Wednesday, 31 October 2012

• Let's Sing About Sex!

  
  Sex is everywhere: it's on our televisions, in books, bars, magazines, our own bedrooms, and music. And why not? Sex is natural, exciting, and the keeper of life!
  
  Sex in music or any sort of verse is especially wonderful because it is portrayed in such wide varieties. It can be portrayed as an art, a power trip, a burning need, a manipulation tool, and a joining of both souls and bodies. In each and every form, it speaks to millions because rarely is sex experienced in a single form by any individual. We need it, we crave it, we LOVE it, and we use it to gain an advantage. Here are some of my favorite songs spanning the sexual spectrum:
  
  
  Lady Gaga: Teeth
  From The Fame Monster (2009)
  Just knowing that this is a Lady Gaga tune should tell you that this song is as lustful and sexy as they come. This song is a sultry seduction enticing a man to bear his teeth and give it to her rough while she plays the role of absolute submission, "I'm gonna love you with my hands tied". While I'm sure there are very few men who get their groove on to this tune, under the right circumstances it could certainly put any female (and a large handful of men as well) in the right mood.
  
  
  The Bright Light Social Hour: Detroit
  From The Bright Light Social Hour (2010)
  Taking a huge genre turn, this song is a fantastic rock jam about one man's undying need for his girl's lovin'. The Bright Light Social are native to Austin, Texas and are currently on a rise to fame, having recently completed a tour in Canada where they opened for Aerosmith. "Detroit" is a great song to listen, jam out, and get down to. The slow, drawn out vocals and bluesy guitar riffs are certain to make your hips swing. Admittedly most of their songs are some sort of smooth jam about love makin', but they write it so well and subtly you may not even be aware that you're being seduced. Not to mention their ability to harmonize and hold long notes while remaining in perfect intonation with one another.
  
  Each musician is so eloquent on their own instrument and put together they are mind blowing and nothing short of impressive. Like most jam bands, seeing them live is like nothing else. Speaking for them specifically, if their studio album is a 10/10, live is easily a 20/10.
  
  
  The Morning Benders: Excuses
  From Big Echo (2010)
  The Morning Benders (now called POP ETC) have been around the circuit since 2005 touring with bands like Broken Bells, Grizzly Bear, Ra Ra Riot, and Two Gallants (this should tell you a great deal about their style of music). The album Big Echo was recorded in only eleven days and was mixed on the twelfth in Brooklyn, NY. This particular track received incredibly positive reviews and for a very great reason: It. Is. Beautiful. The song employs a number of build ups and strip downs, and ends in a jovial chorus of voices and music.
  
  The song itself is a satire poking fun at the less-than-perfect events of sex, even with someone you've been with for years. The song, while comical conveys a very sweet message: "it doesn't matter how old we are or how bad the sex can be sometimes, I love you and we'll simply laugh at these instances every time".
  
  Note: the video I have included is a special live recording that I especially love and wanted to share.
  
  
  Weezer: Tired of Sex
  From Pinkerton (1996)
  Taking a huge turn with this song, "Tired of Sex" is about just that: saying you've had enough. Rivers Cuomo has on many occasions said that the song is about being on tour and becoming increasingly tired of groupies and the whole rock star lifestyle. The song itself talks about being spread super thin and even lists off a run of hypothetical woman explored in a single week. This is intertwined with a complaint about holding a desire to have meaningful sex with one person and finding love. The entire album of Pinkerton is essentially a story about this and at the end of the album, the main character rediscovers his love for touring and the culture that comes with being a famous rock star as expressed in the song, "The Good Life".
  
  Most of Pinkerton was written after Weezer had already experienced overwhelming fame with the release and subsequent tour of The Blue Album. After this, frontman Rivers Cuomo went back to Harvard, where he wrote songs and lived as a complete introvert. Knowing this bit of information can really shine a lot of perspective while listening to Pinkerton. This song is a bit of an untapped subject, but is just as relatable as any other song about sex in that I think just about everyone hits a point where they just say, "I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE. NO MORE SEX!!"
  
  
  Beck: Sexx Laws
  From Midnight Vultures (1999)
  Beck writes a song about just about everything, and a lot of the time it can even be hard to understand exactly what it is he is singing about. The message of this song, however, is rather simple: I'm going to do sex my way, however and wherever that may be. You have to hand it to Beck, for a song that could be made pretty vile and unpalatable, it's brilliant and a little silly (especially the music video)! The song is incredibly upbeat, features a horn section, and Beck on banjo. The lyrics are mostly a list of the different places and circumstances under which sex can take place and seems a little like a smash list written by a nymphomaniac.
  
  What are your favorite songs about doing the dirty?
  
  image source
  video sources: 1 2 3 4 5

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