Valentine, the Roman saint that has people around the world banging every 14th February in his name. In fact, according to a recent survey, 54% of people say Valentine’s Day is the occasion when they have the best sex.
So, who is this horny saint? Well, he was an empathetic babe who defied Emperor Claudius II in the name of love and, alas, was beheaded. Legend has it that when the Emperor decided single men make better soldiers than those with wives, he made marriage for young men illegal, and in response, Valentine fucked the system and continued to marry people in secret. In short, he was a simp, and he was killed. But, whatever. This article is not about digging up some dusty history, it’s about this month’s Radical Tracks playlist which takes the theme Unconventional Love Songs – a tribute to ourselves, a serenade to our souls.
Researching this month’s tracks it struck me how many songs were about loving another person, I always realised a lot of music centres around love, but the sheer density of music that is based on romantic relationships is incredible. The psychology of music determined about 67% of lyrics in every song, every decade from the 60s, is somehow about love. Based on this, it can be argued that from such a young age we are conditioned by society, music and culture to look to romance for fulfilment, for those greatest and most powerful moments in our lives, there needs to be another person to spark that emotional magnetism.
However, when we spend our time looking outward for connections to fill that void, we often forget to tend to the most powerful and deeply fulfilling love we can have, and that is the love we have for ourselves. Self-love can often be as tumultuous as romantic, as many of us find it more difficult to love the person we are than to give love elsewhere. According to the National Science Foundation, an average person has around 12,000-60,000 thoughts per day, of which 80% are negative and 95% are repetitive, additionally about 85% of people worldwide struggle with low self-esteem. Joining these dots, it can be determined many of our daily thoughts are self-deprecating, disorientated and digress from building our self-worth.
Learning to look within ourselves with more tenderness, to accept our vulnerabilities and nurture our divine energy is an ongoing process and takes daily work. But, as cheesy as it sounds, once you fall in love with yourself, there are no limits to what you can accomplish and the energies that you can draw into your life.
These 22 tracks are curated with the intention of giving you a renewed sense of power and love towards yourself this Valentine’s Day. Expect a combination of ambient, hyper pop and alt-rap to encourage a more meditative and reflective state of mind, but also to ignite a fuck that attitude towards the necessity to have a partner in your life.
The playlist is unconventional as it is a collection of love songs especially and exclusively for, yours truly.
Happy Valentines to you! <3
Words and curation by Charlotte Hingley
