Vicious Little Love Songs

Who doesn’t love a good vicious little love song? You know the kind, dripping with animosity and sarcasm? But what are some of the best? This week, we trawl through the pop archives to find out.

When it comes to picking vicious little love songs, there’s plenty of choice with one band: Fleetwood Mac. This is due – not only to the fact that every one of them seemingly slept with each other at one time or another and then wrote about it – but also due to one of the greatest rock love affairs of all time: Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham.

This was their rejected “Old Spice” Ad

Their numerous break-ups and reunions gave rise to many great songs. Buckingham wrote “Go You Own Way” about her, telling Nicks, “Loving you isn’t the right thing to do.”

Nicks’ response? A little ditty called “Silver Springs”, which contain some of the most menacing break-up lyrics ever. It all starts innocently enough with Nicks telling him:

“You could be my silver spring
Blue-green colours flashing”

However, when she realises this will never be the case, things take a turn for the sinister, as she tells him:

“I’ll follow you down
Till the sound of my voice will haunt you
You’ll never get away
From the sound of the woman that loved you”

Stalker alert!

In “Silver Springs”, Nicks also says, “And did you say she was pretty? Oh, I don’t wanna know”, lines which have a striking similarity to the next angry love song on the list, Alanis Morrisette’s “You Oughta Know”. In this song in which she questions her ex-lover about his new squeeze, Morrisette doesn’t pull any punches:

“It was a slap in the face how quickly I was replaced
Are you thinking of me when you f*** her?”

“And every time I scratch my nails down someone else’s back
I hope you feel it…well can you feel it”

Woah!

But before it starts to seem like the ladies have the monopoly on crazy-ass ex lyrics – fear not – we give you, Elvis Costello.

Let’s see, what rhymes with “I hate your guts”?

Yes, old Elvis is the King of snark and this is nowhere more evident than on the song “I Want You”. Reputedly written about his now ex, Cait O’ Riordan, this song contains such lines of love as:

“Did you mean to tell me but seem to forget?
Since when were you so generous and inarticulate?”

Zing! But it gets better.

“It’s knowing that he knows you now after only guessing
It’s the thought of him undressing you or you undressing”

“I want to know the things you did that we do too
I want to hear he pleases you more than I do”

“Did you call his name out as he held you down?
Oh no my darling not with that clown”

So there you have it. If you’re thinking of dating a singer/songwriter (or indeed, breaking up with one) just be aware of what you might have in store.

Countless generations singing lyrics about how you suck!

 

(Image: Click the pic for credits)