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The best lesbianish music videosDespite the fact that my father refers to them as “chewing-gum for the eyes,” I admit I love watching music videos. A good video can make me like a song I wasn’t that keen on when I heard it on the radio; a really bad one can put me off a song I thought I liked. But they have to be bad indeed in order to get me to switch off altogether. Despite all that, I’m aware of a pervasive lack in the majority of music videos. Where — amidst all the heterosexual bumping and grinding and declarations of love — are the lesbians? It’s not like there is a lack of successful out lesbian singers. Melissa and k.d. and Tegan and Sara — they’re all out there. But when it comes to being “out there” in their videos — not so much. Possibly under pressure from their record companies, these singers tend to compensate for their openly gay status in life by keeping their songs and videos carefully gender neutral. In the video for their song "Speak Slow," Tegan and Sara even appear in bed with men — although to be fair, it’s made pretty clear that they are friends rather than love interests.
So where does that leave lesbian visibility in music videos? Every so often, a lesbian couple or two will appear briefly in the video of a (presumably) straight singer who wants to demonstrate his or her gay-friendliness. Vanessa Carlton has them in her video for "Hands on Me." Katie Melua has them in her video for "Call Off the Search." Ex-Spice Girl Emma Bunton has one in her video for "I’ll Be There." British singer Tom Baxter has one in his video for "Better." If you’ve ever seen the video for the Nicole Kidman/Robbie Williams duet "Somethin’ Stupid," you’ll know that Nicole has a split-second moment where she looks like she might switch teams. But by and large, that’s what these appearances are: split-second. Of course, you can always find the occasional straight male singer who uses “lesbian” imagery or suggestiveness in his videos in a clearly voyeuristic way. Fifty Cent’s video for "Candy Shop" springs to mind. As does Robbie Williams’ threesome in "Come Undone." The video for U.K. dance band Ultrabeat’s "Pretty Green Eyes" basically consists of three exotic dancers “performing” lesbianism for the benefit of the fat, ugly male singer who sits and watches them. Justin Timberlake’s video for "What Goes Around ... Comes Around" has guest star Scarlett Johansson exclaiming — with boring predictability as well as without much conviction — “I like girls.” In the past 25 years, though, there have been a few music videos that not only feature lesbianish relationships prominently, but also do so in a way that makes it feel like they’re not designed (exclusively) for the benefit of straight male viewers. Here are six of my favorites: 1. Prince, "1999" (1983) What saves the two ambiguously gay women in this video from being just the usual straight male window-dressing is that a) the camera cuts to them repeatedly, b) they are actually involved in the song, with the brunette apparently playing the keyboard and both women singing, and c) neither of them gets involved with men at any point in the video. The fact that Prince is such a sexually ambiguous creature himself helps — I’m willing to believe that he put them in the video as a nod to sexual diversity, and not just to build up his own reputation as a stud. And I’ll admit it — I can’t resist a blonde in a military cap. 2. Prince, "Diamonds and Pearls" (1991) Not only is the song itself a bit of a bisexual anthem (“If I gave you diamonds and pearls/would you be a happy boy or girl?”), but once again, Prince prominently features a lesbian couple without trying to get involved with them himself. At one point, in fact, the camera cuts from Prince with his own female love interest, to a shot of the two women — suggesting an equality between heterosexual and homosexual pairings, and indicating that the love described in the song could refer to either of them. 3. Jill Sobule, ‘"I Kissed A Girl" (1995) I’ll admit that this song is a bit on the cutesy side for me — but with its unambiguous lyrics and lesbotastic video, it definitely deserves a mention. All the same, it’s a bit striking that although we repeatedly hear Sobule claim that she kissed a girl, someone involved with the video’s production evidently decided that it would be too much for us to actually see her doing so. Overall, the video is a bit like Kissing Jessica Stein, without the kissing. 4. t.A.T.u., "All The Things She Said" (2002) Ironically, it took a couple of straight girls to break the kissing taboo. Yes, the teenage Russian “lesbians” are fake (as I realized the first time I saw them on the cover of Maxim magazine, shortly after they released this video), and yes, that’s annoying. But besides providing a welcome — and extremely popular — break in the endless stream of heterosexually themed videos, "All the Things She Said" still seems an amazingly powerful song to me for anyone who’s ever been a teenage queer. The lyrics, with their combination of anguish and defiance, ring true — and the video’s ending, with the two girls striding off together hand-in-hand in the rain, is instantly iconic. Now if only more lesbian movies would end that way. 5. Britney Spears featuring Madonna, "Me Against the Music" (2003) In the wake of the success of "All the Things She Said," Madonna evidently decided she was going to get in on all the lesbian action — kissing both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera during a performance at the 2003 VMAs, and then releasing this lesbian-inflected duet where the kiss is almost repeated. Yes, it’s essentially more straight girls exploiting “lesbianism” for shock value and chart success. But with gay icon (and rumored Sandra Bernhard ex) Madonna as one of the duo, the video does have a smidge more lesbian credibility than it might otherwise have — plus, the energy between these two powerful women is crackling, and Britney looks hot in a suit. 6. The Ditty Bops, "Wishful Thinking" (2004) They’re not anywhere near as well-known as t.A.T.u. or Britney and Madonna, which unfortunately limits their mainstream impact. But with this video, you get to see a bona fide lesbian couple — Abby DeWald and Amanda Barrett, who make up The Ditty Bops — singing a love song in which they are unambiguously addressing each other. To which I can only, wistfully say: More of the same please, music industry. Finally, there’s a video I love that doesn’t quite fit in with the others I’ve mentioned. The music is dull, the male singer is sleazy, and there’s no actual lesbian relationship featured, so why am I recommending Roxy Music’s 1982 release "Avalon" to you? Well, because the tall, slender, unapproachable blonde pirouetting around in the video is none other than the now-out British lesbian actress Sophie Ward. And there are worse ways to spend four minutes than in wondering whether she may be the most beautiful out lesbian ever to have existed. Are there any important videos I’ve missed? Do you love or hate my choices? Let me know in the comments. Submitted by on March 10, 2008 - 6:00pm. |
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News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media
KM
She hasn't identified
She hasn't identified herself as gay. Or bi. Or straight. But she likes how people speculate about her sexuality.
But my gaydar definitely screams out loud :)
T&S
I agree and ...
Not to mention that T and S are the only people "starring" in their videos except for 2 or 3 (Speak Slow with their band, The Con with the psychiatrist, and if you count the extras in BIYH).
I think it's a little unfair to lump T and S in with the claim that "these singers tend to compensate for their openly gay status in life by keeping their songs and videos carefully gender neutral" after "The Con":
-"I was Married" - about the commonlaw marriage in Canada
-"Knife Going In" -sings her (ex)girlfriend's name
double agreed!
T & S never EVER hide the fact that they are gay. In fact, they are extremely open about it on a regular basis. Their music videos don't feature relationships with other women because that would be so un-T&S. It wouldn't be their style to be running towards some chick slow motion in the rain in one of their vids.
Who they are on stage, as well as when communicating with the press exemplifies their strong personalities and unyielding commitment to always be themselves.
true, but...
there is an AWESOME fan flash animation to the song "nineteen" that looks pretty professional... and is QUITE lesbian themed, albeit a lesbian heartbreak theme...
:)
check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqJbHM-KGWU
Janet: Everybody's talking about it.
Amy: About what?
Janet: How you met Lucy and lived to tell about it. They're calling you a hero, when really you're a slut.
Amy: You shut up
Janet: A gay slut.
Music videos do nothing for
Music videos do nothing for me. Unless they're really spectacular, I don't bother watching them (only if the artist is really hot). The t.A.T.u. one is pretty cool, though. I mean, it has hot girls kissing in the rain. What's not to like?
One music video I really like is this one by The Reason ft. Sara Quin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iHm864svLc
Except for Sara, there's nothing gay about it, but I like the black-and-white thing and how adorably tiny she is.
Oh, and I disagree about Avalon. I love that song! I associate it with good things.
Wendy and Lisa (Prince's Girls)
Slight Nitpick
On a pretty much unrelated note...
Mecano
Mujer Contra Mujer (covered in French as Une Femme Avec Une Femme, ie A Woman With A Woman, the message is clear).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATMzgCbMjVs
This was in the mid-eighties if I recall so long before it was cool having lesbians in a video. And it was hit.
Hey, I did enjoy watching that one again.
Hell, I've got to mention this one too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9ZMGLkcxWA (well mostly if you speak French). Lara - Sanson... rrrrrrrrhhhrrrr.
For me music videos are
For me music videos are really big deal (my blog=videoblog).
But Tegan and Sara...
Like bsulotusblossom mentioned, their gayness is so talked about in their interviews, reviews, articles. And if Tegan and Sara are going add lesbian thing in videos... Seems like there's no room for music. Being gay is not their ultimate purpose in life, but it's going to look like that then. Am I worng?
this was what i was getting
this was what i was getting at in my post (below).
i also don't think we can assume or hypothesize that artists don't express their gayness in their music videos because their record companies push them not to. We can't forget that music is an artform, and music videos (especially for a band like Tegan and Sara, who put so much personal effort into their videos) are an expression of that artform. Sometimes the music just isn't about that.
Sophie Ward
Oh my! I forgot all about Sophie Ward in that "Avalon" vid... Which sorta brings me to Angelina Jolie in Rolling Stones's "Anybody seen my baby" video.
A friend of mine told me about the video to Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren's cover "Love you more": http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bn6dSWVC-k (This seems to be made for the male gaze, tho...) Sarah Bettens has dueted with Racoon: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=8cFpyOZcBvI
_ _ _ _ _
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." (Dr. Seuss)
Roxy Music
IS NOT DULL MUSIC!!
I'm not colorblind, I know the world is black & white
Viva Roxy Music!
More than this and/or 2HB
are pretty much on every mixtape I've made so far.
I flove Roxy Music!
http://blauermontag.livejournal.com/
Tegan and Sara
"to be fair" Tegan and Sara have stated time and time again that while they won't hide the fact that they are gay, they don't want that to be the focus of their music (or the focus instead of their music).
additionally, if we're being fair, the Speak Slow video in which Tegan and Sara appear in bed with men is a scene in which they and their band (love Rob, Chris and Ted!!!) wake up all in the same bed. I think that can hardly be misconstrued as keeping their videos "gender neutral" or even straight. One of the things that makes Tegan and Sara such a great band is that, yeah they're gay, but they are also getting out there and showing that "gay" isn't the only thing that they are.
I've heard countless fans (and Tegan and Sara themselves) tell stories about fans and their moms coming up to the two after a show and telling them how their "no big deal" attitude about being gay helped someone deal with coming out/helped someone's mom adjust and realize that it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with her kid.
I definitely appreciate the out and proud attitude that some entertainers (actresses, musicians, whoever) take about the fact that they are gay, but I think there is also a benefit to having entertainers like Tegan and Sara who don't make their sexual orientation their calling card. I agree with bsulotusblossom - I don't think Tegan and Sara feel the need to make videos like that.
It's also not prominent,
It's also not prominent, but it's there and not as a straight-man fantasy.. Plus, I think the entire video is gorgeous anyway, so. :)
Blink 182's I Miss You - http://youtube.com/watch?v=iYEM68HIm0Y
Wow I'd totally forgotten
Wow I'd totally forgotten about this.
This video was kind of a wake up call for me back in the day (2003?) Suddenly I didn't care about the band anymore..
The video is amazing and beatiful and creepy. The spiders, the girls, the kiss. People don't normally kiss like that on teevee..
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. :)
Smack My Bitch Up!
One of my favs was always Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up"...where the reveal is that the hot mess drinking, drugging,partying, brawling(or what I like to call a Tuesday night for me..ow!), grabbing asses and getting it on with a girl, IS a girl herself.
Very hot.
Dawn: It's on. All right? It's f---in' ON.
Alanis...
I'd say the video Alanis made for her cover of Seal's song Crazy would clasify as lesbian themed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KCIgkLMiKo
She also played a girl at a party that kissed Carrie on Sex in the City:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qloir0i7Rz0
Not to mention her role on Nip/Tuck... Also back in 2003 or 2004 she was on Howard Stern and she said something to the affect that she slept with a famous lesbian a long time ago, well after Dave Coulier and that it was beautiful but not something she would seek out again.
Ciara
Ciara and her army of butches are gunna take over the world!
... And I, for one, welcome our new sexy overlords. :P
God, I love the video for Like A Boy. I don't know which is sexier, Ciara in a suit with a pimp cane or Ciara with tattoos and baggy pants.
Tegan and Sara
Well.... But heterosexual artists seem to manage to be open about their sexuality in interviews, reviews and articles, and in their videos as well, and still have "room" for music. I'm not totally sure why lesbianism takes up more "room" than heterosexuality does.
For the record: I didn't write this post to have a go at Tegan and Sara. They gain major kudos in my eyes for being out in the first place (as many young artists aren't, and they're under no compulsion to be). I was really just trying to point up the strong double standard that exists in the music industry, whereby heterosexual artists are encouraged to flaunt their sexuality in music videos, and gay artists can't even have so much as a same-sex love interest who appears for a second. It was the same with the UK lesbian singer Alex Parks, who won the talent show 'Fame Academy' - she was out in life, but she never had a love interest in any of her videos. Whereas when, for example, Gareth Gates came second in the UK show 'Pop Idol', his videos immediately showed him with female love interests.
There may well be gay artists who don't feel the need to reference their sexuality in every video - but when they never reference it in any video, I would question whether that's really about the artist's free choice, or whether that's about industry pressure, and self-censorship on the part of the artist because appearing with a same-sex love interest is seen as being "too gay" and too "in-your-face", and alienating to straight fans.
I felt Alex Parks' Honesty
I felt Alex Parks' Honesty video was a little bit lesbianish - she walks down a road singing, hitches a ride from two guys, but then meets this lovely blonde lady with whom she goes to a house party with and starts singing with her and the blonde chick plays guitar. Okay, so maybe it's not lesbian-ish, but I can dream.
Anyway, in defence of the lack of reference to their sexual orientation, Alex Parks (among others) doesn't have any reference to heterosexuality either. It's just not present.
Rosenstolz - Liebe ist alles
So gay, and generally a very very beautiful video. The song was in the German charts for quite a while and the video was shown every other hour.
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=gnKs71IvtWU&feature=related
yes yes yes!
i wanted to say that too, and then saw that you already mentioned this nice video.
:-)
so now, i just confirm it.
Forgot about Rosenstolz
Thank you.
_ _ _ _ _
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." (Dr. Seuss)
one of the WORST...
Tegan And Sara
Defined in two words: AMAZING MUSIC
And that's all i'll ever need from them
I LOVE the Ditty Bops!
as for out lesbian videos...
Rough Trade
Okay, this one has all but maybe the Ditty Bops beat. No, I think it has the Ditty Bops well beat. This is "High School Confidential" from Carole Pope and Rough Trade-- a Canadian band. It is from 1980 and was a big hit in Canada. I remember hearing this song and stopping in my tracks. Rough Trade played my university orientation party and, despite my best efforts, Carole Pope did not go home with me. Anyone who can sing about a girl who "makes me cream my jeans" is someone I would have wanted to spend some time with. Carole Pope also had an affair with Dusty Springfield and how cool would that be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsJHtzdvfKg
And, by the way, Roxy Music is one of the most influential bands of its time and is most certainly not dull music. Sheesh. But then the author of this blog did not know that Wendy and Lisa were an integral part of Prince and the Revolution (Is the water warm? yes Lisa. Shall we begin? yes Lisa) and, thus, clearly demonstrates that they were likely not really around in the 80s perhaps because she was too busy being a child and not an over-gelled, shoulder pad and Swatch wearing 20 year old like me. :)
and, thus, clearly
and, thus, clearly demonstrates that they were likely not really around in the 80s perhaps because she was too busy being a child and not an over-gelled, shoulder pad and Swatch wearing 20 year old like me. :)
You've rumbled me :)
In response to all the defenders of Roxy Music, I should admit that I've never actually heard any of their oeuvre other than this song 'Avalon'. But I've listened to that several times over for the pleasure of ogling Sophie Ward - and, sorry, I still think it's dull :P But music is very subjective, after all.
the ditty bops!
i'm so glad you included the ditty bops. i'm in love with them! i can't help but grin widely whenever i hear their music, which is pretty much all the time....yeah, my cheeks hurt. thanks!
"don't ever say it's too late, you know you'll regret it. just when you're sure of your life, it can change right before your eyes"
"turtle" by alana davis
great post! didn't know
great post! didn't know some of the videos!
I collect lesbian themed musicvideos at my last.fm group for a while now: http://www.last.fm/group/A+Girlfriend+called+music
and post them at my blog sometimes: http://lesbiansranting.blogspot.com
The best lesbianish musicvideo I have ever seen is still "Komponent" by Apparat (A berlin electro artist.) Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSiA06BBWBo
It is just awesome!!
Queen -. you don't fool me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9bt8QldjPc
The Ditty Bops
What, no love for
What, no love for Superbus?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ig3g7U8wDM
Me Against the Music
Here is the better version of #5. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeWMLuHtM38
check this one out!!
It's so cute and so gay. Narcys: Toi t'en reves
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x281m4_toi-ten-reves-version-non-censuree_music
Some more
I love music videos as much as I love music.
Some more great lesbian-themed videos:
Dragonette – I Get Around http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQwJOVOtZpY
The Gossip – Listen Up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vYmWg1vHeU
The Disco Boys – Hey St. Peter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3ttp8_higc
Garbage – Androgyny http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cizBRwETDwc&feature=related
Joan Jett – ACDC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVlcAJFTPRo
The Sounds – Tony the Beat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbJ1M0di2rw
Garbage – The World is Not Enough http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYbLR67_F9E
Mark Lanegan/Isobel Campbell – Ramblin’ Man is a bit exploitative but features male/male affection too, I like to think of it as a kind of free love video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsT1CImV4Us
Madonna – Justify My Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jivJRWdND6E
Portishead – Glory Box has Beth in drag and surrounded by girls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF-GvT8Clnk
Bjork – All is Full of Love (though this one is quite narcissistic as they’re both Bjork) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjAoBKagWQA
Bright Eyes – First Day of My Life has many couples, Daniela Sea and Bitch are in it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwFS69nA-1w
Melissa Etheridge – Message to Myself features her and Tammy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9VzTRqt8X8
A plethora of vid links
Thanks Pancreas! The Gossip, of course!
its not, is it!!
God, is that really Beth in drag??? Geez that woman is soooooo sexy. Not in a suit tho.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF-GvT8Clnk
I am loving this post, and
I am loving this post, and the great collection of lesbianish music videos that have been posted as replies! I LOVE music videos, but often get frustrated at how hard it is for me to find people I can identify with in them.
Out Icelandic singer Paul Oscar made a video for his song "International" that features quite a few lesbian women. The song was used as an anthem for Reykjavik Gay Pride last year: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8d12YLAS444
Hello Saferide has a song titled "My Best Friend" where singer Annika Norlin sings "Damn, I wish I were a lesbian". No real lesbian visibility (other than the word lesbian being repeated many times), but it's a cute and funny song: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VJU1bbBC3g8
Hello Saferide ...
is just amazing! I would love to see Annika Norlin live ... hope they make it to Germany eventually
http://blauermontag.livejournal.com/
Does...
Aerosmith's "Crazy" video count? :P Oh, and I LOVE the Ditty Bops! (and this awesome post idea!!) Off to youtube away my night...
ETA - Two others are:
Juicebox - The Strokes
Written in Blood - She Wants Revenge
Those do not feature the most positive portrayal of relationships (especially the SWR one), but I do understand what the Strokes were saying about the exploitation factor.
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3waytv.tv Go now, go often.
Hell Yeah!
Glad I'm not the only one who immediately flashed on "Crazy". Always been a sucker for Liv. :D
Though we choose between reality and madness, it's either sadness or euphoria.
-- Billy Joel
Crazy
Hell yeah it counts!
I haven't seen that video in years, but I clearly recall a lot of Alicia Silverstone and Liv Tyler goodness...of course, they never actually got it on...but they should have...
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-Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.
Who doesn't blog these days?