Is love a lie? Great question! We like to joke about it, because nihilism is one (1) free and legal coping mechanism that’s available to us all at any given time of the day and night, but what do we really think? Today we’re attempting to find an answer, once and for all, for the record and for the good of the people. On which side of this proverbial and eternal fence will we land? Keep reading to find out! 

Before we try to decide if love is a lie, I should disclose that my Venus is in Pisces. According to the stars, I’m the kind of sappy Sapphic who saves “do u like me?” notes from eighth grade and eagerly celebrates Valentine’s Day in all its commercial glory. So nope, love is 1000% not a lie. I love love and I believe that love is real, but I’m definitely not looking at it through big, gay rose-colored glasses. Romantic love can be thrilling, supportive and transformative, but it can also be unhealthy, unreliable and unrequited.

This playlist primarily celebrates the warm, fuzzy feelings that love brings into our lives. It’s a call to “Come to my window/ Crawl inside/ Wait by the light of the moon” and to “Mess me up/ yeah, but no one does it better,” because “I-I had a feeling that I belonged” and “Something’s got a hold on me, yeah/ Oh, it must be love.” But this playlist also acknowledges that sometimes the object of your love is “hot then you’re cold” or just plain “toxic/ I’m slippin’ under.” Love is “complicated” in the Avril Lavigne sense of the word, so let’s acknowledge its shadows and embrace love in those moments when it’s enhancing our lives.

What are your favorite love songs or “love is complicated” songs? Drop them in the comments!

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