songsforthedumped.gifTiming, the New Testament tells us, is everything, and it takes a startlingly few number of works to turn a glorious, magnificent, rainbows-and-puppies kind of day into one of hideous terror, especially when that day is being sonically overseen by a guy in a pair of oversized fly sunglasses.

“Woman Needs A Man Like A Fish Needs A Bicycle”
By Scott Malchus

My final year of college, 1992, I directed a senior film that featured my girlfriend in one of the starring roles. At the time, U2’s Achtung Baby was gaining momentum, and every college and mainstream radio station was playing tracks from the album. The making of the movie was stressful and quite a learning experience. The movie was finally completed in April, and I held a big premiere at the university; my parents, sisters, family friends, and members of faculty all attended. After the screening, which went very well, I was on cloud nine. The culmination of four years of hard work seemed to pay off and, more importantly, the audience really liked the movie. The cast, crew, friends and my family all returned to the duplex I rented with my three best friends in college. Can you imagine how great I felt? I didn’t need any alcohol to get me high that night. Then, just as things were winding down, my girlfriend took me downstairs to my bedroom so we could talk.

That’s right, she broke up with me right then and there. Couldn’t wait another 12 hours to let me savor the moment. It had to be then.

Like I said, Achtung Baby was in every one’s tape deck or CD player, mine included. I gravitated to the darker songs, the one’s about deteriorating relationships and betrayal. I cannot listen to “So Cruel” (download) without thinking of the best and worst day of my college years.

(Luckily for me, I would meet my bride-to-be a couple of months later.)