Dark Romance

Tomorrow being February 1st, I've started thinking about Valentine's Day and songs to put on my writing playlist for the month. At the risk of showing my age, this is the stuff I'll be listening to get a dark romantic vibe . . . . .

Closer by Nine Inch Nails: The mama and papa of all fuck records, bar none. The video is twisted, but it's the lyrics that make my toes curl up.

Friday I'm In Love by the Cure: This one is only dark because it's the Cure; it's actually a pretty peppy song. But it still gets me in my pervy spot with lyrics like "It's such a gorgeous sight/To see you eat in the middle of the night." Weird but vivid - you know exactly what he means.

Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode: Depeche Mode is almost too horny; this song is the aural equivalent of a sweetheart's joking-but-still-sexy striptease, complete with pout. (Honorable Mention: Strangelove)

Run for Your Life by the Beatles: You don't think of the early Fab Four as being dark, but this one surely is - the ultimate psycho boyfriend song. John Lennon wasn't ever really cute on the inside of his brain. (Honorable Mention: I Want You/She's So Heavy)

I Burn for You by Sting and/or the Police: This was originally recorded by the Police for the soundtrack to the movie Brimstone & Treacle, but my favorite version is the live one Sting did with his Dream of the Blue Turtles band in the documentary Bring on the Night. (Honorable Mention: Mad About You)

Love Me Two Times by the Doors: Jim Morrison usually sounds more hot for Jim Morrison than anything or anybody else, but for me, this one is the exception - he sounds enthralled and stoned and totally out of his mind. The opening bass line alone gives me a shiver.

Sweet Child O'Mine by Guns'n'Roses: So classic it's a cliche, but it still sounds like the ultimate wife-beating trailer trash dude's ultimate declaration of undying love. She's his victim and his salvation, an ethereal dream and a piece of ass.

Mama by Genesis: You don't usually think of Phil Collins as a threatening dude, but he's quite the little beastie here. "No I won't hurt you mama/But it's getting so hard"

Because the Night by the Patti Smith Group: I might lose my early-80s coolster card for this, but most Patti Smith is just too out there for me. But this cover of an early Bruce Springsteen may be the most perfect record ever made. Girls want it, too, and she's not afraid to sing it.

Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones: Truly scary and truly hot. Makes all the emo boys just sound pissy. (Honorable Mentions: Gimme Shelter and Midnight Rambler)

Bad by U2: U2 isn't usually dark, but this one has always played that way for me - it's got the same sex appeal as the more popular With or Without You, but it's much more raw. (Honorable Mention: So Cruel)

Uninvited by Alanis Morrisette: This song is actually way better before you know what she's singing - the lyrics are actually a little lame. But the way she twists and stutters the pronunciations, the stuff that really is hot leaps out from an unintelligible babble in a way that works, and the musical arrangement is downright sweaty with desire.

Fire by the Jimi Hendrix Experience: Child molestation shouldn't sound like this much fun. Or maybe he's just speaking metaphorically to a girl who's all grown up. Either way, one of the most aggressive seductions ever with a guitar line that licks like flames.

Hurt by Johnny Cash: More love than sex on this one, just heartbreaking. Cash as broken beast.

Magic Man by Heart: Before they went all adult contemporary, Heart had a healthy appetite for sex that didn't play smarmy at all. If you only know this one as background noise from a "classic rock" station, give the lyrics another listen. Particularly if you've got a wizard fetish. lol

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley: The saddest, most romantic version of a sad, romantic song.

I Should Have Been True by the Mavericks: The best rockabilly lament David Lynch hasn't used in a movie yet. Most of their hits are light-hearted Tex-Mex, but this one is a heartbreaker in the Roy Orbison vein.

Black Magic Woman by Santana: This one has voodoo all over it.

She's Not There by the Zombies: Another twisted little gem from the British Invasion era. (Honorable Mention: Time of the Season)

So what am I missing?