Gender and Pop Music

Mirror image, see no damage
See no evil at all
Kewpie dolls and urine stalls
Will be laughed at the way you’re laughed at now

Now, something meets boy, and something meets girl
They both look the same, they’re overjoyed in this world
Same hair revolution, unisex evolution
Tomorrow, who’s gonna fuss?

-Paul Westerberg

I feel that, for the most part, we have come a long way when it comes to discussing gender over the last forty years or so. I mean, we have a lonnnnng way to go and sometimes it feels like we’ll never get past stereotypes and the fear, but it can be encouraging to look back.

In 1984 The Replacements recorded a song called ‘Androgynous’ and some of the lyrics are posted at the top of this article. At the time I wasn’t aware of the song or even aware of the band (despite both the band and myself being in Minneapolis) but this was incredibly progressive in an era when gender wasn’t commonly thought of as anything but binary.

I was eight when this song came out. By this time in my life I had seen a lot of instances in television shows and movies of men wearing girl clothes but it was always for laughs. As a boy who wore girl clothes it was a little uncomfortable realizing that people like me were meant to be ridiculed or shamed.

I wonder if hearing this song at that age would have encouraged me? I suppose that’s a topic for another post about the importance of representation.

I don’t remember the first time I heard ‘Lola’ by The Kinks. It came out in 1970 and the song is about a young man who falls for a woman who is very likely a transwoman or at least someone who is non-binary. I suppose it doesn’t matter? I mean, “boy loves girl” is the most common songwriting trope ever and details aren’t that important.

Unless when they are. ‘Lola’ isn’t just a song about a boy and a girl. Or is it? Ray Davies, the lyricist said of the song “It really doesn’t matter what sex Lola is, I think she’s all right”. I think him using the “she” pronoun is pretty telling, and pretty progressive, especially in 1970.

Anyway, I am not a music journalist and I am not going to lay out the history and public reception of the song here, but the Wikipedia article for the song is really interesting.

The song has garnered a little attention recently after musician Moby gave an interview where he said “the lyrics were gross and transphobic. I like their early music, but I was really taken aback at how unevolved the lyrics are.”

Based on the lyrics the song is about a boy who falls for a girl and then realizes that Lola isn’t cisgender. He is shocked, pushes her away, but in the end the heart wants what it wants, and his heart wants Lola.

I suppose if this song came out in 2026 I would be inclined to somewhat agree with him. I feel overall it’s a very accepting song, if that makes sense? Yes, the lyrics go back and forth between calling Lola a man as well as using she/her pronouns so it’s a bit all over the place… but maybe that’s intentional and part of the narrative? I mean, it’s not uncommon for someone to struggle a bit when they meet someone who is non-binary and choosing the right pronouns and terminology. It’s not always malicious or intentionally cruel.

As time marches on and as our thinking evolves, we look back on art and history through a modern lens. It’s fascinating to watch old cartoons, like OLD cartoons and see how racist they were and I am not defending them as they were wrong then and they are wrong now. But most of the time entertainment is in sync with the world’s sensibilities at the time. Seeing a cartoon character or a person in blackface is incredibly offensive today but there was a time when that wasn’t looked at as racist.

History is remembered in order to teach us. It’s growth to look back on what we did as individuals as well as a race to feel shocked and ashamed.

Is ‘Lola’ problematic? It’s a 56 year old song and yes, it’s not perfect. Was it progressive in 1970? I would say it was just as I think The Replacements song was progressive in 1984. Hell, I could probably be convinced that these songs are STILL progressive. As I mentioned, entertainment is often a reflection of what we as humans are thinking and what is acceptable but given how locked in people are when it comes to gender as a binary I would say these songs were almost revolutionary at the time.

Even if you feel revolutionary and progressive are a little generous to describe two classic rock songs, I hope you feel a little encouraged by them. I feel that they show an allyship and offer a little optimism for a future that I probably won’t live long enough to see. I do hope that gender specific things, like urinals and dolls, will indeed be laughed at in the future the way we are ridiculed now. I hope nobody will fuss tomorrow.

Love, Hannah

P.S. Of course this doesn’t even begin to cover gender and pop music. There’s some really transphobic stuff (looking at you, Funky Cold Medina), fun stuff like Pink Pony Club, and some subtle references, such as Tweeter and the Monkeyman. If you want more articles like this, please let me know in the comments.