Lesbian and Bi women's anthems

So I write for a queer blog, and one of my colleagues has done two posts on "Coming Out Songs, " and one on "Queer Anthems."

All the songs are about and by guys. Which is all well and good -- but you know, I'd kind of like to have women represented too. So I started thinking about it, about what songs women think of, and why, and then I emailed a few queer women and we started making a list. What I said, is, I'm not defining "anthem," or "lesbian," I'll let you decide what a song means to /for you.

They sent me song lists, and some of them sent links to particular YouTube videos and comments about why they thought these were about /for women. And some talked about how a particular song helped shape them, and made them feel they weren't the only woman to love other women. And a lot talked about how a particular song just meant the world to them in high school or the early stages of coming out.

So I'm going to post the list of songs that got more than two mentions, and I'd love to have comments, or additions, or well, just about anything. I am going to write about this, but I won't quote anyone by name without permission and I'm more than happy do do a link back if you want.

Brandi Carlisle "The Story"
Ani DiFranco "If it Isn't Her"
Ani DiFranco "Lots of Songs Many with Slightly Different Titles I Gotta Check to Find the Correct Title"
Melissa Etheridge "Like The Way I Do"
Eurythmics "When Tommorrow Comes"
Eurythmics "Here Comes the Rain Again"
Gossip "Standing in the Way of Control"
Sophie B. Hawkins "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover"
Sophie B. Hawkins "Sweet Sexy Woman"
Annie Lennox and Aretha Franklin "Sisters are Doin' it for Themselves"
Doria Roberts "Perfect"
Jill Sobule, "I Kissed A Girl"
Joan Armatrading "The Weakness in Me"
k. d. lang "The Right to Love"
k.d. lang "Constant Craving"
Katy Perry, "I Kissed A Girl"
Le Tigre "Viz"
Melissa Etheridge "Yes I Am"
Melissa Etheridge "I'm the Only One"
Melissa Ferrick "Drive"
Meredith Brooks "Bitch"
Michelle Shocked "The Greener Side"
Phranc "One of the Girls"
Phranc "Bulldagger Swagger"
The Butchies "She's So Lovely"
The Butchies "Send Me You"
The Indigo Girls "Closer to Fine"
The Indigo Girls "Power of Two"
Tribe 8 "Femme Bitch Top"

thothguard51 said:

I would look up the sound tracks used for the Cable show "The L Word." Seems to fit...

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Yeah, about half of those were used, because they were popular.

dolores haze said:

One Of The Girls, Bulldagger Swagger or many other songs by the folkie, Phranc.

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Thanks!

Wayne K said:

I know I'm an outsider here , but can I nominate any version of this?

I like the one with Roy, but the audience stands and applauds twice in this version

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Um . . . Wayne? Realizing that you really don't have the cojones, so's to speak, to be a lesbian, what about this song, sung by anyone (yeah I know k.d. identifies as lesbian) makes you think of it as lesbian?

I'm not trying to trample you, but I'm awfully curious.

Crying

Roy Orbison said:

I was all right for a while
I could smile for a while
But I saw you last night
You held my hand so tight
As you stopped to say, "Hello"
Oh, you wished me well
You couldn't tell
That I'd been crying over you
Crying over you
When you said, "So long"
Left me standing all alone
Alone and crying, crying
Crying, crying
. . .

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Wayne K said:

I just thought it was more an anthem than Constant Cravings is all.

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Well, now, see, that's really interesting. Let's take a look at k. d. Lang's Constant Cravings":

[quote="k.d. Lang]Even through the darkest phase
Be it thick or thin
Always someone marches brave
Here beneath my skin

Constant craving
Has always been

Maybe a great magnet pulls
All souls towards truth
Or maybe it is life itself
That feeds wisdom
To its youth

Constant craving
Has always been[/quote]

So what are we finding in common with these songs--why do so many out n' proud lesbian women identify with "Constant Craving"? And yeah, that's a good question to ask about any number of the songs on that list.

Wayne K said:

I remember Constant Cravings being a dance song in clubs.

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You got any idea about when that was? That's interesting.

Mara said:

Oh, it's a bit early, but Jennifer Knapp (interpreted as contemporary Christian, just came out of the closet after haitus) and Chely Wright (country, just came out of the closet after hiatus) are both apparently going to start performing again, I've heard. Considering the genres they're in, I imagine they'll produce an anthem or two that could reach people who don't normally hear songs like that. (Especially in the case of Jennifer Knapp, even though next album won't be marketed as contemporary Christian.)

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One of the things that decided me to write about this was two women specifically talking about how much it meant to them that Knapp decided to come back to performing.

And that led to a discussion of songs and what they meant--especially to young women just figuring out that they really didn't want to date the boy next door.

I'll go try listening to Ani again.

Her voice sorta bothers me--but thanks much for the suggestions.