ booth. The upper two floors consist of an enclosed bar and a covered outdoor bar.

According to my research, Harry had gone to Smalls Live Music Nightclub.

Gemma pictured in Bangkok with Lou Teasdale and a fan.

Pictures also exist of Gemma and Harry at a Nightclub together, which I am going to assume was Smalls.

Zayn went to Seduction Night Club with Louis and cousin Jawaad, to watch DJ Examples set. This is where he met and was photographed with Lauren Richardson. She later stated she was invited to a Villa at a Hotel that Louis and Zayn we're renting in Phuket.

March 14, 2015:  

Louis Tomlinson photos kissing Lucy Julian were reportedly taken at the same all-night pool party at Bangkok’s Sukhothai Hotel at 6:30am on the morning of their March 14 concert, The Daily Mail reported.

There are pictures of Louis exiting the pool and returning to the lobby of the hotel.

H is photographed with DJ Buddha and DJ ONO before the show

The band played in Bangkok, Thailand at the Rajamangala Stadium.  

H photographed with Model at dinner.

Gemma and Lou Teasdale photographed with with a fan in Bangkok at a restaurant.

According to Joe Cummings, after their concert, Harry came back to Smalls and was told by Harry he and Zayn had a falling out.  

The timing of this is the concert started at 8:00 pm local time. Their set was 20 songs and and encore of 3. Their opening act was DJ ONO, and DJ Buddha was his promoter at the time. So 1D would have gone on by 8:30-9:30 pm. 1D set would have been about 1.5 - 2 hour set...they would have been done by 11:30 pm. 25 min drive back to the hotel, gets them back close to midnight. Which is when Joe says he started talking to H. There's some wiggle room in there for showers and what nots.

My Assumption - The argument has have been before the concert and before H was photographed with DJ Buddha and DJ ONO. DJ Buddha is the one who told H about Smalls and made introductions to Joe.

March 15, 2015:

Louis, Ollie Nightclub in Phuket, Thailand

March 16, 2015:

March 17, 2015: 

Harry tweets

Cheating rumors run in media as pictures of Zayn and Lauren Richardsons are published. Richardson will later say nothing happened between them, they met and enjoyed each other's company while together, then went their separate ways. Richardson eventually lands a role in June 2015 on Love Island. For years she is attacked online as the reason One Direction broke up.

March 18, 2015: 

Pictures exist of Lou Teasdale, Lux, Gemma Styles, and Lottie Tomlinson in airport in Hong Kong.

Picture of Lottie, Gemma, and Sophia taken at 1D concert.

Zayn tweet

Band plays last performance with Zayn in Hong Kong

March 19, 2015: 

Zayn is photographed in Heathrow airport in London, England at 5:00 am, Perrie is the one who picks Zayn up from the airport. The flight from Bangkok to London is 14 hours and 15 min.

Gemma and Sophia drinking a glass of wine posted on Gemma's IG.

News of Zayn's departure runs through media. Cited as stress, assumptions made about drug use.

March 20, 2015:

March 21, 2015:

Perform in Manila, Philippines

March 22, 2015:

Perform in Manila, Philippines

March 23, 2015:

Louis Tomlinson pictures published kissing Lucy Julian. 1D publicist indicates E and Louis have been broken-up for 2 weeks.

March 24, 2015:

March 25, 2015: 

Performance in Jakarta Indonesia

Statement released via Facebook that Zayn has left 1D.

Perform

March 26, 2015:

Media starts reporting Harry wants to branch out in his own solo projects, Harry crying on stage during March 25 concert.

H tweets: All the love as always. H

Liam: So glad to hear in bed after a strange 24 hours.

Niall: Been a mad few days and your support has been incredible as per usual ! This in turn Spurs us on to make the best music we possibly can

Louis: Been a crazy couple of days but know that we are going to work harder than ever to deliver the best album we've ever made for you guys !

March 27, 2015:

March 28, 2015:

Pictures of Harry in Johannesburg airport carrying guitar case

Perform at Johannesburg, South Africa

March 29, 2015:

Perform at Johannesburg, South Africa

March 30, 2015:

Pictured with Perrie in London, house hunting with Tricia Malik.

[raven-the-claw]

A Complete Guide To Chaotic Academia

bc its my fav aesthetic and there is not enough content about it

Outfits

most people say that chaotic academia is just dark academia but a little bit more messy, and, well, chaotic. the truth is, chaotic academia is A LOT more messy than dark academia. you can still use dark academia as kind of a "base", but you are going to replace your blazers with flannels, your turtlenecks with tshirts. as for pants, you can go with litteraly anything: cigarette pants, tailored trousers, ripped-up jeans or normal black leggings. i personally really ike ripped up overalls bc they give that "i dont really give a damn, im so misunderstood, my parents didnt love me, im a crazy lonely introverted teenage child" vibe...idk. whatever you wear, make sure you feel comfortable in it! even tho in chaotic academia there are almost no rules at all, here are some things that might help you!

colours: any earthy tones are fine, brown, caramel, dark green, dark red, white, etc etc

fictional characters that might inspire you:

-remus lupin

- any dpc character

- jess mariano

- sydney novak

accesories: flannels (a personal fav + they make even the most boring fit look better), cardigans, converse (bonus points if you draw/write on them or if you have them laced in a weird way), bracelets or necklaces that mean something to you, harry potter back packs, tote bags...

hairstyles: whatever you want, just make sure your hair is ALWAYS messy, looking like you just fucking woke up

Activities and Traits

ok now we're getting to the actually important part bc (repeat after me): chaotic academia is not about how you look, its about how you live and how you act. so here r some thing that might help:

- annotating books with the most unhinged random thoughts

- learning poetry or speeches word for word but not remembering most of the things for school

- studying in the (school) library and being besties with the librarian (optional)

- leaving notes (on trees, mailboxes or library books) for strangers to find

- "studying while listening to classical music" and then instead of studying you end up agressivly mouthing your favorite song

- im sure yall already heard this one, but yes, swearing and slag while discussing deep academic topics is incredibly important

- speaking of important topics: posting something important on social media knowing no one will read it

- doodles on your hands 24/7 (NO SUSAN, I DONT GIVE A DAMN THAT ITS BAD FOR MY SKIN)

- sarcasm. a lot.

- random thoughts

- random quotes

- knowing a ton of conspiracy theories that you dont even beileve in by heart

- listening to all different types of podcasts

- one day reading the classics, the next ya fantasy and day after that ao3 smut

- multifandom, multishipper

- tea/coffee addiction

- adding b.c. to todays date when writing it in school

- random thoughts and the weirdest annotations in your school notebooks, especially the classes that you find boring

- "going to the bathroom" and then spending half of your math class drawing/reading/smoking/crying/thinking/whatever the fuck you wanna do there bc ur tired of everything

- stealing random stuff from stores (tho it is not encouraged blah blah blah)

- watching gilmore girls every fall

- telling people ur favorite colour is green even tho it isnt just to let them know that ur gay

- reading in class, on breaks, at home, parks, meetings, aethletic events, and generally all the fucking time

- doing (mostly) everything last minute

- bad at photography, but you enjoy it

- cold tea my beloved

- wearing one item every day: it can either be a necklace, a flannel, a bracelet, a badge, headphones, earrings etc etc

- extremely messy handwriting, always writing with black pen

- crying at least once a day, but only when ur alone, being super emotional but never showing it

- hobbies include reading, screaming in your pillow, learning unique languages that you will probably never use, rewatching dead poets society, harry potter, enola holmes, end of the fucking world and gilmore girls

- massive bookworm, reads all the time, always has a book with them

- skipping class, not that often tho

- 💫anger issues💫

- hyperactive and lazy at the same time

- uses big words but makes fun of other people when they do it

- writes (rebellious) book quotes everywhere, every single one of their notebooks had IF WE BURN, YOU BURN WITH US written in them lol

- random useless powerpoints

- analysing taylor swift's folklore and evermore instead of sheakspeare because its just better

- retired almost-emo, had a phase when they wore black and acted all mysterious but were never really emo i cant explain it

- likes mcr. this one speaks for itself.

- gay and sad. no explanation needed.

Books, Movies and Music

Books:

- Harry Potter by you know who (WE DONT SUPPORT HER THO)

- The Secret History by Donna Tartt

- Night School by CJ Daugherty (is that how u spell it lol)

- The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

- Emma by Jane Austen

- Hamlet by Do I Really Need To Say Who

- The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

- The Picture of Dorain Gray by Oscar Wilde

- Frankenstein by Marry Shelley

Movies/TV Shows

- end of the fucking world

- heartstopper

- harry potter

- enola holmes

- dead poets society

- gilmore girls

- httyd (no kidding lol)

im not really a film girlie so if yall have any recs please lmk

Music:

- Mother Mother

- Taylor Swift (obviously)

- Lana Del Slay

- Conan Gray

- Olivia Rodrigo

- My Chemical Romance

- Lovejoy

- Bowie

- Queen

- Radiohead

- Björk

- Those random Disney songs i know you scream to at 3am

also whoever sings the IMJUSTATEENAGEDIRTBAGBAABBYY song

here is my playlist if yall wanna listen to it

hope that helps lol

[allisonmysidee]

Omg you're the new Poundshop:( Same thing happened to her - she tried to be a bit more reasonable, and defend Rosa or at least present a balanced view of their situation, and she got shit for that. I personally think the majority of samblr are lovely and reasonable people, but there's a tiny but very vocal group (of teens or even pre-teens maybe) for whom Sam is their first celebrity crush, and they make it like openly personal with Rosa, she's the reason for everything that went wrong with him, his music, his career, etc. She's the Olivia Wilde to his Harry Styles. But at the same time they don't have enough real-life experience with interpersonal rlationships, so they need a constant, daily drip-feed of assurance that they're not gonna last, it's not serious, etc. etc. I would assume that's very exhausting to be on the receiving end of that. Parasocial relationships would do that to you.

I personally think we can discuss the imbalanced power dynamics of their relationship without crossing that line. The reason it's such a persistent topic on here, after all, is because the majority of us had a similar experience in our personal lives - we're really talking about ourselves here when we're talking about them. I even think we can dislike her (today's roast session @ Julia's was really funny for example😂) - and still keep it above making it personal or ganging up against those who disagree with us. 🤷‍♀️ But apparently it's a real struggle for some?🤷‍♀️

Yup! And once I leave they’ll do it to the next account!! Yet it’s constantly questioned why we turn our asks off and everything😅 you’ve put this perfectly though!! Xx

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #73 (The Finale!): 2022

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Glass Animals, Harry Styles, The Kid Laroi, Adele, Ed Sheeran, Jack Harlow, Lotto, Justin Bieber, Kodak Black, Elton John and Dua Lipa. End description]

More information about this blog here

And now we're at the final poll. Much like the previous years, many of the songs featured here are from previous years. This is mostly due to how Billboard calculates their hits and there are other methods of calculating the charts. But since this blog focuses in Billboard, that's the metric we're going with.

It's hard to know for certain which direction pop music is headed at this moment since we're still in it. Depending on how things go, it seems like TikTok is going to continue to be a taste maker when it comes to popular music. This could also account for why pop songs are getting shorter. The "verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus" format is not set in stone. In fact if you followed this blog since the beginning, you've seen the beginning and rise of this pop song format in the late 1950's.

Also from what I can see, it looks like pop music is taking a more meta direction, with overt influences and references to recent pop music history. This can be seen in both stylistic choices, such as the synth-pop influences in Harry Styles' As It Was, to the way samples are used. Jack Harlow's First Class samples previous poll entry, Fergie's Glamorous, and Latto's Big Energy samples Mariah Carey's Fantasy -- which samples The Tom Tom Club's Genius of Love.

The charts are admittedly in an awkward place right now. I'm looking at the Hot 100 right now and I'm having trouble putting together a narrative (other than "wow, people forgave Morgan Wallen fast lol"). Between the lockdown, shifting tastes and listening habits of audiences, economic factors, and the splintering of the streaming industry, "pop music" doesn't mean the same thing it did fifty years ago. Or even twenty years ago. But between influences from the changing political climates, the rise and fall of different genres, developments in music technology, and the question over the cost of music, the one consistent thing about pop music is that it isn't consistent.

Thank you to everyone who took part in these polls. I'll post a follow-up post shortly wrapping things up and discussing the future of this blog.

[cantquitu]

Do you think stars understand what you and that anon were saying about fandom being comforting? A place of refuge during lonely times? I wonder what it feels like to be so focused on the music making and the good collaborations with producers, photographers, designers, all that, and then the people at the end of it just talk about you being their comfort person. It must feel frustrating in a way. Like I can see that Harry seems to try to understand it and goes to an effort to say good things during shows. Or he's just a super duper nice man. But most artists ignore that - I suppose it is verging on the parasocial if it gets out of hand.

I think the question of whether or not stars understand how comforting fandom can be totally depends on the individual stars. These days, you can count on a number of stars knowing how much of a refuge fandom can be because they experienced it firsthand. Artists like Halsey and Mitski jump to mind, but across all genres you'll find artists who were passionate online fans before they became famous. They get it. Not saying they enjoy it when they themselves are the subject of the online fandom, but they understand what it means.

Then you have the artists who learned about it pretty quickly through their rapid ascent to fame. Pop artists like Harry and Taylor learned that their audiences' investment in fandom was integral to their success, and they embraced it to varying degrees and in different ways. In rock and alt/indie it's the same (I'm not familiar with other genre fandoms). Some artists engage, some don't. Some are oblivious to it and don't understand it.

I have no doubt that Harry genuinely appreciates and values the sense of community, friendship, connection, and support that his fans (not him!) have built up around him. I think he very much understands that it's not all about him.

As to artists being frustrated when they invest so much creativity and work into their art "and then people at the end of it just talk about you being your comfort person" - I don't think you're accurately representing online fandom. Yes, fans may see the artist as their comfort person but in general it's not a case of "just". It's not either/or. The part we're discussing here is the comfort/refuge of fandom; but that's additional. The crux of fandom is appreciation and emotional investment in the music. Interest in what inspired it, how and why it was made and with whom, and how it makes you feel.

Of course, online fandom spaces often skew away from the music and towards the personal - that's natural. It doesn't mean it replaces the music. For us for example, Harry hasn't released new music in nearly three years. He doesn't do reissues or remixes or featured artist collabs. We interrogated every inch of his music when it came out. He then took it on tour and we interrogated every inch of the live interpretations. It's been 18 months since he's engaged publicly. I've no interest in dredging up posts about lyrical interpretations or whatever.

But outside the online fandom space, Harry's music is part of my life. I listen to it all the time. Depending on my mood or location, I'm still discovering new connections with it. And that's predominantly where my fandom lives until he comes back to us.

Like, just last Monday I went for new year's dinner with a friend of mine at a restaurant where music is a big part of the vibe, they have DJs most nights etc. And they were playing a load of late 70s soul. My friend is a DJ and our music tastes differ hugely but converge on 90s indie and 70s funk :) So we were chatting about it when the DJ played Ain't We Funking Now by the Brothers Johnson, which Harry sampled for Daydreaming. I said it to her and she was really surprised - "Harry Styles? Really?! I'll have to check that out" - and that made me really happy cos I know she'll love it, and it's another little musical connection made.

I suppose what I'm saying is, being a fan of someone's work is not confined to online spaces. But the refuge and comfort of online fan spaces is something special and additional (and mine! 😀)

[a-larry-retrospective-blog]

When I say "Louis Tomlinson haunting the Haylor narrative is my favourite genre" I need people to know that I mean it. And I mean it when I say the dude HAUNTS the Haylor narrative, like he's the ghost of Christmas past; there are so many examples of it, but my absolute favourite is the compass, because it's just... So much.

So. H got the ship, right? At the peak of Haylor, when they were the IT couple everybody knew (which. Isn't it ironic that then Mr Styles spent the consequent... 5 years of songwriting? Or something?, talking about a relationship that was mostly secret? And everyone was like "this is about TS"? Anyway).

And the thing is. The thing is. The Haylor narrative had always been hilarious to me bc they truly did The Most. Honestly, no one did as much as those two pr teams combined did to make a relationship believable, and no one did such an AWFUL job (with the exception of hiddleswift, which was more tongue-in-cheek and self-aware anyway) in the history of pr relationships. Their story was so backwards and convoluted it doesn't even sound like they proofread the blurb of the narrative they were going to put out. I'm sure miss Tree is still having nightmares about it twelve years down the line and she wasn't even involved.

And I truly truthfully love how they both embraced it completely. Like, miss swift does her little thing where she'll write a song about someone, and sometimes she'll be very tongue-in-cheek about it, but nowhere she did it as much as she did with Harry, and H was Definitely up for the challenge, considering he named a whole ass track 'Trouble' and the nonsensical mentions of 'thirteen' just for the fun of it.

They had their fun building a narrative from scratch and I love that for them!

Because there is no fucking way IKYWT is for Harry. Like. It's 2024, I hope we all know that song was not for harry and I'm sure HE knew the song had nothing to do with him, but by god did they TRY to convince us of the contrary.

Did it make sense timeline-wise? Absolutely not, even if you try to grasp at straws, but oh, did they try.

Now, I'm sure we all remember the VMAs, highlight of my career, cameras panning to Harry absolutely unbothered, moisturised, clapping and chewing his gum as Miss Swift dedicated the award to the person who inspired the song, all while our homeboy was seething with passive-aggressiveness (dude didn't even clap! Their one-sided feud gives me life). Truly L was one with the larries in being a Haylor anti.

But we're not here to discuss that.

Because at least by then TS and H had broken up and it made some modicum of sense for her to be dedicating a song about a failed relationship to him. I mean, it made no sense to think she had written it with Harry in mind (Red was made while they maybe had seen each other once, not to mention it's famously about another relationship), much less to think she had made the video with him in mind (they were off gallivanting together! Why the fuck would she make a video like that about him). But that's the narrative that was circulating! And the funniest part is: the ship was used as evidence.

I'm sorry if I bring back some unwanted memories, but this is like. My absolute favourite thing. No headline has headlined the way this headline headlined. Notice that the ink was basically still fresh on the lovely boat (six fucking am in the morning, L hadn't even done his yet i think) and they were already putting out feelers so that H's tattoo would be linked to the video, which would link him to the song.

I'm not even saying he couldn't have been influenced by that tattoo (maybe he saw it and thought it was a cool idea), but you do see how "the removable tattoo a guy had for the music video about a sad song my gf wrote" is so far removed from "romantic tattoo idea to remember said gf" it would almost be insulting? They didn't care. They were doing The Absolute Most in pr terms, and it didn't even work!

Because, like a real presence haunting the narrative, Louis Tomlinson got the fucking compass that very same day. He truly was like "did you think this was about his fling with Blondie? Think again!" and that? That is so lovely to me. That is such a good way to haunt and counteract the narrative. Nothing will ever beat that and I'm grateful I got to witness it.

[alarrytale]

I’ve been reading all the discussions about H&L’s careers and their possible contractual obligations. H is on a constant rise, achieving everything that’s the ultimate popstar dream™️. He’s presented as fully embracing the pop/rockstar lifestyle and seems to love and relic the fame, but then he does interviews saying things like, *“Everything people say about you isn’t true,”* whether it’s good or bad, which feels quite contradictory (idk if that's the word dychotomic maybe).

Meanwhile, Louis was the heart of the band—the key songwriter with the distinctive high voice that shaped several songs. Yet, despite how essential he was, management, the label, and producers always seemed to work against him. When the band broke up, it hit him hard. He felt like he’d only just started finding his place.

FITF debuted at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. In the U.S., it hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart and No. 5 on the Billboard 200— The push to carry on with his music career, his hard work—both personally andnmusically, the album’s success, combined with sold-out shows on his tour, proved not only that directioners (larries&louies) still had his back but also he’s gained plenty of new fans along the way.

And yet, for some reason, all this success doesn’t seem to get celebrated in mainstream media. Maybe that’s why Louis, in interviews, tends to downplay what success really means to him (maybe he believes it but I think he also would like to be achieving other more mainstream milestones).

But honestly, when you think about his journey—from boybander to solo artist with his personal history and everything—his PR team should be launching him into the stratosphere. Still, it feels like something’s holding it all back, and I think we all have an idea what that *something* might be.

Hi, anon!

Yes, Harry seems to have it all, but at the same time he's doing things like the MFASR video that leads us to believe everything is not as rosy as it may seem when you read the papers.

Louis is succeeding despite his image. A good part of his fans are larries, not buying into his image, and we're carrying his career lets be real. If he had an advantagous image like H does, dating celebrities, showing off with your Hollywood friends, driving fast cars, vacationing in Italy and at the same time had the budget that Harry is given, things would be different. If he also weren't sabotaged, Louis would do as well as Niall does, or even better.

[sacredflorist]

Get to know the mun

What made you pick the current muse(s) you have ? I always like to say the muse chooses, I don't choose them 😂 But of course, I always write characters I love! If we're speaking about Aerith's case, I wrote her for a few years and I had a lot of fun, and I felt like writing her again. She's such an interesting character to explore because she's very complex :3

Is there anything you don't like to write ? I don't write smut ? This is the first thing that comes to my mind, but also extreme violence or physical abuses. It's not my cup of tea at all!

Is there anything you really enjoy writing ? Everything that allows me to deepen my character! Very strong feelings, for example. Anger, sadness, love... anything thing, but when they feel strongly, it's always very interesting to write! And I also love to explore parts of the canon that was briefly mentioned but not shown, for example.

How do you come up with headcanons ? It's very random, actually 😂 Sometimes, it's because I'm playing the game and it makes me think of something, sometimes it's because of something that happens in a thread, sometimes it starts with discussing with irl or rp friends... it really depends!

Do you write in silence or do you play music ? I mostly listen to music because I think it's relaxing and it allows me to concentrate, even if sometimes I'm too passionate about the songs I'm listening to 😂 I like to make playlist for my character, too! It's always interesting, and I love listening to my mixes on Spotify, too, depending on the mood of the thread.

Do you plan your replies or wing them ? I mostly wing them, but sometimes when I read someone reply, I might have an idea right away so I note it in the drafts. It doesn't mean I'll keep it in the end, but I often do.

Do you enjoy shipping ? I do, but I prefer to ship with people I talk with ooc at least a bit. It really is just for my own comfort, nothing personal haha! And I prefer to have a small number of romantic ships because I love to explore different kinds of dynamic. I'm open to it though of course, and I absolutely adore my ships :3 I like when they come naturally through interactions, these are the best kind 🥰

What's your aliase/name ? Sam

Age ? 28 but 29 very soon 😂

Birthday ? In late March hehe!

Favorite color(s) ? Red ❤

Favorite song(s) ? It's very hard to pîck one! But I'm a Swiftie so I'll go with a Taylor Swift song! These days I'd say it's "my tears ricochet" 🥺

Last movie you watched ? I'm pretty sure it's The Eras Tour when it was released on Disney plus! I saw it before but I needed to watch it again, and that full version haha :3

Last show you watched ? I did a Cardcaptor Sakura rewatch for the first time in so many years LOL

Last song you listened to ? "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles

Favorite food ? I'm a seafood girl! Anything with seafood, and sushi too! These always make me happy!

Favorite season ? Summer! When it's warm and comfortable in the evening, not when it's humid though 😂 Swimming late in the evening is the best though!

Do you have a Tumblr best friend ? I do and I'm vey grateful. I don't think I need to name them, they know who they are ❤

Tagged by: @origami-assassin, thank you 😊 Tagging: YOU ;D

[veryfancydoilies]

hello there merry christmas!! i was your secret santa. i had such a lovely time getting to know you and i hope we continue to interact from here on out! i love the vibes of your blog. i saw in your description that you might be a harry potter fan as well? (correct me if i’m wrong) but i am a proud gryffindor myself. tell me, have you read all the harry potters/films? if so, have you got a favourite?

i didn’t want to mention a very important detail about me/my blog as i was afraid i would be giving my identity away too soon but, i am a massive 10cc fan. i have a bit of a thing for their lead guitarist, eric stewart, who is tremendously talented and just the most adorable thing i have ever seen. i would be more than happy to tell you more about 10cc if you are interested, but they are a lot like the beatles and for me personally, they are my soulmate band. i’ve only known about them for about a year but i can tell you that it feels as if i have known them for as long as i have known the beatles.

well i hope you are having a wonderful christmas season, my dear. thank you for such terrific discussions, and of course you are always more than welcome to swing by my blog whenever you like. anyways, i will talk to you soon. may all your wishes come true ✨

Oh hi there!! Merry Christmas to you!! I hope you're having a wonderful Christmas! I've been spending time with family since yesterday and got a lot of good presents! So you like classic rock AND Harry Potter! AND you're also a Gryffindor!! Yep we're going to get along just fine lol. I actually got a HUGE book fot Christmas that has behind the scenes pictures from the HP movies and concept art. Truthfully I've only watched the movies. I tried to read the books in the past but I never got into them though. I'll try again at least little. I could skip around if I want too. Also I've been sort of distancing myself from HP merchandise because of JK Rowling's bigotry. Have you read the books and watched the movies? Whay do you think of them? I didn't really like the ending to be honest (ugh those terrible wigs) but themovies are still very special to me.

I've never heard of the band 10cc so it's unlikely I would have looked them up but thanks for being cautious anyways! I've been careful to not reveal too much about my interests myself when talking to my Secret Santa partner. Yeah I’d love it if you could tell me more about them. I like exploring music. From blog your blog I can tell you also like George Harrison and John Lennon :). I really like them too. I’d love to talk about them with you too. I’m still lacking in Beatles knowledge so if you could help me out I’d really appreciate it! You remember that ask game I posted? Iwant to post a new one and I’d like you to ask me those questions because I want us to get to know each other even more and I thought it would be fun? I told my Secret Santa partner the same. If you’d like me to ask you those questions, I’m happy to do that too! Talk to you later and thank you for being my Secret Santa! Merry Christmas!

[goldenfharry]

Everything is been taken so seriously. What he posts, who he's hanging out with, WHY is he hanging out with them, if he's fucking them, if there's a bigger plan behind it, why he did this? why he did that? People fighting eachother all the time! We have lost the plot.

REAL. Some people have reached the point where Harry is not just an artist they love but an object for projection and the parasocial relationship with him is getting out of hand. What Harry is giving us is MUSIC. And we should stick to that. We have not the right to know what he does in his life, openly discuss it, scpeculate it and act as if we know because WE DON'T and we SHOULDN'T know. Some people feel entitled to know as if they have any say in it. None of us has. I get why people acted the way they acted with Holivia. It was a stunt and he did it for the public to see. That was the purpose in the first place. But now this Harry and Brad discussion is making me feel uncomfortable because I feel like we're intruders to his privacy. Whatever his relationship with him is, we shouldn't put our noses in it. In case they are just friends and nothing more, people blow it up and make it into something that it isn't like Larries did. And in case there is something more in between them, people are talking about his private, romantic, sex life openly on the internet which is gross. It's WRONG and intrusive. We are not his friends. We might feel close to him because we love him and think we know him but it's not the same for him. For him we are STRANGERS discussing his life on the internet. His MUSIC is for our entertainment. Not his life. We have to learn to separate the two and let him live.

You are absolutely right but this will never be consensual. People think that they respect him, but they really don’t. The fact that someone posted a tiktok of him today where you can see and hear him kindly rejecting a pic request says everything. If he denied the pic, why would you think that it’s actually a good idea to record him without his consent and post it for the whole world? And before someone says that it happened before because he’s a celebrity, well, we can’t spent our lives justifying our actions based on others. That’s just wrong. Don’t record him when he clearly doesn’t want to. Don’t post it for everyone to see it. And sadly, my impression is that people are getting worse and worse with him. He is not public property, he’s human!

[kimyoonmiauthor]

Heartstopper review Netflix

So more like a quick rundowns of the positives and negatives of the show. I'm not doing a summary. Mild spoilers ahead, but no plot specifics.

Positives:

It shows very well how coming out is a process, rather than all at once. This eliminates the straight gaze pat-on-the back.

I think it shows how being an ally and allies saying things is sometimes really awkward really well.

It shows queer joy very well. I enjoyed that.

It addresses sexual assault well by labeling it for what it is.

It features a lot of different identities at once.

The music is spot on

The explaining of what prejudice feels like is really spot on. Especially long term prejudice.

The parents are also lovely in the show as most of the adults. Honestly makes my queer heart hurt since I didn't get that for the majority of my life.

I like the shades of queer acceptance from family members--that's more realistic.

Honestly, Tao is my favorite character. Feels effortless. I'd love him to be pan or omni... ^^;; If the actor consents.

I love how queerness kisses the line between casual rep yet not token, but never veers into kill your gays, or queer tragic. It's queer joy with a side of nuance.

I like that the jerk is called Harry, seems like a reference.

I like it shows what comes after coming out, so it's not I've come, out now fight with the straight people, and then movie is over feeling. It shows there is hope and process, etc afterwards.

I like show it shows queer adults so it doesn't end with being teens. It talks about being a queer adult and discovering it late.

There are multiples of the identity shown and it talks carefully, but smartly about "passing".

The reference to Pirates of the Caribbean making a lot of people realize they were Bi, I appreciated it, though honestly, hated it for the racism and said so when I watched it. 'cause really disliked the rep on Voudou, and was called uptight for it. (We're no longer friends) And if I'm complaining, and read objections, then yeah, gotta be worse for the ID.

The smooth insert of a wheelchair user. I appreciated that.

Yes to queer solidarity.

The code switching is done really well in both French and Cantonese.

I like how it's mostly discovery, and the conflict is mostly undercut, but if they are together, they feed each other rather than it being one note all the time.

Asian boy gets to date I also like rather than the usual desexualizing.

The discussion of mental health and the intersectionality with queer teens, in particular, I liked.

Talking about consent is some of the best.

Talking about the unpleasantness of being outed without permission is done well.

Negatives:

I think for identities that are not completely one way or another, it kind of skims past them. It's the prominent LGBTQIA (though missing the I and two As.) For example, nonbinary (including agender etc), intersex of any kind, aromantic (She's working on it I think), gray-a (demi included of either ID), pan and/or omni. Feels more like mainstream queer identities. There's also generally queer rather than one. at. a. time. I'd like more shades for series 3 and intersectionality. The creator is not one at a time either. So I have faith they'll get there.

Questioning isn't shown very well. I'm not a fan of that. I thought it was shown by half and how confusing it all is with Nick, but for some reason I felt it was undercut a lot by Ben because he was questioning for much longer and was an AH about it. I thought shades of questioning were left out as well. I did like the whole doom and gloom feel after feeling joy at having a label. I felt that. Some nuance I felt was flattened for this ID. I sometimes get akoiromantic or apromantic from Ben, but I'd prefer him not being an A about it.

Tao mostly mentions American and UK movies. He speaks Cantonese, and Cantonese movies have subs, so I'm kind of surprised he's not shared them with his friends. I mean Kung Fu Hustle, objectively is a great movie. Stephen Chow? There's also plenty of Cantonese Language Rom Coms too for him to love. We live in an era where you can get subs on anything. Take advantage of it. For me as an Asian I also like watching shows with people of my own nationality and face. He has the internet and computer.

I feel somewhat 50/50 on some of the animation because sometimes it feels added as if it doesn't trust the actors to deliver, rather than added because it adds something. I think in series 2, it got a bit better so it enhances, rather than shows a lack of trust. That said, the animated cut aways I really like--where it animates around imagined things said in prejudice, etc.

Asexual extroverts also exist? Almost all of the Aces I've seen on TV tend to be introverts, outcasts and weirdos. But I'd also like to see ambiverts, aces that like flirting (which also exist), gray-aces (including demis), and aces that get along with other people in their friend groups very well. Black Stripe isn't the only way to "prove aceness" the majority of aces just don't feel primary sexual attraction or it goes away later (demis and some gray-a's feel secondary sexual attraction). It doesn't come with other personality traits like "hating other people" or are all introverted. I'd like to see this challenged. What's step 2 after coming out? 'cause there is ace joy too.

Race isn't handled as well as the queer rep. I don't feel the same degree of race joy that I do queer joy.

Where are the desis besides Farouk?

All of the PoCs are paired with different race PoCs? The only same race couples are white. And I'm not saying that PoC/PoC interracial dating is "wrong" but I'd like to also see the reality that some PoCs also date same race too.

[septembersghost]

The reason why this is bothering me is also because she is literally with a man who was doing nazi salute, is a racist, is a misogynist while she herself spoke up against it and said " There’s literally nothing worse than white supremacy. It’s repulsive. There should be no place for it." As a POC WHY IS SHE WITH A MAN WHO DID THIS WHEN SHE HERSELF IS AGAINST IT? Dont even get me started on the disgusting comments he made about her

i know it, and i hear you all and share in this distress and empathize so much, it's just really hard because we can't affect or change it, which makes me unsure where we go from here.

my inbox was overflowing, but i didn't publicly talk much about the breakup because i was hesitant to speak about something we honestly have next to no information about, and for me (i know a lot of fans haven't felt this way, and that's fine, just speaking for myself), joe has never done anything to warrant vilifying him that we can concretely point to. inferences from surprise songs don't actually tell me anything. inferences from PR-speak articles don't either. i cannot claim to know what he/she/they did or said or what happened between them that ended their relationship, nor do i feel it's my place to do so. i can also admit honestly that i fell into the trap of romanticizing, because the songs she wrote were so beautiful and moving that it captivated my hopeless romantic heart in wanting to believe it would last and in rooting for their happiness (and some of that is projection, which i can also admit, because i don't know what it's like to experience a love like that, so it was a golden ideal in my head). if we eventually get more information or the situation changes in some way, then we can discuss it more, but as it stands, joe's only "crime" is...not being able to cope with the intense spotlight anymore? being too introverted (an accusation that hurts my feelings personally lol)? not showing up for her (definitely would be an issue)? we have no real idea, but to our knowledge, he also has no abusive or harmful behavior on record, and i'm still grateful she had him in her life, and that their love existed, and that the music still exists forever.

matty's whole deal is...like the opposite? which maybe that's what she's seeking right now, again, we don't and can't know. but it would be one thing if he was, like, a ~bad boy~ reputation with no verifiably harmful words and actions, and that isn't the case. he's said and done rancid stuff, and it's off-putting and confusing at the least, repulsive and bigoted at the worst.

i assume the misogynistic comments he made about her (which! ironically fans were accusing joe of thinking somehow, even though he's never once said anything close to that. um?), he apologized for or they worked out amongst themselves years ago directly, and i said this to animalanon in a comment yesterday (😞 we love you, animalanon!), but the problem here is that, while there absolutely should be space to forgive people for mistakes and for grace following growth and recognition and whatever apology might be warranted - if matty had only done these things when he was in his twenties, i'd say, hey, people change, let's not immediately judge here, but it's all very recent. we're not discussing antics from a decade ago, we're discussing abhorrent comments from, like, six weeks ago. what he said about harry, what he said about ice spice which then extended into further racism, the n/zi salute, the edgelord behavior, it's all current, and the closest thing he did as far as remorse goes was an "i'm sorry if you're offended" apology, which isn't an actual apology. so. yeah. it's not great!

(i'm also very selfishly sad as a fan that all of this has taken away from tour and the celebration of her career and now even the joy for SNTV, which we've been waiting for so excitedly!)

he 100% deserves to be called out on these things, and we should question her willingness to associate herself with him when the things he has done are antithetical to everything she says she stands for and has spoken against. idk it feels demoralizing and helpless since there's nothing we can do but watch it unfold and hope for the best (she comes to her senses and emerges unscathed). we can allow her room to be human and flawed while still disagreeing (and feeling concern, which i do) where need be.

[ear-worthy]

Songs My Ex Ruined Podcast: Our Memories Defined By Music

When someone says, "let's start a music podcast," that path can take multiple forks in the road. You can end up with a music podcast that's like a thousand others, only you think because you and your high school friend are on it, it's special. Or, your music podcast can be so arcane that only fans of 80s Hairband Grunge, quai-blue grass, jazz fusion, bubble gum rock will listen. 

Then you have bright, lively, clever, and outspoken music journalists who devise the most devious and awesomely ear worthy music podcast developed since Song Exploder. 

Here's the premise of the Songs My Ex Ruined podcast. It's a podcast about songs people can never listen to again because their terrible exes destroyed them forever. Now, that's inspired because of the anatomy of music, and how we consume it.

Consider that we may see a movie a few times (Star Wars, Harry Potter) and read an excellent book several times. But songs we can listen to thousands of times. Over and over and over. We ascribe songs to specific events in our lives. People remember the song playing when they kissed their first romantic partner, or when a boyfriend or girlfriend broke up with them. Songs can enrage us, engage us, make us feel sorry for ourselves, or just force our bodies to move on a dance floor as if we're out of control.

So that's the emotional F5 tornado that Songs My Ex Ruined taps into every episode.

The podcast, which began in November 2022, just celebrated its 50th episode last week with guest Allison Wolfe, founding member of Bratmobile, a punk rock band from the 90s and early aughts.

What's so good about this podcast? Besides the premise. First, it's the co-hosts.

Courtney E. Smith is the editor of Eater Dallas. She's a journalist of 20 years who was born and raised in Texas, with bylines in Pitchfork, Wired, Esquire, Yahoo!, Salon, Refinery29, and more.

Melissa Locker is a writer (Time Magazine among others, for nine years), editor and producer. She is the co-founder of Nevermind Media, which produces this podcast. The podcast network specializes in music podcasts, and is an all women team.

Locker and Smith are experienced music journalists with an impressive depth of knowledge on artists, songs, trends, and reactions. The co-hosts work well together on the show like peanut butter and jelly, each complementing the other. They're funny, and they're perceptive. In the first episode with Avery Trufelman (great first guest, by the way) Trufelman explains a song by the group Grizzly Bear called "Yet Again" and relates the tempo and crescendo to an orgasm. 

The co-hosts point out that orgasm can be a wildly different experience for people based on a lot of factors. The co-hosts then describe one possible orgasm as "quietly beautiful, like an Edith Wharton novel." That's awesome. I believe even Ms. Wharton would laugh if she were alive today.

The November 8, 2023, episode with T.J. Alexander about her excursion into goth culture in college allows listeners to understand more about indoctrination into college life, especially for those from rural areas. She had started dating an older guy who was into goth music and who loved the band Type O Negative, especially the song "Love You to Death." Alexander explains how she outgrew her first boyfriend on campus and his ridiculous claims about the 1922 film Nosterfu and a Type O Negative album he claimed could be played perfectly in sync with the movie. Spoiler alert: He was full of shit.

In case you're wondering, it's not only women on the podcast as guests. On the December 7, 2023, episode with podcaster Ronald Young, Jr., he discusses his relationship with a younger woman who was crazy for rapper Lil' Wayne and would rap his lyrics incessantly everywhere. Other notable guests include musicians Marnie Stern, K. Flay, Sadie Dupuis, and Abigail Barlow; comedians Kyle Gordon, Ivy Le, and Gianmarco Soresi; authors Lane Moore, Nabil Ayers, and TJ Alexander; and podcaster Jane Marie. The show is using the occasion of its 50th episode to launch a newsletter and Patreon, where listeners can vie for a shot to tell their own stories about songs that were ruined for them. 

That's the beauty of this podcast. It's like renewable energy. You've never in danger of not having enough material. Everybody has a story to tell linking music to a breakup. Remember the 1981 single from The Greg Kihn Band, The Breakup Song, where Kihn celebrates the quality of breakup songs in rock's earlier times, as the narrator laments both his recent breakup and the fact that they don't write good breakup songs anymore Songs My Ex Ruined scores a big recommendation from me. First, it's terrific for music fans who get a listen to a wide variety of musical genres and artists, from Spice Girls to Justin Bieber, Modest Mouse to Magnapop. 

Second, the music is the launch point for deeper discussions of relationships -- sustaining them, ending them, and reinvigorating them.

Third, the co-hosts are a delight to listen to and are adept interviewers, handling episode guests with skill, sensitivity, humor, and curiosity.

Finally, the concept sparks our memories from months, years, or decades ago and how we felt at one point in our lives -- sad, disenchanted, confused, heartbroken, or relieved.