7. "When You Were Mine" by Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco may have never met a Prince song she didn't like well enough to cover, and a dozen artists may have already covered this one, but her version of “When You Were Mine” is one of the hottest things to ever roll off the out bisexual singer's vocal chords. Cyndi Lauper did a great job on her cover of this song-- better, in fact, than Prince's original--but the way DiFranco sings the line “When she was there, sleeping in between the two of us” gives an entirely new twist to the lyrics.
6. "Dear Prudence" by Siouxsie and the Banshees
Written about Mia Farrow's sister, this Beatles tune is not necessarily a love song. But this mesmerizing recording by 80s punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees is one of the best cover songs of any genre ever recorded; the fact that it's a woman singing about another woman is just a bonus. It keeps the jangling psychedelic feel of the original, but somewhat surprisingly, soars into a delicate mixture of harmonies and chiming guitars, while Siouxsie's vocal track caresses it closer to being a love song than the Beatles ever did: “Dear Prudence, won't you let me see you smile?” It's available on the 2002 album The Best of Siouxsie and the Banshees.
5. “I'm On Fire” by Tori Amos
Bruce Springsteen may be an honorary lesbian just for writing so many love songs that become even hotter when sung by a woman. Add to that the liquid sex of Tori Amos' voice growling, “Hey, little girl, is your daddy gone, did he go out and leave you all alone?”, and it's possible lesbian cover song nirvana is at hand. This cut was included in the 1996 compliation CD VH-1 Crossroads.
4. "Crimson and Clover" by Joan Jett
The video for this 1982 single of the Tommy James original got a fair amount of airplay on early MTV, mostly on the strength of its predecessor single, “I Love Rock and Roll,” which was a number one hit in the US for Joan Jett and her band the Blackhearts in 1981. “Crimson and Clover” made it as high as number seven, despite the fact that Jett kept the original female pronouns intact. Long rumored to be a lesbian, Jett had courted the reputation of a rebel since her days with legendary girl rock group the Runaways, and her edgy rendition of this 60s pop classic still rocks nearly a quarter of a century later. Jett's back catalog is currently being re-released, and this cut is featured on the 1997 greatest hits album Fit to be Tied.
3. "What's New, Pussycat?" by kd lang
You may have seen kd lang perform it live, and commercially, it's available on her DVD Live from Sidney and a UK-released three-track CD of If I Were You. But if you've never heard it, do whatever you have to do to find it because it's too sexy to miss. How much better does it get than the most beautiful lesbian voice of all time crooning these immortal words, originally made famous by Tom Jones, “Pussycat, pussycat you're delicious, and if my wishes can all come true, I'll soon be kissing your sweet little pussycat lips.”
2. “Thunder Road” by Melissa Etheridge (duet with Bruce Springsteen)
A lot of Melissa Etheridge songs could have made this list, from her Unplugged cover of Rod Stewart's “Maggie May” to her “Honky Tonk Woman” duet with Sammy Hagar. But if there is anything on earth sexier than hearing her sing “Mary, climb in” on this MTV special, it's hard to imagine what it is (unless it's the way the mostly-female audience screamed when she sang it). Sadly, this duet of “Thunder Road” with original artist Bruce Springsteen has never been released on CD or DVD.
1. “Gloria” by Patti Smith
You know this isn't going to be much like the Van Morrison original when proto-punk rocker Patti Smith sneers, “Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine” as the opening line. Released in 1975 on her debut album Horses, “Gloria” interweaves Smith's own lyrics with Morrison's, turning his love song into a story of Smith's sexual obsession with a woman named Gloria. It's erotic, wild, and hard, and possibly the most frankly sexual lesbian rock song ever recorded.
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