# Early eighties girl+girl song... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 2, 2014, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225 "2014-09-02T03:28:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/1 "2014-09-02T03:28:22Z")
While watching old Quarterflash vids for the [Classic Rock songs thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732384), I stumbled across this one. I remember it from back in the day, maybe the first lesbian/bi song that I ever heard (or remember hearing). [**Valerie** , by Quarterflash](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD2THl1QjF4) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/2 "2014-09-02T03:52:36Z")
I leave it to you to figure out the sexuality issues in Lou Reed’s _Walk on the Wild Side_. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/3 "2014-09-02T04:01:50Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I leave it to you to figure out the sexuality issues in Lou Reed’s _Walk on the Wild Side_. Yeah, that was more MTF transgender. Not so much the girl +girl angle. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/4 "2014-09-02T04:29:36Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I leave it to you to figure out the sexuality issues in Lou Reed’s _Walk on the Wild Side_. > [@River\_Hippie](#): > > Yeah, that was more MTF transgender. Not so much the girl +girl angle. And Lola came out before that (but it probably doesn’t count since the singer wasn’t aware that Lola was a man). ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/5 "2014-09-02T04:48:36Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > [**Valerie** , by Quarterflash](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD2THl1QjF4) I’ve not heard that song before. I guess it didn’t reach our shores. There are some serious hair issues in that video. Mullet perms. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/6 "2014-09-02T16:12:23Z")
The first lesbian/bi song I ever remember hearing came from the 8-track version of the Sweet’s old album _ **Desolation Boulevard.** _ Probably around 1975 or 1976. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/32SZbmHt9uA/maxresdefault.jpg "AC/DC - THE SWEET") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32SZbmHt9uA) ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/7 "2014-09-02T17:41:34Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > And Lola came out before that (but it probably doesn’t count since the singer wasn’t aware that Lola was a man). Due to an incredibly dextrous feat of wordplay on the part of Ray Davies, the last four words of your statement cannot be made with certainty. The line in question is “I’m not the world’s most masculine man, but I know what I am and I’m glad I’m a man and so’s Lola.” This can be interpreted as: 1. I’m glad I’m a man, and Lola is also a man; or 2. I’m glad I’m a man, and Lola is also glad I’m a man It’s true that the song’s lyrics, taken as a whole, point more to the first interpretation than the second. But the second is plausible, and was a clever fallback position for Davies in the event the censors wanted to have a go at him. Come to that, your original statement is ambiguous, too. Certainly the singer was unaware at the start of his encounter will Lola that “she” might be male, but if you go with interpretation #1 above, then he’s aware of it by the end of the song. In the end, this all has little to do with the thread’s premise, as it’s very clear that the singer of the song is male, so regardless of Lola’s orientation, there’s no “girl+girl” action going on. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/8 "2014-09-02T20:10:36Z")
Book of Love, [“Boy”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVBbIxdCNLQ) ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/9 "2014-09-02T20:55:47Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I leave it to you to figure out the sexuality issues in Lou Reed’s _Walk on the Wild Side_. This isn’t that hard since Lou is referring to real people in the song. All of the people mentioned were part of Andy Warhol’s The Factory. [Walk on the Wild Side (Lou Reed song) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_on_the_Wild_Side_(Lou_Reed_song)) ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/10 "2014-09-02T21:17:31Z")
Ma Rainey (sometimes called the mother of the blues) had songs that seemed to indicate lesbianism. [Prove It On Me Blues](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRyaUcVfhak), is one example (circa 1928). It might have seemed edgy in the eighties, but in the 20s it was [illegal](http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/singing-the-lesbian-blues-in-1920s-harlem/). ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/11 "2014-09-02T21:19:50Z")
[Patti Smith’s version of Gloria](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxygqSTO1lQ) (1975) is an earlier example of a lesbian song. As for gay male action, even if you don’t count “Lola” (and you really should), David Bowie was having hits about it in the early '70s. ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/12 "2014-09-02T21:50:00Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > [Patti Smith’s version of Gloria](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxygqSTO1lQ) (1975) is an earlier example of a lesbian song. Not that this is a competition, but I think my 1928 trumps your 1975! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/13 "2014-09-02T22:05:53Z")
[How 'bout the Miracles – minus Smokey-- for right in your face and ahead of it’s time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h6OVwvAiIs) sooo gay song? P.S., this song was on the same album as Love Machine. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/14 "2014-09-02T22:45:57Z")
_All the Young Girls Love Alice_ ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/15 "2014-09-02T23:18:50Z")
My Girl Bill ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2014, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/16 "2014-09-02T23:19:55Z")
😉 ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/17 "2014-09-03T04:54:01Z")
> [@SiXSwordS](#): > > Not that this is a competition, but I think my 1928 trumps your 1975! 😉 Well, your post got in there while I was looking up the link for mine, so my “earlier” was not referring to your example, but to the OP. Apart from that, however, I was assuming this was about lesbianism in rock/pop, so I am not sure how relevant a blues from 1928 really is. If genre is irrelevant, the lyrics of Sappho will beat anything. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/18 "2014-09-03T04:56:30Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > My Girl Bill > [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > 😉 I know you are joking, but even if that were really a gay song it would still not be a lesbian song. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/19 "2014-09-03T05:29:13Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > While watching old Quarterflash vids for the [Classic Rock songs thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=732384), I stumbled across this one. I remember it from back in the day, maybe the first lesbian/bi song that I ever heard (or remember hearing). > > [**Valerie** , by Quarterflash](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD2THl1QjF4) I actually have that album on vinyl! (yes, I am a fossil; why do you ask?) Which I have subsequently ripped to mp3. If it weren’t illegal, I would offer to email you a file of the song. But of course that would be all kinds of illegal, so I won’t offer it at all. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225/20 "2014-09-03T12:57:14Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > I know you are joking, but even if that were really a gay song it would still not be a lesbian song. Several other posts had already veered the thread away from pure lesbianism. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-eighties-girl-girl-song/697225.md?page=2)