What are your favorite songs about sex? I want to create a play list that will stimulate thought and hopefully conversation about sexual issues. I want to have this play list to use as an introduction into my conversations with parents and teenagers alike, so the more eclectic and widely-appealing the better.
Here’s what I am looking for:
- good music
- a wide range of genre (the wider the better, actually)
- a wide range of perspective (I don’t have to agree with the message to want to include the song in this list)
Here’s what I am NOT looking for:
- one of the billions of songs about loooooooove
Add your favorite to the comments or you can e-mail me if you’d rather stay anonymous on the blog. Then you can check off your “Good Deed of the Day” box for today!
I’ll start with one: Digable Planet’s “La Femme Fatal.” It’s about abortion rights.
Listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoehR7Q4Hy8
Read the lyrics here: http://digableplanets.org/wiki/words:la_femme_fatal
I’d Love to Lay You Down, Conway Twitty
When I was a teen, this song was a hit. My parents are extremely private, rather prudish … but my father loved this song and said it just summed up everything for him. He quoted the line about “in your faded cotton gown.”
There’s so many ways your sweet love’s
Made this house into a home
You’ve got a way of doing
Little things that turn me on
Like standing in the kitchen
In your faded cotton gown
With your hair all up in curlers
I still love to lay you down
It was my first real glimpse of my parents as sexual beings. And it gave me the novel idea that “sexy” wasn’t necessarily the same definition as given in hot rock songs.
My parents have been married 56 years … and my dad still loves this song.
How sweet and sexy! A hard combo to find these days! Thanks for the addition. You can watch Conway Twitty sing I’d Love to Lay You Down here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNwT5jXcGD0
afternoon delight by starland vocal band- oldie but goodie, Prince has several, sexyback- justin timberlake, 4 minutes – by madonna, baby got back – sr mix a lot, can i sleep in your arms – willie nelson no sure if this one qualifies, Can’t get enough of you babe- barry white. fever by peggy lee, give it to me baby and super freak- rick james, I’m so into you – atlanta rhythm section, I’ve got my eyeson you- brian jonestown massacre, The lady is a trap- sinatra, My humps black eyed peas, soembody’s baby jackson browne, whatever lola wants- sarah vaughn, tarantula – the scabs
that should give you a few!
“Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye. By far the best.
But I was quite scandalized at age ten by “Tonight I’m Yours” by Rod Stewart.
More Popular:
Behind Closed Doors by Charlie Rich
Justify My Love by Madonna
Darling Nikki by Prince
Closer by Nine Inch Nails
Lay Lady Lay by Bob Dylan
Lesser Known:
Portions for Foxes by Rilo Kiley
Dirty Dream Number 2 by Belle & Sebastian
I’ll try to think of more. I had a “make out” mix on my iTunes at one time that had some really good stuff on it. But lost it when my hard drive went bad.
Thanks, Anna! For the rest of you, here are links to listen or watch the songs she suggested:
Afternoon Delight – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaHYvkjH_QY&feature=related
Sexyback – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAT5ypTjKOI
4 minutes – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfUjfioAnKY
Baby Got Back – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41APzy5kqBU
(This one is really great for sex ed classes, and I almost always use it! Rife with conversation topics – and the teenagers almost always know the song but have not considered the implications of what they’re hearing.)
Can I Sleep In Your Arms Tonight – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLiBPxMknO0
(Not sure if this one counts either, Anna.)
Can’t Get Enough of You Babe – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXvHRnGe940
Fever – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGb5IweiYG8
(FABULOUS!)
Give It To Me Baby – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFmQAQ9EDeM
(This music video is quite a trip too.)
Super Freak – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75qXUfp4wtw
So Into You – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpPdLb69-qk
I’ve Got My Eyes On You – I couldn’t find this one easily, but here’s Fred Astaire singing (another song by the same name?) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucCw7q5rmaE
The Lady Is A Trap – Couldn’t find this one either! Anyone else?
My Humps – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXKxs8Ge_9g
(BIG WINCE!!)
Somebody’s Baby – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWJ3Crrg9oI
Whatever Lola Wants – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJe296C1sdE
(Sing it, Sarah!)
Tarantula – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLSGnGPB2Dw
(Okay, so I was going to find a better quality version, but this was done live in Austin, so how could I turn it down?)
Thanks again, Anna!
Oh, Kaleigh, these are good. 🙂
Let’s get it on – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7eTOnNBwYU
Tonight I’m Yours – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOhv2lcJAR8&feature=related
I can’t believe no one has mentioned Let’s Talk About Sex by Salt n’ Peppa – Let’s talk about sex, baby, let’s talk about you and me, let’s talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be, let’s talk abouuuuut sex. Let’s talk about sex. Rest of the lyrics here: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/saltnpepa/letstalkaboutsex.html
Also, there are some dreadfully raunchy, hard-to-listen, explicit to rap songs. Which might be important to hear because probably some of the kids are hearing them. I don’t know them off the top of my head, except that when I heard them played, I caught my breath. Any kid into hip hop or rap will know. Some are on the radio, many are not.
Nasty Girl – by Vanity 6
Burning Up – Madonna
That’s the way love goes – Janet Jackson
Rapture – Blondie
One Way or Another – Blondie
Touch Me – The Doors
Down Home Girl – Old Crow Medicine Show
Good Girls Don’t – The Knack
Relax – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
You Make Loving Fun – Fleetwood Mac
Roxanne – The Police
Somebody’s Baby – Jackson Browne
These are my favorites. Enjoy.
Lords of Acid – Rough Sex
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnf5CXvVBSE
50 Cent – Candy Shop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDFEoCOhRZQ
Missy Elliott – One Minute Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjjEdJbek9I
Lords of Acid – Pussy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFNY0fLwS4o
Tweet – Oops Oh My
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uox-Hz18ISs
Katy Perry – I Kissed a Girl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAp9BKosZXs
Ludacris – What’s Your Fantasy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0rqUWRpQPg
David Allen Coe – Nigger Fucker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPzH1yvcFxw
Shaggy – It Wasn’t Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR4PGt9oOto
Stone Temple Pilots – Sex Type Thing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s3lmr09oVg
Lil’ Kim – How Many Licks?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoPgdRgQFjc
Lords of Acid – Scrood Bi U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIWt6NWX1ko
Everlast – What It’s Like (roughly sex related, mentions teen abortion)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z9f9Eybv4I
George Michael: “I Want Your Sex”
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8x9rtEHtubI
Sex is natural – sex is good
Lyrics: http://lyricwiki.org/George_Michael:I_Want_Your_Sex
the cure, “mint car”
http://lyricwiki.org/The_Cure:Mint_Car
The three that immediately came to mind are:
Kate Perry – I Kissed a Girl
(Link provided by Epic above)
Keo Nozari – Question of Monogamy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISCaChVeNJ0
(May be more about adult relationships/love than you want)
Jonathan Coulton – First of May
http://www.jonathancoulton.com/songdetails/First%20of%20May
I think Anna’s suggestion of “The Lady is a trap” was probably “The Lady is a Tramp” by Frank Sinatra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFBSvelq_Co
Two about masturbation: “I Touch Myself” by the Divynyls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFEfmbAeEDY
“She Bop” by Cyndi Lauper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzpxRd44PpE
This was explicit enough to be banned from radio in many cities when I was a teen. Of course, that was four decades ago…
“Cherry Hill Park” by Billy Joe Royal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEzut5kGg4k
Thank-you Lizard Eater for the Conway Twitty song, I love that.
And I agree with Lynn – Good Girls Don’t by the Knack.
and I’d add:
Ton Loc – Wild Thing. Silly, but happy and positive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=387ZDGSKVSg
Everybody Knows by Leonard Cohen (in part because of the film Exotica)
Madonna – Express Yourself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMt53HYkfY8
Meridith Brooks – I’m a Bitch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhfiiGGy7Ls&feature=related
Divinlys – I Touch Myself
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6FGk63Fv7t4&feature=related
and finally
Adam Ant – Strip
http://youtube.com/watch?v=_152hzt9Clc&feature=related
“were just following ancient history,
if I strip for you, will you strip for me?”
And Lola
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMsnqQHOwFg
Okay, a couple more
The Doors – Love Me Two Times (or Light My Fire)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G8DCFJ4vr4
Velvet Underground – Venus in Furs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwzaifhSw2c
Frank Zappa – Why Does it Hurt When I Pee? (Starts about 1/2 way through the video) – one of the most popular songs about STD’s ever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lVlpV0tP8Q
Why does it hurt when I pee?
Why does it hurt when I pee?
I don’t want no doctor
To stick no needle in me
Why does it hurt when I pee?
I got it from the toilet seat
I got it from the toilet seat
It jumped right up
‘N’ grabbed my meat
Got it from the toilet seat
My balls feel like a pair of maracas
My balls feel like a pair of maracas
Oh God I probably got the Gon-o-ka-ka-khackus!
My balls feel like a pair of maracas
Ai-ee-ai-ee-ahhhh!
Why does it
Why does it
Why does it
Why does it hurt…
when…
I Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?
Ohmigod, Robert! I almost put Adam Ant’s “Strip” as well! You’ve just gone up even higher in my book! 🙂
Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man
“Work With Me, Annie” (Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, 1954; lyrics and sound track: http://tinyurl.com/5upant) followed by “Annie Had a Baby” (lyrics and sound track: http://tinyurl.com/5usw2p) and others (e.g., “Annie’s Aunt Fanny”) were banned by many radio stations but still climbed the r&b charts.
Also, Bob Seger’s “Night Moves”, “Horizontal Bop”, and “The Fire Down Below” and Leonard Cohen’s “Take this Longing”
just like heaven by the cure wins points for subtlety [and general awesomeness] –> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORc5Td_T6og
also get down make love, originally by queen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1r5bCRJk1U), covered by nine inch nails (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNB3Y-YVijA&feature=related). a little less depressing than “closer” if you were going to go the NIN route.
Paradise by the Dashboard light– Meatloaf
Paralyzer – Finger Eleven
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYGCT4AQIR0
I’ll Make Love to You – Boyz II Men
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqU2WXKcUb0
[…] problem is that we are so very use to seeing sexy pictures, seeing movies and television about sex, listening to music about sex, and basically having sexiness inculcate every single aspect our lives except the one where we […]
“Slip It in” Black Flag
“Darling Nikki” Prince
anything by Peaches “Fuck the Pain Away”
“When We Make Love” Berlin
“Sex Dwarf” Soft Cell
“Bob’s Yer Uncle” Happy Mondays
“Whats Inside a Girl?” The Cramps
“She’s Crafty” Beastie Boys
“Push It” Salt n Pepa (one of the first chick sex pop songs I had ever really heard.)
“Head” Prince
“Bolero”
many many Led Zeppelin songs (as a teenager I just viewed Robert Plant as a sex god. even though I grew up in the early 80’s Led Zep just oozed slightly overwhelming manly sex)
“Lemon Song” “Whole Lotta Love” etc…
“Feel Like Making Love” Bad Company ( I remember sitting in the backseat of the car with my boyfriend when I was 14, my dad driving us to the movies and this song came on and my boyfriend looked over at me poignantly and I blushed from head to toe and sat there feeling totally embarassed listenong to every lyric, thinking my dad knew what was going through my mind!”
Im sure there are a million more that I am forgetting! These are just explicity ABOUT sex, not good songs to have sex to…