What are some songs that tell LGBT narratives?
My husband and I recently started listening to Tones and I who has a song called Johnny Run Away. It’s a short story about a boy who has feelings for another boy and is told by his dad to “run away” not because the father is homophobic but because he’s trying to protect his son from getting bullied:
His daddy walked by with a sigh
Said, "Johnny, sit by my side
I'm gonna give you the best advice
You've ever heard in your life
See that boy named Jimmy, yeah, he's a cutie
But no, no, Johnny, no, no, no
Johnny run away”
I like the song partially for its musicality (so catchy!) but also its narrative is genuinely touching to me. My father-in-law once told me he knew his son (my husband) was gay early on. He said that never changed how much he loved his son, but he was always worried about how much harder life would be for him because of that. I think a lot of parents support their LGBT kids but also live with the very real fear of knowing that the rest of the world won’t necessarily do the same, and I think this song captures that perspective.
Anyway, I would love to hear about other songs that feature LGBT stories and perspectives, especially if they’re personally resonant for you or someone you know.
I've really been enjoying Claud's That's Mr. Bitch To You
The artist is non-binary, the song is catchy, and I like the message.
This is great! I love catchy pop with a message (obviously).
I’m definitely going to check out the rest of their album. Thanks for sharing this.
Double posting to let you know that I’ve been listening to Claud all weekend. They’re my new favorite artist! Thank you so much for surfacing them for me.
Really glad you like them! I've also been listening to them a ton...
Ezra Furman - I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend
girl in red - i wanna be your girlfriend
I love the choreography in that video. It’s very well done.
On that note, I love all of their album Transangelic Exodus. "Maraschino Red Dress $8.99 at Goodwill" is fun, "Peel My Orange Every Morning" is another favorite, and I love the lyrics in "God Lifts Up the Lowly"
A few somewhat stereotypically trans bands:
Against Me! - Paralytic States
(^ cw sui/sh)
Black Dresses - Thoughts and Prayers
(^ cw homo/transphobia)
And on a much lighter note, I've been enjoying The Orion Experience's cover of Jenny
I thought of another one:
On its own it doesn’t technically qualify, but its context changes that, and quite powerfully.
Knapp was, back in the late 90s and early 00s, a contemporary Christian music artist (and quite a successful one at that). She got two Grammy nominations in the category of Best Rock Gospel Album and sold over a million records. Her songs were in heavy rotation among me and my churchgoing friends.
She then went on hiatus for a while, finally deciding to return to music in 2010, while also choosing to publicly come out as a lesbian.
The song “Inside” is about the judgments, both potential and real, she faced from her faith community. It is scorching and embittered, and there was a time of my life where this song felt like something I could have written. I watched similar judgments be passed towards gay people by many in my church while I was a believer, and then finally faced those judgments head on from them after I came out. Here’s Knapp’s chorus, about her reasons for staying closeted for so long:
She then repeats part of the last line, which I interpret not as an echo but a line of its own — a direct command, spoken now that she’s out:
The tension builds in the song and hits a climax in the devastating bridge:
Lyrically, the song is powerful on its own, but Knapp’s delivery does an incredible job of selling the seething, distressed, and ultimately hurt tone that the song is trying to convey.
The song is no longer reflective of my own feelings, but I appreciate it for being a tangible snapshot of a time when my anger and pain were more raw and embittered.
You're a fan of catchy pop? I'll throw in a charming video too! Matt Fishel's Football Song "Johnny struts around on the football pitch with an arrogant smirk on his face, but he wears a smile of a different kind when he comes to stay over at my place." A fun, positive song, but it ends on a wistful note: "I wonder, will it ever change?" Is the relationship real or just a fantasy? You decide.
How did you know that I love piano pop more than all the other pops? This was great!
I like a lot of Magnetic Fields' stuff, like yesterday I was reminded of the classic song, "I thought you were my boyfriend."
Janelle Monáe's entire Archandroid series (Metropolis: The Chase Suite, The Archandroid, and Electric Lady) is an episodic series of concept albums where she presents a robot rebellion by a fugitive android named Cindy Mayweather (based on the film, Metropolis) as a metaphor for being queer.
The whole thing is genius.
Kind of tangential, but kind of not.
I was in college, 1986-ish, watching Elton John music video for his song "Nikita", starring a beautiful blonde girl w/ice-blue eyes in the title role, with a couple of other traditionally homophobic college guys.
A girl walked in, watched the video with us for 20 seconds, then left, saying-as she walked out ...
"You know, in Russia, Nikita is a guy's name, right?"
Electric Six - Gay Bar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XNFokmDKrE
Gym Class Heroes - Faces In The Hall
Really sad song and not sure if it’s based on a true story but even if it isn’t, I’m sure it’s a very close reality for a lot of families.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TsylRoMbC-U