Arnold Layne- Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd is an English rock band that was best known for its unique sound and billboard smashing albums Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, and Wish You Were Here. However those iconic albums are just a fraction of their work. Their debut single, Arnold Layne, came during the more psychedelic wave of the late 1960's during Syd Barrett's tenure as frontman. The song, according to Roger Waters, is based on a real person who was a transvestite.
Royal Orleans- Led Zeppelin
Royal Orleans is a track from Led Zeppelin's 1976 album Presence. The song is an account of an experience of the band's bassist John Paul Jones. The story goes that while on tour in New Orleans the band would stay at the Royal Orleans Hotel. On one these trips, Jones invited a woman who he was unaware was transgender. The two smoked marijuana together and fell asleep, causing the hot ashes to catch the room on fire and burning down the hotel with no fatalities.
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da- The Beatles
This song appeared on the iconic album titled The Beatles, also known as The White Album. While there is no backstory to the catchy, reggae-esque tune that would give reason to believe it is about a transgender person, it does allude to a switch of gender roles. The second verse describes the two subjects of the song, Desmond and Molly. "Molly stays at home and does her pretty face, and Desmond's just a singer in a band". However in the last verse they change up the story a bit, stating "Desmond stays at home and does his pretty face, and in the evening she's a singer in the band". I recall hearing the song for the first time and thinking "Wait... What?" just before the last go round of the chorus ends with a fun Ob-La-Di-Bla-Da!
King For A Day- Green Day
This song leaves nothing to interpretation or imagination. Plain and simple, it's about a kid who crossdresses when their parents aren't around. It starts at an early age, and the kid feels great when they are doing it. Of course the kid is caught and punished for it. The father throws him in therapy but it doesn't work. My favorite lyric is "Don't knock it till you try it Dad". Which is something my parents told me over and over again...of course they were really only trying to get me to eat my vegetables.
Rebel, Rebel- David Bowie
David Bowie was an amazing artist who I became enamored with early on. He had a fascination with the underground trans community and was widely rumored to be bisexual. Rebel, Rebel was a song that appeared on the album Diamond Dogs, the album widely regarded as Bowie's swan song to the Glam-Rock movement he helped create. Queen Bitch, the B-side to Rebel, Rebel, also has trans themes. "You've got your momma in a whirl, she don't know if you're a boy or girl"
Transgender Dysphoria Blues- Against Me!
Unlike the previous entries on this list, this song on the album of the same name was written and performed by a transwoman. Laura Jane Grace formed Against Me! In 1997 in Gainesville, Florida. She came out in 2012, and after a few lineup changes which nearly put the band's future in jeopardy they released the album Transgender Dysphoria Blues in 2014 without a label backing them. Despite the hurdles the album was critically acclaimed. Shortly after they were signed to a new label. The title song speaks volumes about the feelings and inner thoughts of transgender people everywhere. While it's a bit coarse in language usage, few works speak so truthfully about the realities of gender Dysphoria.
Did you like this list? Any songs you think I missed? Be on the lookout for more posts like this one so you can expand your trans playlist!
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