# Songs about a person who is the same sex as the singer **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 21, 2022, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405 "2022-03-21T01:51:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/21 "2022-03-21T09:49:52Z")
“Jukebox Hero” by Foreigner. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/22 "2022-03-21T09:50:46Z")
_Tunic (Song for Karen)_ by Sonic Youth (sung by Kim Gordon). ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/23 "2022-03-21T11:02:14Z")
There has to be thousands of these. I just looked through one of my playlists for examples. This represents only A through E: Adios Hermanos – Paul Simon The Ballad of Danny Bailey – Elton John Brother Louie – Stories Brown Eyed Handsome Man – Chuck Berry Buddy Holly – Weezer The Catman – Robert Gordon Charlie Boy – The Lumineers Charlie Brown – The Coasters Clean Elvis – Dan Reader Cool Papa Bell – Paul Simon Daddy Don’t Live in That New York City No More – Steely Dan Danny’s Song – Loggins and Messina Doctor Wu – Steely Dan Domino – Van Morrison Empty Garden – Elton John Excitable Boy – Warren Zevon mmm ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/24 "2022-03-21T11:25:45Z")
Danny’s Song - Loggins and Messina Powderfinger - Neil Young and Crazy Horse Tonight’s the Night - Neil Young and Crazy Horse “Bruce Barry was a working man, he use to load that Econoline . . . and late at night when the people were gone he used pick my guitar.” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/25 "2022-03-21T12:28:57Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Someone singing about someone of the same sex who they know (lots of parent/child, and sibling songs) Yeah, I was thinking about **Harper Valley PTA** , where the narrator is talking about her mother. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/26 "2022-03-21T12:54:15Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > 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. What about a song that is an elegy or tribute to a person (or persons) who has died (like The Commodores’ “Night Shift”)? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/27 "2022-03-21T13:57:10Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > 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 Doctor Robert ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/28 "2022-03-21T14:53:39Z")
Bruce Springsteen: Bobby Jean Pretty much all of the album Born To Run Johnny 99 Highway Patrolman etc. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/29 "2022-03-21T14:56:28Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > - 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? Either of these. I’m interested in seeing what types of things people sing about in regards to members of their own gender when romance and romantic hindrances are both removed from the picture. Family, friendships, stories, tributes, and rebukes are necessarily part of what remains. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/30 "2022-03-21T15:37:28Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > The Kinks: Apeman, Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Well Respected Man Also “David Watts”, though it’s ambiguous if the admiration for the subject of the song is or isn’t romantic or sexual. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hGrniCrIHGg/maxresdefault.jpg "The Kinks - David Watts (Official Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGrniCrIHGg) ETA: and “Dandy” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/E2Mii2GOwMA/hqdefault.jpg "The Kinks - Dandy") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2Mii2GOwMA) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/31 "2022-03-21T15:46:43Z")
Also tons of Dylan songs, for instance: John Wesley Harding John Brown Blind Willie McTell Rambling, Gambling Willie Ballad Of Hollis Brown Frankie Lee And Judas Priest ETA: a special case is Aretha Franklin’s cover of “Eleanor Rigby”. A song originally written and sung by a man about a woman, sung from the first person perspective in the Aretha version: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TlHaX55wG0Y/hqdefault.jpg "Eleanor Rigby by Aretha Franklin") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlHaX55wG0Y) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/32 "2022-03-21T16:13:26Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > - Not a romantic rival (so _not_ Jolene) > - Not a same sex love interest (so _not_ whoever Melissa Ethridge wanted to come to her window) > - While the person doesn’t need to be a real person or even specifically named, it should be **a** person, not many You might argue that “Lola” meets the test here. Lola is clearly not a romantic rival, and while “she” is the same sex as the singer, the singer doesn’t know that at first. Not quite in line with the OP, but how about songs where the singer is a different gender than the song was apparently written for? I’m thinking of Anne Murray’s cover of Daydream Believer (“Cheer up, Sleepy Jean”) and Joan Baez’s The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (“Virgil Kaine is my name”). Those have always been a bit jarring. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/33 "2022-03-21T16:30:47Z")
Mack the Knife (Bobby Darin version) Mean Mr. Mustard Maxwell’s Silver Hammer Jumping Jack Flash Cousin Kevin Uncle Ernie Good Captain Clack Broadway is full of them: Mr. Buffalo Bill Hey, There (sung to himself) Jubilation T. Cornpone ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/34 "2022-03-21T16:48:05Z")
Peter Gabriel - Biko - Family Snapshot Jimmy Buffet - Who’s the Blond Stranger - He went to Paris - Jolly Mon ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/35 "2022-03-21T21:09:41Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > David Bowie: The Man Who Sold the World, Andy Warhol and Song for Bob Dylan There are loads. The Little Bombardier, Uncle Arthur, (The) Jean Genie…Ziggy Stardust… do gnomes count? j ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/36 "2022-03-21T21:15:27Z")
_Sweet Gene Vincent_ by **Ian Dury.** ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/37 "2022-03-21T21:21:07Z")
Who also sang about **My Old Man** , of course. j ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/38 "2022-03-21T21:22:16Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > 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 Ahem. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/39 "2022-03-21T21:44:50Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > 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 Definitely romantic. Kristofferson’s original version - the one I grew up hearing - has the line “Every night she kept me from the cold.” Certainly suggests something stronger than mere friendship. As to the OP, I could make a whole list just from Kristofferson’s discography: “Casey’s Last Ride”, “Duvalier’s Dream”, “Darby’s Castle”, “The Pilgrim: Chapter 33”, “The Law Is For Protection Of The People”, arguably “Sugar Man”. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405/40 "2022-03-21T21:59:00Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Also tons of Dylan songs, for instance: > > John Wesley Harding > John Brown > Blind Willie McTell > Rambling, Gambling Willie > Ballad Of Hollis Brown > Frankie Lee And Judas Priest Thought of some more: Hurricane The Man In The Long Black Coat Jokerman Who Killed Davey Moore? Lenny Bruce Catfish A Pawn In Their Game Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-a-person-who-is-the-same-sex-as-the-singer/961405.md?page=3)