Ten More Legendary Lesbian Country Songs
By Syd Miller, Associate Editor
Happy Lesbian Visibility Day! We are lucky to have such an out and proud community of fine lesbian country artists. Last year we compiled our first list of songs by our favorite lesbian country artists. But there are so many incredible artists and songs that we came back with a second round for you today. Enjoy!
“By Your Side,” Jaime Wyatt
Relationships are about partnership and trust. Jaime Wyatt sums up everything anyone could ever want in a relationship in five minutes and eight seconds of beautiful, solid love.
“It’s Always Been You,” Katie Pruitt
In our last list of country songs by lesbian artists, I included “Loving Her” by Katie Pruitt. But this time around, I want to highlight the final track on Pruitt’s album. “It’s Always Been You” is a deeply personal and moving song dedicated to Pruitt’s girlfriend. The piano, vocals and pure love on this track are outstanding.
“You’re Still My Love,” Melissa Carper
The album may be called Daddy’s Country Gold, but this song is pure lesbian country gold. It feels like a blast to the past in a rockin’ honky-tonk. But, like, a lesbian honky-tonk. Is that a thing? I want it to be a thing now.
“All I Want Is To Be Your Girl,” Holly Miranda
One of the hallmarks of lesbian culture is yearning, and this song encapsulates that perfectly. A low-key, acoustic driven track, Holly Miranda lets you know she “Wasn’t looking for love, but she found me / And I / I got a lot of control / When you’re not around me.”
“I Kissed a Girl,” Jill Sobule
This twangy, jaunty tune plays on society’s sexualization of sapphic relationships by just being extremely wholesome. There’s a piano riff and a rockabilly beat. What’s not to love?
“Girls, Girls, Girls,” Ana Egge
A lot of heterosexual songs about girls in general are pretty demeaning. But Ana Egge’s “Girls, Girls, Girls” is a soft and sweet ode to the female gender. Light horns and a gentle reminder that girls make the world go round make up this Americana-flavored lesbian tune.
“Party of One,” Brandi Carlile
“Party of One,” from Brandi’s seismic 2018 album By the Way, I Forgive You, is a tender piano ballad, explicitly sung to a “girl,” about the emotional reefs that constantly threaten to shipwreck a marriage – particularly a same-sex one. The video, starring Elisabeth Moss with Nicole Disson as her wife, was filmed by an all-female crew, and features flashbacks of the two frolicking in happier times.
“Miranda,” Angel Olsen
This delightful ¾ time acoustic ballad plays on the language of the Miranda Rights as Olson mourns a relationship that was doomed from the start. “Don’t stand so close to me, darling / Keep your hands where I can see / Don’t you know you’re wanted in fifty states? / I love you, dear, but it’s not up to me / And it’s never quite been, you see.” It sounds a bit like a lesbian Johnny Cash song, so I don’t see how you can not love it.
“Who Broke Whose Heart,” Brandy Clark
This jaunty romp off of Clark’s latest album explores what’s been lost after a relationship. It’s extremely personal and somehow universal at the same time: “Who really cares / about the reasons why,” Clark sings. “All I know is I loved you / And you loved me / So fuck the rest.”
“Constant Craving,” k.d. lang
If you’re a fan of my Queer Country Rewind column, you’re probably familiar with the first song I featured, “Constant Craving.” Like I said in my column, it’s the sapphic song of the 90s, and like I said earlier in this column, yearning is a hallmark of lesbian relationships. Well, craving is most definitely a synonym for yearning, and this song is most definitely a classic lesbian country song.