In the (Bitter) Mood for Love
What will be your favorite love song? You're an old fart if it's "I Honestly Love You". You're a diehard Sting fan if it's "Every Breath You Take". And you can recall the lines from "The Bodyguard" if it's "I Will Always Love You". Nick Hornby, who penned novels on music and breakups, would think of something for "High Fidelity" (1995).
"My desert-island, all-time, top five most memorable split-ups, in chronological order:
- Alison Ashwords
- Penny Hardwick
- Jackie Allen
- Charlie Nicholson
- Sarah Kendrew.
These were the ones that really hurt."
It seemed like an opening of a Billboard feature, but music aficionados rather listened to "Someone Like You". Rob Fleming would fancy Adele, being a record shop owner himself. He had taste in music. Some called him a snob, and they would tease him about his split-up. No one wanted to hear details of a breakup, but it could be amusing from a male perspective.
I've hated Sundays, for the obvious British reasons
Rob Fleming would call himself a member of the Three Million Club. These men looked like Richard Gere. They were charming as Clark Gable. They were preposterously endowed as Errol Flynn. They would boast their exes. Rob had seventeen, and counting. But he wasn't settled down. Yet. He doesn't look forward to weekends; his mother would ask him about his love life. She would be worried, which he don't like at all. Some activities involved the family, and this could remind him of what was missing in his life.
Hornby, a native of Redhill, Surrey, penned a disarming novel. Readers couldn't get enough of the British humor. (If you don't have a clue, then you might want to look for an Englishman.) A woman seeks her girlfriends after a breakup. There would be a Kleenex somewhere. In Rob's case, he encountered different people who loved to listen to music. But their preferences made him recalled his exes. Some songs he could tolerate, while others he couldn't stand for a second. It might be his high taste in music, it may be his romantic side.
"High Fidelity" was Hornby's first novel, which was warmly received. It didn't lose its appeal twenty years after its initial publication, as everyone could relate to the loneliness and childishness of adult life. But let's relate Rob's sob story to recent hits. Imagine what would be his Top 5 songs. In random order:
- "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars
- "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys
- "We Found Love" by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris
- "You and Me" by Dave Matthews Band
- "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran
But don't remind Rob of "Love Hurts" by Nazareth.
