Songs about a person who is the same sex as the singer

Cafe Society
#1

I’m looking for songs where the singers are singing about someone who is the same sex as themselves but

  1. Not a romantic rival (so not Jolene)
  2. Not a same sex love interest (so not whoever Melissa Ethridge wanted to come to her window)
  3. While the person doesn’t need to be a real person or even specifically named, it should be a person, not many

You can consider 1&2 to be a bechdel test of sorts for songs

The songs can be by a solo artist or a band

Examples that immediately comes to mind is Bad, Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce, Daniel by Elton John, Angie Baby by Helen Reddy, and My Sister by The Juliana Hatfield Three.

What have you got?

#2

Big Bad John (1961) by Jimmy Dean.

Every mornin’ at the mine you could see him arrive
He stood six-foot-six and weighed two-forty-five
Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip
And everybody knew ya didn’t give no lip to big John.

Despite this undisguised admiration for the subject, I don’t think the song concerns itself with a same-sex crush.

#3

Delta Dawn sung by Tanya Tucker

She’s 41 and her daddy still calls her, ‘baby’
All the folks around Brownsville say she’s crazy
'Cause she walks down town with a suitcase in her hand
Looking for a mysterious dark-haired man

#4

Also, You Don’t Mess Around With Jim.
Rapid Roy
Speedball Tucker

#5

“Tweeter and The Monkey Man” by The Traveling Wilburys

#6

“Johnny B Goode”

#7

Spike by Tom Petty

Rhiannon by Stevie Nicks

Bitch Better Have My Money by Rihanna

#8

Weird Al
Pac-Man
The Saga Begins

#9

Some more edge case types for consideration among these.

White town - Your Woman
Cake - Frank Sinatra
David Seville - Witch Doctor
Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue
Wally Winger - Adam West
ELO - Mr. Blue Sky
Sparks - This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both of Us
They Might Be Giants - Particle Man

#10

“Bette Davis Eyes”, Jackie DeShannon/Kim Carnes
“Gloria”, Laura Branigan
“She Works Hard for the Money”, Donna Summer
“Private Dancer”, Tina Turner (if being sung in first person is OK)
“Dreamboat Annie”, Heart

“Dr. Feelgood”, Motley Crue
“18 and Life”, Skid Row
“Cat’s in the Cradle”, Harry Chapin
“Leader of the Band”, Dan Fogelberg
“When Smokey Sings”, ABC

#11

“Coward of the County” and “The Gambler” both by Kenny Rogers.

#12

Railroad Bill

#13

Postcards From Hell - The Wood Brothers

#14

Al Stewart: Lord Grenville, Running Man

Australian Crawl: Errol

David Bowie: The Man Who Sold the World, Andy Warhol and Song for Bob Dylan

REM: Lighnin’ Hopkins, Wendell Gee, Man on the Moon, Monty Got a Raw Deal, Mr Richards

The Beatles: Nowhere Man, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, Taxman, The Fool on the Hill, Hey Jude, A Day in the Life, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Black Sabbath: The Wizard

Cat Stevens: Father and Son, Tea for the Tillerman

The Clash: Rudie Can’t Fail

Don McLean: Vincent

Elvis Costello: Poor Fractured Atlas, Oliver’s Army

Eric Clapton: Willie and the Hand Jive, I Shot the Sheriff

Free: Mr Big

Hawkwind: Lost Johnny

INXS: Johnson’s Aeroplane

Jethro Tull: Aqualung, When Jesus Came to Play

John Lennon: How Do You Sleep?

The Kinks: Apeman, Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Well Respected Man

Marianne Faithfull: The Ballad of Lucy Jordan

Neil Young: Cortez the Killer, Powderfinger

Paul Kelly: Sweet Guy

Wings: My Heart is Like a Wheel, Picasso’s Last Words

Radio Birdman: Man With Golden Helmet

Steely Dan: Kid Charlemagne

Supertramp: Rudy

Television: Little Johnny Jewel, Call Mr Lee

You Am I: Wally Raffles, Mr Milk, Ken

#15

Rush: “Tom Sawyer”

#16

Washington by Brad Neely - Not a love song. Despite mention of how its subject’s testicles are divine.

#17

Hey Joe

#18

Possibly, Me and Bobby McGee, but I haven’t confirmed it yet. According to one lyrics site, Kris Kristofferson’s version referred to Bobby as “she”, and Janis Joplin’s as “he”. That song has been recorded by a few other singers, and I don’t know if any of them used the same gender as the singer. I’m also not sure if there’s a definitive answer as to whether it’s about a love interest or just a very close friendship.

#19

Jackson Browne - Daddy’s Tune

The requirements set out by the OP catch two categories of song which are IMHO completely different.

  • Someone singing about someone of the same sex who they know (lots of parent/child, and sibling songs)

  • someone who is simply singing a “story song” about a real or imagined character who happens to be of the same sex as the singer.

I wonder if the OP really meant to catch the latter? For example, you could say that any song about a folk hero both fits and doesn’t fit the OP depending on who sings it - “The Ballad of John Henry” has been sung by any number of men, but also Gillian Welch and Emily Saliers.

#20

Arnold Layne, Pink Floyd. Careful With That Axe Eugene, also Pink Floyd.