Mixtape: A Million Miles

Remember mixtapes? Crimson Arts does. Welcome to our biweekly feature, where we create mixtapes for every emotion and every season—for breakups, breakdowns, and breakdancing. This week our mixtape is dedicated to long-distance love and longing.

They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder…but who are “they,” and what do they know? The truth is, when you’re in love, distance hurts. The longing, heartache, and nostalgia make it impossible to focus on anything besides the space separating you from the one you desire. So stop trying to study, give up on the PSET you’ve been staring at for the past hour, and lose yourself in this mixtape dedicated to your long-distance love, engineered to take you through all the aching stages of yearning you could possibly want to experience in the course of an hour.

"Into the Ocean" Blue October

When heartbroken, I am quick to revert back to my 10-year-old self—the chubby little girl who thought eating sweets and running away was the solution to all of my problems. Unfortunately, fleeing has yet to fix anything (although chocolate still works wonders). “Into the Ocean” captures this fruitless desire, lyricizing the conflict between trying to escape the pangs of your heart while being unable to run from your own probing thoughts.

"Set the Fire to the Third Bar" Snow Patrol

I am a firm believer in the curing effects of crying. In fact, when running doesn’t work, the only logical thing to do is curl up in fetal position and have a good sob. The haunting soprano of Martha Wainwright paired with Snow Patrol’s poignant lyrics literally about lying on the ground in grief make “Set the Fire to the Third Bar” a chilling song that invokes a sense of yearning so strong that the tears are sure to come…and keep coming.

"Bloom," The Paper Kites

“Bloom” by The Paper Kites repeatedly asks the question you’ve been obsessing over: “Can I be close to you?” The song’s serene “oohs” create the feeling of a lullaby, perfect for contemplating how to make the answer to that ever present question a resounding “yes.”

"Thousand Miles," Aunt Martha

With only the picking of a guitar and a lone, vulnerable voice, Aunt Martha’s newest single is raw and authentic. The line “Everything I wanted is a thousand miles away,” is sung over and over, each time hitting with a tragic realness. Aunt Martha keeps you honest with yourself, deflating you at the mere possibility of feeling happy to remind you that a part of you is missing and you want it back.

"Keep Your Head Up," Ben Howard

Wallowing in your sorrows, while necessary, can only last so long. Still, listening to upbeat music on my darkest days just brings me down even more. “Keep Your Head Up” by Ben Howard perfectly blends an uplifting message with melancholic tones. Here’s the song to kick you out the door after a crying bender or a Skype marathon that’s left your eyes burning from computer glare.

"Dead Hearts," Stars

There is something incredibly intimate about Stars’ “Dead Hearts.” Through its conversational structure, the song gives a glimpse inside a “real” relationship full of uncertainty yet brimming with lust. Its hushed tone encapsulates the fragility of a love separated by not only distance but also the doubts that plague too much time apart.

"To Build a Home," The Cinematic Orchestra

Listening to the driving strings in the chorus of “To Build a Home” makes me think of movement—the turning of wheels or running through fields—to meet the person I’ve been missing. Paired with its slow, wistful verses, this song is ideal for long spells of daydreaming.

"Swallowed in the Sea," Coldplay

Coldplay is always my go-to in times of distress. The cryptic metaphors, passionate vocals, and building guitars of “Swallowed in the Sea” act as an emotional detox, making every one of your feelings pour out all at once. Hope, agony, and desire all flood over you listening to this underrated track.

"Home," Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

The perfect song to reminisce to, “Home” allows you to laugh at all of the old jokes that only you and your love would understand. Through the five minutes of whistling, tambourine, and belting, this song summarizes the one thing you want: to be “home,” back with your other half.

"You and I," Ingrid Michaelson

Sure, Ingrid Michaelson may rhyme “France,” “dance,” and “ants,” but “You and I” is no joke. While its overwhelmingly lovely, whimsical lyrics and strumming ukulele may only deepen the wounds of heartbreak, this tune’s sweet outlook on the future reminds you that blue skies will surely come again.

"Time to Run," Lord Huron

Despite the sorrow distance may bring, no number of miles can silence love. “Time to Run” will make you want to jump up out of the fetal position and proclaim that though he or she may be far away, you have found the one.

"Rivers and Roads," The Head and the Heart

Though it begins softly, I cannot listen to “Rivers and Roads” without belting out its final chorus. The song continuously builds from a humble, folksy tune to one of sheer, unashamed determination. “Rivers and Roads” is the be-all-end-all of long-distance love songs as it takes you through all of your melodramatic, histrionic, yet totally necessary phases: the mourning, contemplation, hopefulness, and finally, the resolve to persevere until a better day.