K Recommends: “Lonely Weekends” by Wanda Jackson

A bouncy, upbeat ode to love gone wrong, Wanda Jackson’s awesomely feisty vocal just kicked me in my sads. I tapped a toe or ten. Seriously, this should be required listening for breakups, breakdowns, and breakthroughs.

This lively bop takes us through heartbreak and our ability to forge ahead. Even though “lonely weekends” are on the horizon, we can get through the week then see how lonely the weekend is without a suitor. Chances are you won’t feel so lonely with this on your playlist! Certainly we have to get through stuff to see the silver, but even in her reflection as a potentially jilted lover, Wanda Jackson’s infectious little growls insist that we don’t have to long for someone to come back to us… “[we’ll] make it all right!!!” The emotional rescue in this song is ourselves. We may be knocked down by jerks or the crap of life but we can make the best of anything.

“Said you’d be good to me… our love ain’t never gonna die… you’d be true… you didn’t even try!” I love the punch of those lines; how even though she wavers a bit to a sigh, she ends on a “LOOK OUT!” that is less dread of being alone and more of a positive outlook to keep going.

Having a song like this to refer to when I feel isolated, I am reminded of how I fought hard for a life that may not be as it was before… overloaded with social demands and constant interaction with someone… anyone… all day and night. It’s okay to enjoy your own company or go out alone and not exist in the context of someone else. Relationships of all sorts are wonderful! But codependent, weighty relationships where you lose yourself or cling to the small positives in the midst of turmoil just to “be with” someone aren’t healthy. In this song exists the possibility of a clean slate to reset and do your thing before deciding where your true intentions fit.

I’m not wearing heart-shaped, rose-colored glasses again!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO1pOa0hEPA(Song recommendation by K Weber)