# Songs sung from the perspective of the opposite gender **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 28, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565 "2019-01-28T18:00:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/41 "2019-01-29T04:39:28Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Burdon changed “girl” to “boy”. The song is sung by a prostitute. _House of the Rising Sun_ dating back to at least the 17th century and is about a young girl forced becoming into a prostitute: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_House\_of\_the\_Rising\_Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_the_Rising_Sun) Joan Baez covered it from the original female perspective in her debut album in 1960. I always though _The Animals_ version (though brilliant) was a bit odd. I thought it was about a guy who spent too much time in a house of prostitution and got caught up the debauchery going on there. When I found out it’s true origins and more traditional lyrics sung by Baez, it made much more sense. BTW, [songfacts.com](http://songfacts.com) / [artistfacts.com](http://artistfacts.com) is where I learned about the history of a lot of songs. Be sure to take the comments with a big grain of salt as many of the posters give some really wild interpretations. Edit: Just listened to Leadbelly’s version and it retains the original woman’s perspective. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/42 "2019-01-29T04:48:26Z")
Vanilla Fudge did an amazing slowed downed version of The Supremes - _You Keep Me Hanging On_ and a much less fascinating version of Cher’s _Bang Bang_ on their first album (1967) ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/43 "2019-01-29T12:36:54Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Joan Baez’ cover of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. Shittiest cover of all time. Compared to the soulful voice of Levon Helm, she brings absolutely nothing to the table. Words sung with no feeling whatsoever. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2019, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/44 "2019-01-29T13:23:05Z")
One-hit wonder White Town (actually one guy messing around in his bedroom) had his one hit with the song [Your Woman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVL-zZnD3VU): \*Now I know your heart, I know your mind You don’t even know you’re bein’ unkind So much for all your highbrow Marxist ways Just use me up and then you walk away Boy, you can’t play me that way Well I guess what you say is true I could never be the right kind of girl for you I could never be your woman\* Jyota Prakash Mishra, the “one guy”, had this to say about the themes of the song: > [@](#): > > Being a member of an orthodox Trotskyist / Marxist movement. Being a straight guy in love with a lesbian. Being a gay guy in love with a straight man. Being a straight girl in love with a lying, two-timing, fake-arse Marxist. The hypocrisy that results when love and lust get mixed up with highbrow ideals. The guy’s a flake but I really like the song. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/45 "2019-01-29T13:30:36Z")
Two from Pearl Jam: “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” and “Don’t Call Me Daughter” ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/46 "2019-01-29T14:14:01Z")
The Lumineers, “[Cleopatra](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN5s9N_pTUs)”: \*I was Cleopatra, I was young and an actress When you knelt by my mattress, and asked for my hand But I was sad you asked it, as I laid in a black dress With my father in a casket, I had no plans, yeah And I left the footprints, the mud stained on the carpet And it hardened like my heart did when you left town But I must admit it, that I would marry you in an instant Damn your wife, I’d be your mistress just to have you around\* ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/47 "2019-01-29T14:15:26Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Suzanne Vega’s “Luka” How does this one fit the theme? ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/48 "2019-01-29T14:22:32Z")
Dream Theater’s _[Metropolis Part II: Scenes from a Memory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_Pt._2:_Scenes_from_a_Memory#Synopsis)_ is a concept album about a man who discovers he is the reincarnation of a young woman who was murdered, and goes on to solve the crime. Many parts of the album are sung from the perspective of the young woman. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/49 "2019-01-29T14:36:26Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > How does this one fit the theme? Luka is a boy. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/50 "2019-01-29T14:48:16Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > Vanilla Fudge did an amazing slowed downed version of The Supremes - _You Keep Me Hanging On_ and a much less fascinating version of Cher’s _Bang Bang_ on their first album (1967) I don’t think those songs are gender specific. > [@BobLibDem](#): > > Shittiest cover of all time. Compared to the soulful voice of Levon Helm, she brings absolutely nothing to the table. Words sung with no feeling whatsoever. Yup. And she even manages to get the words _ **wrong.** _ ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/51 "2019-01-29T14:54:07Z")
[How many songs had made to top 40 at least twice, in versions by male and female performer(s)](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=724175) An old thread I started, but some of the songs must qualify for this one. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/52 "2019-01-29T16:28:58Z")
Funny I should follow Annie-Xmas with my post. I offer up [Avenging Annie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__7OrOxoQxI) by Andy Pratt and also covered by Roger Daltrey ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/53 "2019-01-29T16:34:15Z")
Memory from CATS has been covered by damn near everybody, with male performers usually changing the line “I was beautiful then” to “life” or “it.” Michael Crawford did keep the original lyric. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/54 "2019-01-29T17:02:46Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > _House of the Rising Sun_ dating back to at least the 17th century and is about a young girl forced becoming into a prostitute: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_House\_of\_the\_Rising\_Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_the_Rising_Sun) > > Joan Baez covered it from the original female perspective in her debut album in 1960. I always though _The Animals_ version (though brilliant) was a bit odd. I thought it was about a guy who spent too much time in a house of prostitution and got caught up the debauchery going on there. When I found out it’s true origins and more traditional lyrics sung by Baez, it made much more sense. > > BTW, [songfacts.com](http://songfacts.com) / [artistfacts.com](http://artistfacts.com) is where I learned about the history of a lot of songs. Be sure to take the comments with a big grain of salt as many of the posters give some really wild interpretations. > > Edit: Just listened to Leadbelly’s version and it retains the original woman’s perspective. Yeah, the earliest versions are from the perspective of a female narrator, but were often (but not always) sung by males. [Woody Guthrie’s 1941 version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlbLs_bvimU) is sung by a “poor gal.” On the other hand, Leadbelly’s version (or at least one of them) from the 1940s mixes perspectives: He refers to himself as a “poor boy,” but then says he’ll tell his younger sister not to do what he has done. How the House of the Rising Sun becomes the downfall of the narrator may vary depending on the sex chosen by the singer: being a prostitute, visiting prostitutes, being a drunkard, indulging in debauchery. The Animals version is not unusual in changing the gender of the narrator. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/55 "2019-01-29T17:03:19Z")
Not exactly what the OP is going for, but a story the OP might still appreciate: Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer” was written by Dire Straits frontman and guitarist Mark Knopfler. Knopfler originally wrote the music and lyrics as the second half of [the title track](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gej3hLOLDU) to the Dire Straits album _Love Over Gold_. You can hear where “Private Dancer” was meant to pick up, somewhere in the 2:05 - 2:30 area. Anyway. During the sessions for _Love Over Gold_, Dire Straits laid down the “Love Over Gold/Private Dancer” music as originally written. Mark Knopfler went to record the vocals, but then got a little self-conscious about them – he decided those vocals should be sung by a woman. Rather than add a guest vocalist to the track, Knopfler shelved the “Private Dancer” section and reworked the second half of “Love Over Gold”. A few years later, Knopfler had a chance to pitch “Private Dancer” to Tina Turner. She was looking for material for a comeback album, and her manager and Knopfler’s manager were friends. A meeting was arranged, and Knopfler played a personal demo copy of “Private Dancer” for Turner, apologizing in advance that his vocals weren’t suited to the lyrics. His rendition led to mutual laughter and quick agreement from Turner that, yes, it should be a woman’s song to sing. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/56 "2019-01-29T17:05:56Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > _House of the Rising Sun_ dating back to at least the 17th century and is about a young girl forced becoming into a prostitute: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_House\_of\_the\_Rising\_Sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_the_Rising_Sun) > > Joan Baez covered it from the original female perspective in her debut album in 1960. I always though _The Animals_ version (though brilliant) was a bit odd. I thought it was about a guy who spent too much time in a house of prostitution and got caught up the debauchery going on there. When I found out it’s true origins and more traditional lyrics sung by Baez, it made much more sense. > > BTW, [songfacts.com](http://songfacts.com) / [artistfacts.com](http://artistfacts.com) is where I learned about the history of a lot of songs. Be sure to take the comments with a big grain of salt as many of the posters give some really wild interpretations. > > Edit: Just listened to Leadbelly’s version and it retains the original woman’s perspective. Yeah, the earliest versions are from the perspective of a female narrator, but were often (but not always) sung by males. [Woody Guthrie’s 1941 version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlbLs_bvimU) is sung by a “poor gal.” On the other hand, Leadbelly’s version (or [at least one of them](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLQdWCIev00)) from the 1940s mixes perspectives: He refers to himself as a “poor boy,” but then says he’ll tell his younger sister not to do what he has done. The House of the Rising Sun may be the downfall of the narrator in various ways depending on the sex chosen: being a prostitute, visiting prostitutes, being a drunkard, indulging in debauchery. ---
**Author:** ![PHJimY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f14d63/32.png) [@PHJimY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PHJimY)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/57 "2021-10-30T18:32:53Z")
ZipperJJ - **The House Of The Rising Sun** is a song about a woman trapped in a life of prostitution. **Bob Dylan** learned it from **Dave Van Ronk** and **Eric Burdon** learned it from Dylan’s first LP, but didn’t feel comfortable singing from the POV of a woman, so he changed the “…been the ruin of many poor girl, and me, God knows, I’m one.” Many singers, both male and female recorded this song before **The Animals** , but theirs is the first I’ve heard to sing “Poor Boy”. (Yes, I realise that there are male prostitutes, but not many work out of brothels.) ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/58 "2021-10-30T18:59:57Z")
Rufus Wainwright’s ‘The Art Teacher’ is sung from the POV of girl falling in love with the eponymous tutor, and from the girl all grown up reflecting on her old teacher’s impact on her life. The version on Want Two is recorded live with a french horn (?) solo overdubbed. During the solo, you can hear Rufus humming it, and tapping his feet. Off topic, but I love that part. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ejhftpXOjxg/maxresdefault.jpg "The Art Teacher") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejhftpXOjxg) MiM ---
**Author:** ![llikewise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llikewise/32/8522_2.png) [@llikewise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llikewise)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/59 "2021-10-30T21:24:59Z")
You Better Sit Down Kids by Cher ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2021, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565/60 "2021-10-30T22:04:01Z")
Damn, beat me to it. Here’s a video. Of course, Cher’s voice was deeper than Sonny’s. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/i8fGs7MxBJA/maxresdefault.jpg "Cher - You Better Sit Down Kids") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8fGs7MxBJA) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-sung-from-the-perspective-of-the-opposite-gender/828565.md?page=2)