The Off Topic Topic

[Admiral Yi]

Or alternatively, perhaps dudes write songs to get laid and chicks don't have to.

[CountDeMoney]

Your conclusion is sound, and meets peer review approval. 

[Valmy]

Um while normal dudes have trouble getting laid star musicians clearly need little help.

[Admiral Yi]

Um while normal dudes have trouble getting laid star musicians clearly need little help.

Thanks Captain Literal.

[Jacob]

This is the kind of quality conversation that keeps me coming back to languish 

[Valmy]

Um while normal dudes have trouble getting laid star musicians clearly need little help.

Thanks Captain Literal.

No I am pretty sure Barry Manilow was really trying to get laid by somebody named Mandy.

[CountDeMoney]

Um while normal dudes have trouble getting laid star musicians clearly need little help.

Thanks Captain Literal.

No I am pretty sure Barry Manilow was really trying to get laid by somebody named Mandy.

Yeah.  Mandy Patinkin.  You suck, Valmy.

[crazy canuck]

Or alternatively, perhaps dudes write songs to get laid and chicks don't have to.

Yeah, all those rich musicians really needed that extra edge.

[Jacob]

Alternately, most pop culture fits into the patriarchal model privileging the male perspective. Male singers tend to portray what it's like to be a man yearning for a some chick, while female singers tend to model objects of male desire and mentioning some guy's name will burst the bubble for male listener that the female singer really wants to fuck them.

[Eddie Teach]

I can't think of a single chick song that mentions a dude by name.

There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando

You know feeling good was good enough for me,
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee

He says his name is William but I'm sure it's really Bill or Billy or Mac or Buddy

[Tonitrus]

I can't think of a single chick song that mentions a dude by name.

There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando

You know feeling good was good enough for me,
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee

He says his name is William but I'm sure it's really Bill or Billy or Mac or Buddy

Bobby McGee was a woman. 

[Eddie Teach]

Eh, the lyrics always refer to him as male.

[Tonitrus]

Eh, the lyrics always refer to him as male.

Not originally...

In 1969, Foster called up Kristofferson with the song title idea with the hook that Bobby was a woman. Kristofferson apparently took his own liberties, changing McKee to McGee, and invented a road song story about a pair of travellers who drifted apart. In Joplin's version, she switched the genders and made Bobby a man.

[Valmy]

Alternately, most pop culture fits into the patriarchal model privileging the male perspective. Male singers tend to portray what it's like to be a man yearning for a some chick, while female singers tend to model objects of male desire and mentioning some guy's name will burst the bubble for male listener that the female singer really wants to fuck them.

Are you implying that love songs sung by female artists are marketed and designed to be popular to heterosexual men? Because that seems ridiculous.

In any case there are very few love pop songs period, and especially in the past 30 years, that mention somebody by name by either gender so we are working with a pretty small sample size.

[garbon]

Alanis - Unsent

Song that details events to each of her ex boyfriends by name.

Lady Gaga - Alejandro
Fiona Apple - Jonathan
Dido - Mary's in India

Granted, I think only first two made it onto top 40 radio and first 3 are all ostensibly break up songs.