It’s Valentines! The day everyone pretends they don’t care about but secretly hopes there will be a bouquet of flowers waiting at every new location they arrive at. Obviously couples get the lion’s share of the attention on this not-at-all-commercial holiday, and single people also get shout outs in a “Happy Pal-entines” way. But what of those in the Upside-Down of the dating world: people in long distance relationships. It is we who keep the app Skype afloat, who have saved NZ Post and who’s love miles (my nickname for flights) are rapidly increasing the rate of Climate Change. As someone with rich experience in the matter (my boyfriend moved to Wellington two days ago) I’ve put together the best tracks to get you through your Valentines apart.
Drake – Passionfruit
Nothing says sad-boy love better than Drake and this moody little bop, which talks about being “passionate from miles away” is a perfect track to get you through the day. Also a passionate itself- sweet but also filled with seeds – is a great metaphor for the hardships but ultimate sweetness of your long disty.
Lorde – The Louvre
At first this may not seem like a long distance song, but peel back the layers – it is. This is about a girl who’s boyfriend lives in France, but she has never been. Hence way she says they should hang them “in the back, but who cares, still the Louvre”. Embarassingly for her, she doesn’t realise the Louvre is triangular, and has no back. If her boyfriend stays with her after that, he’s the one!
Halsey – Graveyard
As the chorus states “I keep digging myself down deeper, I won’t stop till I get where you are”. Halsey here depicting the stage of a long distance romance where you start to dig through the Earth to be with your lover. This obviously applies only to people whose partners are on the exact opposite place on the planet to them. For me, for instance, I can dig all I want – I probably won’t arrive in Wellington.
Norah Jones – Turn Me On
You have to hope this song is about a long distance relationship. If Norah’s boo is just at work, but she is like “the desert waiting for the rain”, as the metaphor says… this girl is capital H Horny. Either way, she has my full respect.
Maroon 5 – Payphone
A throw back to a time of maintaining long distance PRE-MOBILE PHONES. (This song doesn’t pre-date mobile phones but it does post-date anyone ever using a pay phone).
If you think keeping the romance alive via iphone camera, imagine the nightmare of being aurally intimate on a streetwise pay phone (actually sounds kind of hot).
Shawn Mendes – Lost in Japan
So iconic, to not be in a long-distance relationship but instead seeking one out. From what I understand – they lyrics seem to say Shawn is in maybe South Korea – attempting to hook up with someone in Japan. This boy’s even hornier than Norah! Got to give a shout out to Shawn’s team if he did use take off in the middle of the night to go visit some random girl’s hotel (pre Camila obvs).
The Weeknd – Can’t Feel My Face
In my interpreThis is a song about when love gives you such a debilitating condition (here, the condition where you can’t feel your face) that you need to do long distance by necessity. Otherwise you just won’t get anything done!
Rihanna – Stay
For that moment when your long distance lover visits and then you hold them tight enough to make them miss their flight and be stuck with you forever.
Taylor Swift – Out Of The Woods
The Woods is long distance. The Clear is when you are back in the city again. Capiche?
BENEE – Find An Island
Castaway is, in many ways, a story of long distance love. Is your partner doing ok on their island? Will they fall in love with a volleyball? I think that’s what Benee is getting to with this song.
Maggie Rogers – Light On
Both about the metaphorical light you have to keep on to keep that flame alight, and also the literal light that you leave on when your partner arrives on a late flight.
Doja Cat – Cyber sex
This list couldn’t exist without an acknowledgement of one of the most important parts of a long disty: being sexy to your camera phone. Pump this one up loud so that you don’t feel so alone as you try to find the best holding-out-an-arm angle and get the lighting just right.
Beyonce feat. Lady Gaga – Video Phone
A nostalgic bop to throw back to a better time: the era of flip phones. The screens were such poor quality you didn’t have to contend with that distracting, unattractive, high def selfie of your self in the corner. In fact – I reckon you could barely see anything on those phones and in a way – wouldn’t that make us all happier.
Ariana Grande – Be Alright
I agree Ariana, we are 🙂
Check out more long distance love songs below!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0192LNMIELH071VPaux9Q2?si=t01TI-1xRbeBLeLtkkTisQ
SEE MORE: Let’s Get It On: The Best Love Songs Ever
