Pop music is a beautiful thing. A good single can lift our spirits after a bad date, help us cry our eyes out during a tough break-up and always put us in a good mood while we’re living our everyday lives. It’s pretty powerful how much we can relate to the lyrics of Taylor Swift or Katy Perry. These singers are basically our personal romantic therapists, when you think about it. So we might as well look to them for tips on dealing with the world of dating. Look no further than the girls (and boys) of the pop genre and read on for the best love advice from classic pop songs.
- You’re ready for love before you even know it. It may not be 2012 anymore, but I’m still obsessed with Carly Rae Jepsen’s happy single “Call Me Maybe.” In the bridge, she sings, “Before you came into my life / I missed you so bad.” Who hasn’t had that one perfect relationship where things just fall into place and you can’t believe you lived without the other person?
- It’s awesome when you get over your ex. Kelly Clarkson broke out of the American Idol mold and into pop superstardom with her hit “Since U Been Gone.” Admit it, you totally sing along when she says, “I can breathe for the first time/I’m so moving on.” Your ex never deserves another chance and now you have the pop anthem to make you feel better.
- Say goodbye to cheaters. Whitney Houston’s “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay” is, hands down, the best pop song about a woman kicking out her cheating lover. There’s no excuse for breaking your commitment to someone. And you know that there are tons of different ways to cheat on someone, and none of them are okay.
- The answer is always “shake it off.” Taylor Swift’s anthem about self-love and confidence may have been a reaction to the haters who claimed she was a serial dater (and a terrible dancer). But you can use it to shake off any horrible first date. It’s a good system.
- Stay away from the bad boys. T-Swift’s love songs are so relatable, I had to mention her twice. “I Knew You Were Trouble” is super relatable for anyone who has been tempted to date a bad boy – and been burnt in the process.
- It’s okay to hate one-night stands. Sam Smith took the pop world by storm with his hit single “Stay With Me.” He waxes poetic about being awful at one-night stands and being a hopeless romantic. Some of us are cool with being casual, others want monogamy, and it’s all good.
- Sometimes it’s super complicated. Talk about a throwback – back when Avril Lavigne was wearing ties and skating with boys, her single “It’s Complicated” was played 100 percent of the time on every single radio station. A young Avril sang, “I see the way you’re acting like you’re somebody else/gets me frustrated.” It may not be perfect English but the message is clear: it sucks when a guy is himself in private but when you’re around others, he pretends to be cool and acts like a totally different person. That’s so junior high.
- Heartbreak is the worst. Let’s not forget the boys. The Backstreet Boys, to be exact. Their single “I Want It That Way” asked, “Tell me why ain’t nothing but a heartache/tell me why ain’t nothing but a mistake.” Sometimes a break-up is inevitable and this is only one example of several pop songs that sing the end-of-love blues. And now you won’t be able to get the chorus out of your head. I’m sorry.
- True love is elusive and rare. You probably never realized that “MMMBop” by Hanson is about love. You were too busy focusing on the brothers’ adorable long hair and high voices. But Taylor Hanson totally knew that you would end up dating too many people when he sang, “You have so many relationships in this life/Only one or two will last/You go through all the pain and strife/Then you turn your back and they’re gone so fast.”
- When it’s over, it’s over. When NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” first came out, my babysitter brought over a cassette tape of it and we listened to it endlessly. A cassette tape. I feel old. There’s no truer way to describe an impending break-up then the lyrics, “You may hate me but it ain’t no lie/baby bye bye bye.” Okay, you might not rhyme when you give your break-up speech, but the idea is there.