An Incomplete List of Songs that I Wish Teenaged Me Had Listened (Or Paid Attention ) To, Queer Edition
This is a (probably incomplete) list of songs that I wish that high-school aged Lucia had listened to, or paid more attention to, to save herself a boatload of confusion and heartbreak down the line.
As Cool As I Am — Dar Williams
“Straight,” 15-year-old me could have done well to listen to the line “I will not be afraid of women” on repeat for … a while. Until it sank in.
Jane — The Barenaked Ladies
This is one of those songs that I listened to a bunch from ~2003–2007, and I thought I wanted to be Jane. Turns out, I wanted Jane.
Back to Before — from Ragtime, by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, sung by Marin Mazzie
I loved this song when we did this show in high school, but then I listened to it as a grown-ass woman who’d divorced my husband because I discovered I was queer and finally felt empowered to ask for more and I am never going to stop crying.
Jolene, by Dolly Parton, covered by Miley Cyrus
This song has always made me feel pants feelings, but there’s something about the smokiness of her voice on this that exacerbates it.
Girls Like Girls — Hayley Kiyoko
I watched this video as a 27-year-old and went, “Oh.”
The Babysitter’s Here
Yeah, yeah, this is Dar Williams again, but I should be excused because a) I saw her live last night, b) she’s amazing, and c) this song is exactly what it’s like to be a young kid with a crush on an older girl and not fully understanding what it means.
I will certainly expand this list as I think of more songs.
