Editing 2870: Love Songs

{{comic
| number    = 2870
| date      = December 20, 2023
| title     = Love Songs
| image     = love_songs_2x.png
| imagesize = 373x341px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = The Piña Colada song carves a trajectory across the chart over the course of the song.
}}

==Explanation==

The comic shows an xy-chart of various love songs, graphed according to how the subjects of the song feel. The x-axis represents the narrator/singer's feelings for whomever they are singing to or about, from "No!!" to "Yes!!", while the y-axis represents the other person's feelings for the one singing the song.

The songs can be found in Spotify playlists ([https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0R1FWH3Hq4Ur08HSNSFtyf?si=WMD6u3QuThW7f2GXBTTJQA&pi=e-wEOR4pNmQ2Sp], [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1YqJMaPVdH1FO71TcoEXCr?si=f3ac8278bb274c13]).

{|class = "wikitable"
! Song !! Artist(s) !! Year <!-- !! Genre --> !! Explanation !! Do I like you? !! Do you like me?
|-
| {{w|No Scrubs}} || {{w|TLC (group)|TLC}} || 1999 <!-- || R&B --> || The narrator is the target of another person's affections but considers that person completely undesirable as a romantic partner. || No!! || Yes!!
|-
| {{w|That Don't Impress Me Much}} || {{w|Shania Twain}} || 1998 <!-- || Country pop --> || The song says the person singing doesn't find certain things impressive in a potential partner, and having nice things alone won't make them like that person. It shows the singer cares about being independent and wants someone special. This song was referenced in [[984: Space Launch System]].  || Unclear or Neutral || Yes!
|-
| {{w|Cry Me a River#Music|Cry Me a River}}<!-- needs disambiguating --> || {{w|Justin Timberlake}}<br/>(or {{w|Cry Me a River (Arthur Hamilton song)|London /&nbsp;Knight /&nbsp;Cocker /&nbsp;Wilson /&nbsp;Welch /&nbsp;Bublé /&nbsp;Aerosmith}}) || 2002 (or 1953 onwards) <!-- || Pop --> || The lyrics describe a relationship that has ended, and the singer expresses a sense of betrayal and heartbreak. The title phrase "Cry me a river" is a metaphorical way of telling the other person to go ahead and cry as much as they want because the singer has moved on and is no longer affected by the breakup. || No! || Yes!
|-
| {{w|We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together}} || {{w|Taylor Swift}} || 2012 <!--  || Pop --> || At the start of the song, the narrator has spent a prolonged time in an on-and-off relationship with someone, repeatedly getting close to them before they distance themselves. As the song progresses, the narrator expresses their frustration with their partner and makes it clear that this time, ''they'' are the one leaving, and they're ''never'' coming back, no matter what their now-former lover says or does. Note that the chart has recorded the title of the song incorrectly as "never ever ever" rather than "never ever".  This is because the lyrics of the song have multiple 'ever's in a row. || No!! || Yes?
|-
| {{w|You're So Vain}} || {{w|Carly Simon}} || 1972 <!-- || Soft rock --> || The song talks about someone who is very self-centered and vain, with the lyrics describing various instances of their narcissistic behavior. The narrator expresses frustration with this person's attitude, but there's a sense of mystery about their identity. This song has been [[1501: Mysteries|mentioned before]] in xkcd. || No! || Unclear or Neutral
|-
| {{w|I Will Survive}} || {{w|Gloria Gaynor}} || 1978 <!-- || Disco --> || The narrator's partner left her to hurt her emotionally, only for her to eventually realize the abusive nature of their relationship and decide she doesn't need him anymore. As he tries to come back to her, she refuses to take him back and tells him to leave. || No! || No!
|-
| {{w|Somebody That I Used to Know}} || {{w|Gotye}} feat. {{w|Kimbra}} <!-- NTBCW "Someone That I Used to Love", Bette Midler --> || 2011 <!-- || Art pop --> || The narrator's relationship with his partner has ended, but he is upset that his former partner has since then broken off all contact with him. The third verse is from the former partner's point of view, and she claims she ended the relationship because he was emotionally abusive, instead of the narrator's claim in the second verse that they simply drifted apart. || Unclear or Neutral || No!
|-
| {{w|You Oughta Know}} || {{w|Alanis Morissette}} <!-- NTBCW "You Ought to Know...", Phil Collins --> || 1995 <!-- || Alternative rock --> || The song describes the intense emotions and pain experienced after a breakup, expressing feelings of betrayal, anger, and confusion toward the former partner. || No!! || No!!
|-
| {{w|Thank U, Next (song)|Thank U, Next}} || {{w|Ariana Grande}} <!-- NTBCW "Thank U", Alanis Morissette --> || 2018 <!-- || Pop --> || The song reflects on past relationships. It expresses gratitude to former partners for the lessons learned, but she is still moving on. || Unclear or Neutral || Unclear or Neutral
|-
| {{w|Teenage Dream (Katy Perry song)|Teenage Dream}} || {{w|Katy Perry}}<br/>(or {{w|Teenage Dream (T. Rex song)|T. Rex}}<br/>&nbsp;or {{w|Teenage Dream|others}}) || 2010 (or 1974 or others) <!-- || Electropop (or glam rock or others) --> || The song is about teenage romance. || Yes!! || Yes!!
|-
| {{w|Shape of You}} || {{w|Ed Sheeran}}<br/>(or {{w|Shape of You (Reshaped)|Beverly Knight}}) || 2017 (or 2003) <!-- || Pop (or R&B) --> || This song is about being in love physically, and to a lesser extent, emotionally, to another person. The verses indicate that the love is reciprocated. || Yes!! || Yes!!
|-
| {{w|I Will Always Love You}} || {{w|Dolly Parton}},<br/>&nbsp;cover: {{w|Whitney Houston}} || 1974, 1995 <!-- || Country, pop --> || Expressing deep love and gratitude, the lyrics convey a heartfelt farewell while emphasizing the enduring commitment to cherish memories and maintain love despite the separation. || Unclear or Neutral || Yes
|-
| {{w|Call Me Maybe}} || {{w|Carly Rae Jepsen}} || 2011 <!-- || Pop --> || The lyrics describe an encounter where the narrator gives their number to someone they find attractive. (Although, in the music video, the guy turns out to be gay.) This song/Carly in general has been mentioned [[2379: Probability Comparisons|lots]] [[2198: Throw|of]] [[2067: Challengers|times]] in xkcd. || Yes! || Unclear or Neutral
|-
| {{w|Killing Me Softly with His Song|Killing Me Softly}} || {{w|Lori Lieberman}},<br/>&nbsp;covers: {{w|Roberta Flack}},<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;{{w|The Fugees}} || 1971, 1973, 1996 <!-- || Folk, soul, hip hop --> || The singer recounts the experience of hearing a song that seems to reflect their own life story. || Yes!! || Unclear or Neutral
|-
| {{w|Girlfriend (Avril Lavigne song)|Girlfriend}} || {{w|Avril Lavigne}}<br/>(or {{w|Girlfriend (disambiguation)#Songs|many others}}) <!-- NTBCW "Girlfriend In A Coma", The Smiths --> || 2007 (or many others) <!-- || Pop punk (or many others) --> || The narrator is in love with a boy who already has a girlfriend, and spends the song trying to convince him to dump her so she herself can go out with him. || Yes || Unclear or Neutral
|-
| {{w|You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'}} || {{w|The Righteous Brothers}} || 1964 <!-- || Pop --> || The song expresses the pain and sorrow of a fading romantic connection, capturing the emotional toll of lost love and the desire to rekindle the passion that once defined the relationship. This song was featured in [[317: That Lovin' Feelin']]. || Unclear or Neutral || No?
|-
| {{w|You Belong with Me}} || {{w|Taylor Swift}} || 2009 <!-- || Country pop --> || The narrator has a crush on someone already in a relationship (implied throughout the song to be a toxic one), and lists various reasons why they would make a better partner. It's also worth noting that in the [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VuNIsY6JdUw& music video], the narrator's crush is actually on decent terms with them, rather than flat-out disliking them as the chart suggests.|| Yes || No!
|-
| {{w|Creep (Radiohead song)|Creep}} || {{w|Radiohead}}<br/>(or {{w|Creep|others}}) || 1992 (or others) <!-- || Alternative rock (or others) --> || Expressing feelings of inadequacy and unrequited love, the song conveys the narrator's sense of not belonging and yearning for someone who appears out of reach. || Yes!! || No!!
|-
| {{w|Escape (The Piña Colada Song)|The Piña Colada Song}} (title text) || {{w|Rupert Holmes}} || 1979 <!-- || Soft rock --> || The narrator is bored with his relationship (and apparently his life in general), when he reads a personal ad from someone expressing a desire to find an adventurous romance. He makes plans to meet this person, only to discover that it was placed by his partner. This seems to spark the realization that they have more in common than they realized, and the decision to pursue a more adventurous life together, resulting in a trajectory from the lower left to the middle or upper right. || varies || varies
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Y-axis label:]
:Do you like me?

:[X-axis label:]
:Do I like you?

:[X- and Y-axis values (from bottom left):]
:''NO!!''; No; Unclear or Neutral; Yes; ''YES!!''

:[Top left quarter:]
:No Scrubs
:That Don't Impress Me Much
:Cry Me a River
:We Are Never Ever Ever<!--sic--> Getting Back Together

:[Middle left:]
:You're So Vain

:[Bottom left quarter:]
:I Will Survive
:Somebody That I Used to Know
:You Oughta Know

:[Center:]
:Thank U, Next

:[Top right quarter:]
:Teenage Dream
:Shape of You
:I Will Always Love You
:Call Me Maybe

:[Middle right:]
:Killing Me Softly

:[Bottom right quarter:]
:Girlfriend
:You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'
:You Belong with Me
:Creep

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Songs]]
[[Category:Romance]]