I can’t properly express to you the joy I got the first time I heard Beach Bunny’s “Cloud 9,” specifically the version featuring Tegan and Sara.
The original version of the song includes the following chorus:
“But when he loves me I feel like I’m floating
When he calls me pretty I feel like somebody
Even when we fade eventually to nothing
You will always be my favorite form of loving”
When this song became immensely popular on Alt TikTok, many people began to sing these lines (or post videos of themselves with other people’s sounds) with the pronouns switched out to better represent themselves and their relationships. These lines quickly got stuck in my head, with “he” switched out for “she” of course. :3
As a result of all of the excitement on TikTok, Beach Bunny tweeted the following about a possible version of the song with different pronouns:
And then, the band released a new version of the song with those alternative pronouns, switching them each time the chorus is sung. It’s so satisfying to listen to a song like this, as both a queer and genderqueer person. I still love the section with feminine pronouns, but hearing, “But when they love me” and “When they call me pretty” just hits different. Since I’m not used to hearing gender neutral pronouns in music at all, the inclusivity and relatability of these lines bring me a whole new level of bliss.
I’ve been used to hearing heteronormative and cisnormative music all of my life, so you can imagine me happily “screeching in queer” while vibing to this song. It’s so amazing to be able to actually relate to songs like this, in the way that cishet people can all of their lives. As I have gotten more into music over the past 2 years or so, my music taste has evolved along with me as I’ve been figuring out my identity. Now I feel euphoric when listening to artists like Chloe Moriondo, King Princess, Girl in Red, Clairo, and Frances Forever. I absolutely recommend listening to them. Chloe is my favorite, and their most recent album Blood Bunny is amazing, with special emphasis on “Samantha” and “Strawberry Blonde” for warm and fuzzy wlw/nblw/nblnb vibes. See some more song suggestions organized by artist below!
Chloe Moriondo: Girl on TV, I Want To Be With You, Bugbear, Ghost Adventure Spirit Orb, Road Trip, Manta Rays, Favorite Band, Rly Don’t Care, What If It Doesn’t End Well, Samantha, Strawberry Blonde (and honestly so many more; they’re all so good)
King Princess: 1950, Talia, Holy, Upper West Side
Girl in Red: Serotonin, 4am, You Stupid Bitch, it would feel like this, we fell in love in october, girls, i wanna be your girlfriend
Clairo: Sofia, Bags, Bubble Gum, Softly, Blouse
Frances Forever: space girl, cry inside my car
Due to the nature of my own identity, my artist suggestions are generally focused on songs about women and nonbinary individuals, but I can also suggest that you listen to Troye Sivan and Lil Nas X. Montero is simply immaculate, and it was quite the cultural reset.
I recommend looking into more music artists whose identities align rather closely with your own. It really changes the experience of listening to music.
As always, I’m proud of you for being yourself. Hang in there. I’ve learned that music can really help you feel things and get through hard times.
With love,
PJ <3
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Image 1, Image 2, Image 3, Image 4
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