Mixtape Theme – Heartbreak That Comes After Betrayal

 Hailey Poydras 

Dr. Harris 

English 2017 

01 May 2025 

Major Project 

Mixtape Theme – Heartbreak That Comes After Betrayal 

Introduction 

This mixtape will consist of a series of songs over generations that represent heartbreak that  comes after betrayal of a significant other or just simply someone you deeply care for. I will be  using the book, Sula, by Toni Morrison as my primary text. Sula is a powerful novel about the  deep, complicated bond between two Black women Nel and Sula growing up in the segregated  community, where their friendship is tested by love, betrayal, loss, and choices that challenge  traditional ideas of loyalty, morality, and identity. In the part of the story that I will be tuning in  on for this mixtape is the heartbreak Nel went through after she walked in on her husband at the  time, Jude, sleeping with Sula. Nel and Sula were best friends and did everything together and  you can tell they really cared for each other throughout the book so I will be using some tracks to  explain how Nel felt because of Sula after her betrayal. I will use some tracks to explain how Nel  felt because of Jude, her significant other at the time, after this betrayal as well.  

Track List and Contributions 

1. “Ain’t No Sunshine” – Bill Withers 

This song is about losing someone and feeling their absence everywhere. A lyric in the  song says “Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone, and she’s always gone too long…” In  Sula, Nel loses both Sula and Jude in one devastating moment which were two people she  loved but now they feel like ghosts. The book stated, “All that time, I thought I was  missing Jude.” This moment is when Nel realizes it was Sula, she was grieving most. This specific quote shows the heartbreak that Nel felt from a platonic relationship not her  significant other.  

2. “You’ve Got a Friend” – Carole King 

This track is about relying on someone you trust until they’re no longer there. A lyric  from the song is “You just call out my name, and you know wherever I am…” The song  painfully contrasts Nel’s trust in Sula, who betrayed that very bond. In the novel, Sula, it  stays,” Nel didn’t miss men. She missed Sula.”. This clearly shows how Nel was hurt by  the betrayal of Sula and how her heartbreak was affected by missing someone she really  relied on.

3. “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” – Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes This song is about feeling unseen and misunderstood in a relationship. The track states,  “If you don’t know me by now, you will never never never know me…” Nel believed  that both Sula and Jude knew her deeply. Their betrayal shattered that sense of being  truly known. Toni Morrison states, “She had clung to the pride of being good, and in the  end, it had not saved her.” This statement shows the response to the pain of being  misunderstood and taken for granted by someone close. 

4. “Love Is a Battlefield” – Pat Benatar 

This track is about the pain of fighting for love that wounds instead of heals. A lyric in this track says, “We are young, heartache to heartache we stand… love is a  battlefield.” The connection between this song and Sula is how Nel's heart is broken on  two fronts romantic and platonic, and she didn't even realize she was at war. 5. “Tyrone” – Erykah Badu 

This is a known R&B song that is calling out a selfish partner who takes without giving. It states,“I’m gettin’ tired of your sh—, you don’t never buy me nothin’…” The  connection between this song and the book is how Nel devoted herself to Jude and their  marriage. Then he walked out, not just on her, but on their child. 

6. “You Made a Fool of Me” – Anthony Hamilton 

This song is about feeling humiliated after being betrayed by someone you trusted. A lyric that it says is, “You made a fool of me, I gave you all I had…” This song  expresses Nel’s devastation that is tied not only to the affair but to the public shame and  personal humiliation. 

7. “Another Sad Love Song” – Toni Braxton 

This track is about being haunted by heartbreak and unable to escape the memories. A lyric says, “It’s just another sad love song wreckin’ my brain like crazy…” Every memory is now stained. What was once comforting like the sound of Sula’s  laughter or Jude’s footsteps is now a trigger to Nel. Toni Morrison states, “It was not  Sula. It was the loss of an old friend that hurt.” This statement shows how Nel felt of the thought of her old friendship with Sula that was devastating to her.  

8. “Mr. Wrong” – Mary J. Blige (feat. Drake) 

This banger hit is about loving someone you know is bad for you. In this track it states, “Bad boys ain’t no good, good boys ain’t no fun…” In Sula, Nel married the “good boy”  and followed the rules—and still ended up broken. 

9. “I’m a Mess” – Anthony Hamilton 

This track is about emotional disarray after heartbreak. The song says, “I’m a mess right  now, I can’t eat, can’t sleep…” In the moment after Nel walking in on Sula and Jude,  Nel’s life feels hollow. Her identity as wife, friend, and mother feels shattered in that one  moment. 

10. “Time” – Snoh Aalegra

This song is about time passing while emotions remain raw. The lyrics says, “Time's  been moving slowly, so we already in too deep…” The connection between this song and  Sula is that even years later, Nel’s pain hasn’t healed.  

11. “traitor” – Olivia Rodrigo 

This track is about emotional betrayal without technical infidelity. The track states, “You  didn’t cheat, but you’re still a traitor.” Sula’s betrayal stung worse than Jude’s to Nel, she  broke the unspoken trust of sisterhood. The book, Sula, says, “Nel didn’t miss men. She  missed Sula.” 

12. “Alone” – Rod Wave 

This is a recent released song that expresses deep, crushing loneliness after loss The track states,” Tryna find somethin’ to do with my time. Ease my pain, get you off my  mind.” In Sula, Nel’s final grief is not over her husband, it’s that she no longer has her  other half, her mirror: Sula. 

13. “Hurt Me So Good” – Jazmine Sullivan 

This is a 2022 released song about loving someone who causes you pain but not being  ready to let go. A lyric is, “Your love hurts me so good…” The connection between Sula  and this song is how Mel loved both Sula and Jude deeply and that’s what made their  betrayal feel like physical pain. 

Conclusion and Explanation 

It is clear how each song relates to Nels’ heartbreak after her betrayal. This playlist is a  combination of songs from generations as early as the year 1971. The point of this playlist was to  show how artists use lyrics that help relate to devastating times of our lives and have been used  for decades.  

Attached is the link to a Spotify playlist of all the songs. 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7g2LKMsuORVjbBswHmVB7m?si=mk2PJ_ndSFWoVJUcTiz HFQ 

Works Cited 

- https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7g2LKMsuORVjbBswHmVB7m?si=mk2PJ_ndSFWoV JUcTizHFQ 

- Morrison, Toni. Sula. Vintage, 1998.

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