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The perfect song for... bouncing back from a sad break-up

The perfect song for... bouncing back from a sad break-up
Breaking up is hard to do, as Neil Sedaka once reminded us. But what about bouncing back?

Breaking up is sad and painful, you’re left feeling shattered. But bouncing back is what happens next. It might take a week, a month, but eventually you’ll get over it, and then it can be exhilarating, fun, revengeful and rewarding. 

As punk poet John Cooper Clarke once said: “Revenge is a sweet emotion.” Of course, you need the perfect song to soundtrack all this (and give you extra inspiration), so in this episode of The Perfect Song For... podcast, your regular hosts Fred de Vries and Tim Cohen are joined by arts writer and music aficionado Sarah Buitendach to sample a selection of songs which will move you off the couch, dump the ice cream bucket, leave the bottle, and get out there again. 

But before that happens, there is going to be some getting even, a bit of self-affirmation, and a few scores that have to be settled. 



This week’s selection consists of:

Back in the Saddle – Aerosmith 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX8GG3dnsp8

We are never Ever Getting Back Together – Taylor Swift 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4iX5D9Z64

Dead Flowers – The Rolling Stones 


You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette 


Another Girl – The Beatles 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMBYNWr5R_U

New Rose – The Damned 


Good 4 You – Olivia Rodrigo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNi_6U5Pm_o

I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dYWe1c3OyU

Fuck You – CeeLo Green. DM

You can listen and subscribe to The Perfect Song For… podcast about the perfect song on Apple podcastsSpotify and iono. Full versions of the songs are in Spotify and Apple playlists.

Contact the hosts of the podcast or email us your suggestions and alternatives at [email protected] 

You can also follow the hosts on X: @perfectsongfor Insta: #perfectsongfor 

Tim Cohen is the business editor of Daily Maverick. Fred de Vries is an author, writer, journalist and South Africa correspondent for Elsevier Magazine and De Groene Amsterdammer. He writes regular music columns for Platenblad in the Netherlands and Vrye Weekblad in South Africa.

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