multi-gender wannabes (affectionate) or (derogatory)?

June 5, 2022 6:08 PM

I recently ran across the a-ha song Oranges on Apple Trees and liked the sound. I don't know anything about the group beyond what's on Wikipedia, so if you're more familiar with a-ha, how do you interpret the line "multi-gender wannabes"?

The main reason I'm curious is that besides enjoying the song myself, I wanted to use it in a queer fandom project with other people. So if there's some reason why it would be likely to give hostile vibes, I'd like to know.

The lyrics are by Magne Furuholmen and you can read them on Genius. For the record, I don't get any hostile vibes from the song at all, but besides knowing nothing about the band's history I also am notoriously poor at interpreting song lyrics. (I mean yes, of course I know "Take On Me" but those words don't really require interpretation!)

P. S. Sorry for the false dichotomy in the question title; I ran out of characters. I realize that multi-gender wannabes (nonsensical) is also a likely option, heh.

posted by wintersweet to Media & Arts (2 answers total)

Best answer: I'm moderately well-versed in the band and have found that the official presence can be sort of issues-neutral but generally in the kind of Nordic central way that would land at least mid-left here (plus the really radical stuff like healthcare is good and guns are not). They have an enormous South American fanbase, which may force some neutrality on certain issues for diplomatic reasons. Magne is mildly outspoken on rights issues and generally falls on the side I'm comfortable with, and one of his pandemic projects was getting into permaculture and restorative agriculture, so my most charitable read is that it is a bit of clunky poetic double-reference to how gender is not particularly binary in agriculture or in people.

But I've been burned by old rich white guys before, I can't blame you for squinting one eye at this - I hadn't listened to this album much to notice it.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:55 PM on June 5, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Could it be referring to the bumblebees that pop up in the lyrics? Bees having “three genders” (worker/drone/queen)?
posted by Balthamos at 12:12 AM on June 6, 2022 [3 favorites]