What makes music erotic? What makes music not erotic? What the fuck am I doing with this bonkers segue? Where’s the next ick? Whose trousers are these?
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of songs which should be seen in the frame of erotic literature. There are very many posts online about this. But many of them think ‘I want your sex’ deserves to be in the list ahead of ‘Fast Love’, and that’s not logical. I’m not even a George Michael fan, but FOR THE LOVE OF GOD COME ON.
In this blog post, I aim to list as many as I agree, subjectively, need to be seen in this frame.
I’ll also give some attempt at a justification. I need time to validate them, and yes, I am the ultimate authority. Fuck you.
- Drive by Melissa Ferrick
- This is explicitly sexual. The bassline and the driving undertone of the piece make it absolutely certain what Ferrick is going for here
- Half A Million Miles from Home by Diane Cluck
- This is a BDSM classic. This is not the only Diane Cluck song which walks the line of simple lyrical beauty and explicit sexuality.
- Feelin’ Love by Paula Cole
- I mean, it is straightforward beautiful filth. The whole repetitive bass and relaxed percussion, coupled with progressive rising and falling melody give the game away, but when she couples the lyrics ‘you make me feel like the Amazon’s running between my thighs’ and then reverts to wet t-shirt allusion, there is no doubting the intention. This is a masterpiece of the art. Musically it’s no ‘Where have all the Cowboys Gone’, but it’s astonishingly effective. Almost makes me forgive her for ‘I don’t want to wait’. Almost.
- Strangers on a Train by Nathaniel Merriweather
- Jennifer Charles (Elysian Fields) is the singer on this marvellous little piece of directly filthy music. You won’t have to look very deep for the undertone of this, but unlike Paula Cole, it’s at least an undertone. I think I was riding a bike when I first heard this. I nearly fell off.
- Best of Both Worlds by Robert Palmer
- ‘Keep it on / Fast and slow, girl / The best of both worlds/ Tight as a drum / Loose as a gun holster’. It’s not subtle, is what I’m saying,
- Fuck the Pain Away by Peaches
- Yeah, you could choose half of her recorded output for this list, but this is the one hitting hardest.
- Use Me by Bill Withers
- “Well I’m gonna spread the news / that if it feels this good gettin’ used / you better keep on usin’ me / until you use me up”
- Lonely Together by Rita Ora & Aviici
- Sitting on a train in some foreign city on your own after three nights’ isolation from humanity as you try to work out what to do. You hit a bar and wait to get into conversation. Oh lord, here we go. (Nobody is more surprised to find Rita Ora in this list)
- Your Love is Killing Me by Sharon van Etten
- For me, this is the essence of knowing something is taking you apart, rivet by rivet, and wanting it to happen.
- Die Young by Kesha
- This is an absurd song, containing ‘that magic in yo’ pants, it’s making me blush‘. However – the conceit ‘Oh what a shame that you came here with someone / While you’re here in my arms, let’s make the most of the night / Like we’re going to die young‘ is pretty densely brilliant. Go for the Deconstructed edit.
- Masseduction by St Vincent
- A list of erotic tropes which ends up being a stonking song. ‘I can’t turn off what turns me on’ screamed at full orgasmic outrage is brilliant.
- Naked Flame by Dave Dobbyn
- Dave Dobbyn is one of New Zealand’s greatest songwriters and there are a few of his songs which could end up on this list. Nobody will be more surprised than Dave. ‘All this fire in the room / started with a candle / candle blew over / catches fire to me and you’