Everyone has their list. Here’s mine — and no, it’s not a list of best make-out songs. Rather, it’s a list of songs that empower me — and maybe you — with clear woman-loving lyrics.

1. “I Kissed a Girl” — Jill Sobule. According to a recent article in Performing Songwriter, she really did kiss a girl. I love this bouncy singalong, and I love that it got so much airplay. Frankly, I just love Jill Sobule. I want to take her home and make her tuna casserole.

2. “Amazon” — Maxine Feldman. She called herself an out, proud, Jewish butch back when queer bars were raided on a regular basis. Her affirming songs and funny stage manner were a breath of fresh air. Nedra Johnson does a more modern version of the song that kicks major booty.

3. “Boinked (the Bride)” — Ember Swift. I love funny tunes and this one makes me burst into giggles every time.

4. “Ode to a Gym Teacher” — Meg Christian (pictured below with Cris Williamson). Who didn’t fall in love with their gym teacher? Oh, biceps!

5. “A Woman’s Love” — Alix Dobkin. She has so many out lesbian tunes and this is my favorite. I heard Therese Edell do this at one of my first women’s music concerts. Oh that sexy alto voice!

6. “Drive” — Melissa Ferrick. You knew I was going to include this one, right? You have to hear it live. If you’re not lusting after women before you hear it, you will afterward. (Hey, we do recruit.)

7. “32 Lines” — Sophie B. Hawkins. “I’ll lead you home / to Provincetown.” You sure can.

8. “If It Isn’t Her” — Ani DiFranco. I probably rewound this tape (yes, it was that long ago) a million times to hear this song. “I have been playing too many of those boy-girl games / she says honey you are safe here / this is a girl-girl thing.” … continue reading

While at the record store this week, you might also want to consider some of the live DVDs that are hitting shelves, including Tori Amos: Live at Montreaux 1991-1992, Jewel: The Essential Live Songbook and The Supremes: Hits in the Name of Love. Sometimes you just need a visual.

On to the audio, here's what you can expect to see in new releases this week:

Ani DiFranco — Red Letter Year (Righteous Babe)

Today is most likely a huge day for you, if you're a DiFrancophile. Ani's album of all-new material comes out today. There aren't too many surprises on the disc — more of the same acoustic folk that fans have come to know and love.

Melissa Etheridge — A New Thought for Christmas (Island Records)

It's fall, which means Christmas music will be coming out through December. Melissa does her own renditions of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Blue Christmas." There are also several holiday originals to replace your Mariah Carey Christmas album — you know that CD is tired!

Jennifer Hudson &mdash Jennifer Hudson (Arista Records)

It's time for the Dreamgirl to shine, which could be one reason her first single is called "Spotlight." The singer-turned-actress has an Oscar under her belt, but her CD is sure to remind everyone that her strong soul vocals are what gave her notoriety in the first place. … continue reading

Christmas takes the cake on how many songs are dedicated to one singular day, but several other holidays are deserving of some tunes all their own. The fourth of July is surely one of the most fun holidays, so it's good to know there are some singers and songwriters that are just as excited about the sparklers as we are every year.

Aimee Mann's "4th of July" is sort of sad, but really, what else would you expect from her? Nonetheless, it's a tune of tribute to the holiday:

Today's the fourth of July / Another June has gone by /And when they light up our town I just think / What a waste of gunpowder and sky.

OK she's kind of a Debbie Downer, but whatevs — it's pretty right?

Moving on to romance from Mariah Carey. Her song is, uh, also called "Fourth of July," but she actually likes to watch fireworks. That's my kind of girl.

It was twilight on the Fourth of July / Sparkling colors were strewn across the sky / and we sat close enough that we just barely touched while roman candles went soaring above us.

Use this track if you're trying to seal the deal. And by that I mean, hold hands with a nice lady.

I would be chastised if I didn't mention Ani DiFranco's own track called, drumroll please, "Fourth of July." In fact, there might even be some sort of AfterEllen.com clause that says "Must mention Ani's songs when relevant or you will be fired instantly." So I keep my job:

He says his name is Jason / he lives in the last trailer on the right/ and he'll be seven / on the Fourth of July.

Ani D: friend to lesbians, folksingers, lesbian folksingers and trailer dwellers. Such a do-gooder! … continue reading

The protest song is dead. Long live the protest song! While the days of folkies in overalls riding the rails and singing about union jobs may be long gone, a new crop of protest songs has emerged in the last few years that hint that the synergy of music and politics may not be gone for good. One of the most recent, high-profile entrants into the political arena is Sheryl Crow.

Lest you think that all Sheryl wants to do is have some fun, her new album Detours is a potent mash-up of the political and personal. Her latest video is for her joyous yet pointed “Out of Our Heads.” It is unquestionably one of the most upbeat protest songs I’ve heard since Edwin Starr’s funkalicious “War.” The video features politicians, celebrities and everyday folks flashing the peace sign. You’ll want to flash your own peace sign, not to mention tap your toe, throughout. I particularly like how the image of President Bush is followed by the lyrics “you have blood upon your hands.” Subtle — no. Accurate — yes. … continue reading

Of course, Sheryl isn’t the only artist of late to meld politics with her art. Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, The Beastie Boys, John Mellencamp and, heck, even Eminem have protested our current political climate in song since the Iraq War started.

How many of you had a wonderful Valentine's Day with a special love? Aw, good for you. While you're still hooked on the feeling and high on believing, revisit our celebration of love songs and have a nice weekend.

Now, how many of you got dumped yesterday, right on the buttocks? If so, you have plenty of company. According to canada.com, six million people break up on Valentine's Day. And even more break up in the two weeks leading up to February 14.

OK, I know that doesn't help much. But the fact is that most, if not all, of us have had a bad breakup that devastated us or royally pissed us off — or both. And that's the beauty of breakup songs. They're written by people who have been stepped on, lied to, cheated on and treated like dirt. So no matter how alone you feel, you always have musical company. In fact, let's help out Alice with the track scribe suggested for the breakup scene with Tasha. (For you young'uns, this is The 5th Dimension.)

My favorite breakup songs tend to be of the angry variety. I confess, every Valentine's Day I commemorate a Very Special Breakup by singing "I'm the Only One" along with Melissa, at the top of my lungs.

Ah, the sweet pill of bitterness. You never forget your first cheater.

Another good top-of-your-lungs number is an oldie, but goodie, from Nancy Sinatra. Are ya ready, boots? Start walkin'. … continue reading

Think back: Were you feeling particularly down two Mondays ago? It’s proven scientific fact, or at least a well-publicized theory, that the third Monday of January is the most depressing day of the year, aptly dubbed Blue Monday by Cardiff University researcher Dr. Cliff Arnall. But here in the States, Jan. 21 fell on a holiday, and you can’t really be sad when you’re being paid to not work. So for me, yesterday was Blue Monday. It could have been the nonstop drizzle, or perhaps it was the holiday credit card bills that arrived and made me rethink the role of my internal organs. I mean, I have two kidneys when one could suffice. Perhaps it’s time that freeloader starts earning its years of room and board.

But instead of wallowing in my self-pity or Googling black-market kidney buyers, I decided to cheer myself up the old-fashioned way. No, not with a whole cheesecake and bottle of pinot. Instead I went with my favorite music, movies and TV shows. These old standbys are guaranteed to put a smile on, at the very least, my face.

Album: Ani DiFranco, Dilate

Now, I realize this selection seems counter-intuitive. Right now you’re all, “Uh, Ms. Snarker, that’s, like, an angry breakup album filled with personal demons and unrelenting angst.” True, true. But it’s also got some of the best F-you songs on the planet, not to mention some of the best music to sing to at full volume in the car, windows up or down because you are a righteous babe and don’t care who knows it. And if all else fails, just fast-forward to "Joyful Girl."

  … continue reading

It's January. Election Day is ten months away. Yet the campaign has been underway for several months already. And as expected, I am already bored with it. I have no idea who I will vote for come November, and I likely won't know until I actually cast my vote behind the little curtain of my portable voting booth. What I do know is that the face of Chuck Norris was grinning at me from behind Mike Huckabee when he congratulated himself on a victory in the Iowa caucuses last week. And I asked myself, "What the hell is Chuck Norris doing in Iowa? And why does he look like a life-sized plastic cutout of himself?"

I'm guessing you may be asking yourself a similar question right now. Namely, what the hell does this have to do with women in entertainment? Well, Chuck Norris' plastic mug got me thinking about the role of celebrity in politics. Politics is one big popularity contest, after all, the likes of which many of us dreaded in junior high. So, does having a celebrity by your side actually get you anywhere in politics? Actually being a celebrity worked well for Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse "The Body" Ventura. But does having the vocal support of Oprah Winfrey and Halle Berry actually do anything for Barack Obama come election day?

There has to be something to this celebrity endorsement thing, right? It's not like Obama is the only one with big name celebs lining up to offer support, usually in the form of money and publicity, which inevitably generates more money, which may or may not win someone the White House. Rudy Giuliani has the support of some 1970s pinup girls in the form of Bo Derek and Cheryl Ladd. No word on whether the rest of the angels view him as a perfect 10 or not. … continue reading

At last count, the longest I've lived in one place since I moved away from home is two years (stability is a casualty of grad school). As I've packed up apartments over the years — and thrown out many an item I don't want to cart around — one of the things I've learned is that there aren't many musicians who wear well. Five years or so later, I'm tossing out CDs and thinking, well, what was I thinking? The Ghost Town DJs? Really?

But there's one singer who's been with me through all of the moves (and whose work doesn't make me question my taste), and that's the tremendously talented and brilliant singer/songwriter/activist/poet/businesswoman and recipient of NOW's Woman of Courage award, Ani DiFranco.

Yeah, I like her a little bit. OK, a lot. (And I'm not the only girl around here enamored of her. You can catch an AfterEllen.com closeup on her here.) If my life had a soundtrack, she would be on it — some of my biggest moments of high dyke drama were set to her music. Like "Untouchable Face," with its truly magnificent chorus. Hands down, it's The Best. Breakup. Song. Ever. I only listened to it 47 thousand times or so on a two-hour drive home from that bad breakup. Here's a glimpse of another perennial queer favorite, "32 Flavors": … continue reading

Prince's halftime show notwithstanding, I don't think guitars are necessarily phallic. Men have dominated the guitar world (especially when it comes to smashing things and jumping off amp towers), but who says it has to stay that way?

Here are some axe-wielding women who sound as good as they look.

1. Pioneers: Without them, this blog post wouldn't exist.

Wanda Jackson [pictured]
Bonnie Raitt
Nancy Wilson (Heart)

… continue reading

by Dorothy Snarker

The tattooed lady has been turning heads since long before Groucho Marx made Lydia the most famous one around. Before the lower back tattoo became the calling card of a generation of wannabe wild children, lesbians were rocking the ink with defiant flare. The tattoo even made No. 3 on the definitive list of Top 11 Lesbian Fashion Accessories (beaten only by the white ribbed tank top and the tie). But before we start a discourse on the geopolitical and sociological significance of tattoos on women, let's be honest with ourselves: They just look hot. Really, really hot. And on these ladies, they look even hotter.

With that, I give you my completely unscientific, but totally smoking, list of the Top 10 Tattooed Ladies.

10. Helen Mirren: The queen's got ink. The tattoo -- a small, interlaced symbol on her left hand -- is a remnant from her bad girl 20s when she "got very drunk on brandy and woke up with it the next day." I couldn't love her more.

9. Drew Barrymore: Doesn't part of you miss the old Drew? Sure, she is America's sweetheart now, but sometimes I long for the girl who would flash her tats — not to mention David Letterman — with pride.

8. Lena Headey: After Imagine Me & You made her every lesbian's favorite florist, fans were left wondering whether those tattoos were real. Turns out, yes. Yay for flower girls.

7. Eve: Placement is everything.

6. Amy Winehouse: Girl's got soul. And girl's also got naked girls tattooed onto her body. Works for me.

(Click "read more" to read the top 5.) … continue reading