Exactly 55 years ago, The Kinks' song "Lola" saw the light of day! 🏳️⚧️
There weren't many songs about transgender before "Lola". I can point to "Candy says" by The Velvet Underground or "I'm a Boy" by The Who. There's no denying that "Lola" was the first such positive song on the subject. A trans woman is presented here as an object of love, fascination, admiration, and not someone to pity or fear.
"Lola" has been an anthem of the LGBTQ community for decades. And there's no indication that this will change <3
"Girls will be boys and boys will be girls
It's a mixed up muddle
In a shaken up world
Except for Lola"
EDIT: There's an alternate version of the song. Ray sings at the end: "I'm not the world's most powerful man but I know what I want and I know what I am and so does Lola".
Feeling kinda empty after watching Monster. The movie is a wave of different details about living, trying to survive, becoming a monster in the eyes of others. They — the boys, the teacher, the mother — just wanted to live. To be happy. You can't be happy being a monster, or you can?
Something Great // The Gay Anthem of Midnight Memories
A lyric analysis that hopefully shows why this song was the gay anthem of 2013. Lol not trying to say anything new here please don’t kill me. God this is gonna be super rambly isn’t it?
JUST MY INTERPRETATION OF IT PLZ
juicy stuff after the cut (be glad i even put in a cut ok, or else it would’ve been intense scrolling times)
One day you’ll come into my world and say it all.
You’ll say we’ll be together even when you’re lost.
Here, the narrator is holding onto the hope that their partner will make the move to bring their relationship to the next level and go from “you don’t have to say you’re mine” to please tell me I’m yours.
If we look at it in the context of H and L (which, fuck you, of course I will be), you can see a lot of themes that will continue into their future solo and band music. With this lyric you can see a Home reference (or a Something Great ref in Home duh) with “when you’re lost I’ll find a way to you, I’ll be your light” that goes with “we’ll be together even when you’re lost”. Home, as we know, is a loud loud song and being “lost” could allude to being lost in a sea of cishet people where you can’t find people like you. Lost could also allude to the homophobic world of the industry where you don’t know how to navigate your own queerness.
One day you’ll say these words I thought you’ll never say
You say we’re better off together in our beds
Here, the tenses are very important. In the first lyric, its sort of a future tense meaning the person hasn’t said that “we’ll be together even when you’re lost” and the lyricist is still waiting on them. Instead what the person did say (as indicated by the present tense on “say”) is that “we’re better off together in our bed”. Bed here is a symbol of privacy (cos it has sex connotations in modern lit and sex supposed to be v hush hush na) so the person has just taken their relationship and put it behind a screen or under the sheets.
Ok am I allowed a slight tangent here? Imma do it anyways. If you look at She by Harry Styles then he also makes a bed a symbol of privacy when he says “she sleeps in his bed while he plays pretend”. The she being the part of himself that he needs to hide from his friends and basically keep under wraps. What’s a more private place than your own bed where you’re most vulnerable (sex and sleep- both cases where your guard is down and you trust the person next to you implicitly)
Therefore, not only is the relationship private but its one of immense trust because he dubs it OUR bed.
Queer relationships have to be kept secret and private and also require an implicit trust that your partner will not only not out you but you have such few people in your corner already as queer person that well your partner becomes an integral part of your strength.
I want you here with me
Like how I pictured it
So I don’t have to keep imagining
These lyrics build on the bed theme a bit. Imagining and pictured are synonymous with dreaming, typically something we do while asleep. And while asleep our subconscious runs wild with our deepest desires (not wet dreams you sly bastards, get yo mind outta the gutter) and here the lyricists greatest desire is to be out in public with their partner. We can also see the bed/dream motif in We Made It by Louis Tomlinson where he goes “share a single bed and tell each other what we dream about”.
Come on, jump out at me
Come on, bring everything
Is it too much to ask for something great?
Jump out at me is just such an exertive exuberant phrase that it can be considered the opposite of the cautious private discussed before. It just verbalises what the lyricist has been “imagining”. The something great can be the great romantic epics of the past yk.
The script is written and I could not change a thing
I want to rip it all to shreds and start again
WHEW. I MEAN COME ON. Broadly speaking, the script dictates what each member of society’s role is and it conforms to heteronormative ideals. The script is a homogenising force that strives to make everyone the same or at least “act” like it as if their lives were theatre (fuckity fuck fuck for queer people). Not only is the script already an oppressive force but the sheer helplessness of not being able to change it is doubly painful.
It’s also the lyricist needs to rip it all to shreds and start again because queer people cannot fit into the heteronormative society and sometimes need to carve out their own place (a place to feel good, mayhaps? Ok sorry).
If we talk about H and L for a sec, not only was a script written out for them (for the whole band actually), they basically had to “act” as if their lives were a pantomime which is what they were reduced to. We also see Louis incorporate the script thing into so many of his songs but most notably in habit where he says “ran out of energy playing (the role of) someone i heard I’m supposed to be” and the “different stages” can also be different theatre stages he has to act on. (Reminds you of the red curtain and sea of het couple in the Walls mv that can reiterate this) it can also be construed as their contracts that they need to rip to shreds and start afresh.
One day I’ll come into your world and get it right
I’ll say we’re better off here tonight
Now the roles are reversed and its the lyricist coming into their partners life and giving them the courage to ask for what they want. (I know that you’re scared because I’m so open) (when you’re lost I’ll be your light)
The here in these lyrics is vague but with the parallelism of the lyrics to the first verse, we can consider it an anti to the “together in our bed”, thus making it the opposite of the privacy the bed symbolised. The “get it right” just reiterated how being openly quiet with your partner is “right” and natural compared to secrecy (unless its voluntary secrecy without pressure yknow). However the future tense means that the lyricist hasn’t actually had the chance to say it yet or put it into action. :(
This is the plight of queer people everywhere. To be with their partners unapologetically and publicly. The publicly takes on a whole other level for H and L since public for them isn’t the street, its the spotlight therefore making it an even more intense emotion to be out in public.
You’re all I want
So much it’s hurting
Need I say anything? It’s the most gut wrenching ending to an upbeat song and really drives home the point that in spite of the hope in the last verse, things still aren’t fixed and H and L aren’t allowed to be unapologetic regardless of whether they’re ready or not.
TL;DR
this song follows queer people having to bathe their identities and relationships in secrecy and draw on each other’s strength to gain the courage to become open about it. However despite the courage, the preparedness society just shoved you back in with the threat of ostracism, violence or death. (Ok something great doesn’t really touch on the violence or death part but I just want to nod to all queer experiences.
btw, harry wrote this song so don’t tell me i’m crazy :(
I’m so sorry for this complete ramble fest and in apology have this picture of Louis fonding at Harry for the 49493828th time that tour.
Also tagging @swimmingleo , @ialwaysknewyouwerepunk and @bluewinnerangel cos I really wanna know their takes on this song. I’m rlly late to the party aren’t I?
