36 Songs You Never Realized Were About Bisexuality
Sex and sexuality have always been central themes in pop music, but it's only recently that songs about being anywhere on the sexuality spectrum have come to be accepted as part of the lexicon.
Before the 2000s, although alternative lifestyles were becoming more and more accepted in everyday life, the music business and audiences still had a long way to go in embracing LGBTQ+ motifs. For most, coming out in the public eye was not easy and could mean the difference between platinum records and crickets.
A hit song like Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" is pretty flagrant in its meaning, but you may not realize just how many other musicians were also breaking down doors - some more subversively than others - before Perry walked through with ease. While subliminal messaging is still somewhat the art of the song, there's relatively more freedom to express bisexuality through music that wasn't acceptable even a decade ago.
When you listen closely to these songs, you may be surprised at the not-always-so-subtle lyrics you never realized were about bisexuality. You'll be surprised at some of songs and artists listed, but even if you don't love them all, you'll respect each and every one for having the courage to share themselves with the world. After all, the more vulnerable an artist is with their work, the more authentic the art, and these songs speak to the soul.
Key Line: "And never did I think that I, Would be caught in the way you got me, But girls love girls and boys, And love is not a choice."
Frontman Brendon Urie said of the song, "I believe that you can’t control who you are. It’s something that I’ve experienced myself, that girls do love girls and boys... I have had similar experience with homosexuality, with bisexuality, and that’s something I feel comfortable talking about."Key Line: "I kissed a girl just to try it, I hope my boyfriend don't mind it."
In 2017, Katy revealed she was, in fact, bisexual. “Truth be told, I did more than that (kissing)! But in 2008, when that song came out, I knew that it started a conversation that a lot of the world seemed curious enough to sing along to it.”
Key Line: "No he can't read my poker face (She's got me like nobody)"
During a 2014 lounge session, Gaga revealed her intention behind "Poker Face." She said, "You know this song is actually about when I was making love to this guy that I was dating a long time ago. I was thinking about chicks every time we had sex, and I just didn't want him to figure it out because I felt so bad. But I don't anymore because I wrote a song about it."
Key Line: "Don't be scared 'cause I'm your body type, Just something that we wanna try"
An anthem hearkening to top-down convertibles and muggy nights, the song acknowledges the trope that sexuality is looser and freer in the warmer months. Lovato said she hoped the song would "kind of bring attention to people's sexuality, taking away the stigma and the shame of wanting to try things."
Key Line: "“The boys and the girls are here, I mess around with him, And I’m OK with it."
Fans believe that this as yet unreleased track by Styles — he first performed it in Paris on his world tour — is his way of admitting to the world that he identifies as bisexual... or at least, as created an anthem for others who identify as bi.
Key Line: "Skeletons come to life in my closet, I found out what it takes to be a man."
Billy Jo Armstrong says he wrote the song when he was coming to terms with his sexuality in high school. "I think I’ve always been bisexual,” Armstrong said. “I mean, it’s something that I’ve always been interested in.
