From the magazine

The art of the anti-love song

Most Valentine’s Day songs reject the notion of love completely – and are all the better for it

Graeme Thomson
It perhaps comes as little surprise that Steve Earle – who has been married seven times – isn’t inclined to buy the Valentine's Day myth. Tim Mosenfelder / Getty Images
EXPLORE THE ISSUE 15 February 2025
issue 15 February 2025

Tracey Thorn released an album in 2010 titled Love and Its Opposite. When it comes to songwriting, it’s the ‘opposite’ that tends to throw up the more compelling discourse.

The anti-love song has been a staple in popular music since Elvis’s baby left him and he wandered off to ‘Heartbreak Hotel’.

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