To Hold & Heal
Playlist and Article by: Gunakkshi Garg
Heartbreak is not a moment, it is a journey. It is a journey through which one holds on, hates, heaves a sigh and finally– heals. This playlist is that journey through music, including artists who are fan favourites such as Ariana Grande, ABBA, and Billy Joel, as well as underrated musicians such as Mazzy Star, mxmtoon and Colony House.
“I’m here regardless of the pain, don’t ever tell me to go away...”
-”I Know You”, Faye Webster
Heartbreak is most often accompanied by denial and a kind of perseverance which probably only love can beget. Many people end up tolerating all kinds of inflictions on themselves to hold onto a love they deem worthy. At the end of the day, rose-tinted glasses are often just blood-stained.
“If there’s a point to losing love...this must be what Hell is like...”
-Saturn, SZA
Once you accept the reality, nothing can keep the sadness at bay: nothing should. What is grief if not love persevering? It’s important to mourn your love so that you can bury it: once and for all.
“I saw the signs and I ignored them... I needed to lose you to love me.”
-”Lose You to Love Me”, Selena Gomez
Perhaps the most important realisation involved here is one gained in retrospection: that what happened was for your best. Although being held back was fine because it still felt like being held, you were tethered. And now, you’re free: free to choose yourself.
“I feel so much lighter, like a feather, with you off my mind...”
-”Feather”, Sabrina Carpenter
The process of cutting off and letting go is far from easy, but there will come a day where you’ll feel so incredibly relieved; there will come a day where you don’t think of them even once; there will come a day where your heart will feel full and healed, your own again. That day is worth waiting for and working towards.
I chose the artwork for the cover because it signifies both holding on, and healing. The starry background plays into the idea of the involvement of fate (“stars aligning”/”the universe helping”).
As always, I hope you enjoy the journey: beat by beat, heartbeat by heartbeat.
Listen here! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/60Y3KEIbHmaX3Tfq4DSFfg?si=zn48mD0ZSnuupz525yu88A&pi=u-sP-aLLAfQRSV
