Sexology Playlist: The Soundtrack To Our Season

Pop music is an area of culture which has allowed a varied degree of expression for women’s sexuality. Sometimes problematic, sometimes funny, and sometimes downright dirty, pop songs have afforded women artists an opportunity to be explicit about sex and sexuality.

Here is a sample of our season’s playlist, created by the women of Glasgow Women’s Library, which encompasses a range of artists and attitudes. From the Dirty Blues of Ma Rainey and Lucille Bogan, to the metaphors of Grace Jones, we hope these songs put a little sugar in your bowl…

  • The Pill, Back To The Country, Loretta Lynn, MCA (1975)
  • Push It, Hot, Cool & Vicious, Salt-n-Pepa, Next Plateau (1986)
  • Big Time Sensuality, Doubt, Björk, One Little Indian (1993)
  • Prove It On Me, Ma Rainey, Paramount (1928)
  • Lance Jr, I’ve Got a Friend Called Emily Ferrus, Courtney Barnett, Milk Records (2012)
  • She Bop, She’s So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper, Portrait, Epic (1983)
  • I Touch Myself, Divinyls, Divinyls, Virgin America (1991)
  • Love to Love You Baby, Love to Love You Baby, Donna Summer, GTO (1975)
  • Breakfast in Bed, Dusty In Memphis, Dusty Springfield, Phillips (1969)
  • Pull Up to the Bumper, Nightclubbing, Grace Jones, Island Records (1981)
  • Milkshake, Tasty, Kelis, Virgin (2003)
  • Partition, Beyonce, Beyonce, Columbia, Parkwood Entertainment (2013)
  • Shave Em’ Dry, Lucille Bogan, Banner (ARC) (1935)
  • Inside My Love, Minnie Ripperton, Epic (1975)
  • Work It Under, Construction, Missy Elliot, Elektra (2002)
  • I Want a Little Sugar In My Bowl, It Is Finished, Nina Simone, RCA Records (1974)
  • Snake Handler, L7, L7, Epitaph (1998)
  • Long Snake Moan, To Bring You My Love, PJ Harvey, Island (1995)
  • Credit Card Babie$, Talk About Body, JD Samson & MEN, Trouble Records (2011)
  • Harper Valley PTA, In The Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad), Dolly Parton, RCA (1969)

All these songs and more can be found on Spotify on the GWL Sexology playlist (an account is needed to access Spotify).