Comments on: Sex and Music

Question: Sex and Music

the fire you left me — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 19:57:09 -0800

Is music a derogation during sex?

By: taumeson

taumeson — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 20:01:14 -0800

interesting question. my girlfriend's name comes from a beautiful song from the allman brothers band, and it really just fits the mood.

so in that case, no, definitely not. i'm sure there are other cases like that. sex isn't all pumping and thumping, you know.

By: WolfDaddy

WolfDaddy — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 20:03:11 -0800

Gee, and here I was just pondering asking y'all what good music to fuck (and make love) by would be.

Music goes with most anything. Sometimes makes most anything better than it would be without it.

By: majick

majick — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 20:05:19 -0800

Short answer: No.
Long answer: Hell no.

By: cbrody

cbrody — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 20:06:07 -0800

Yes, although it can be useful during preliminary phases. A more interesting question would be: is sex a derogation during music?

By: abcde

abcde — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 20:11:39 -0800

They're both derogations to one another.

Then again, I think it's both an embarrassment and an insult to listen to music other than alone, with headphones ;)

By: scottymac

scottymac — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 20:13:19 -0800

I prefer instrumental music during sex. The words can get in the way.

By: Keyser Soze

Keyser Soze — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 20:25:23 -0800

No it's not. Especially when you have to keep the sounds drowned out for your party guests.

By: Quartermass

Quartermass — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 20:27:34 -0800

From experience: Cannibal Corpse - yes. Al Green - hell no.

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 20:41:28 -0800

roughly what Quartermass said, but expand Cannibal Corpse to take in any music with sadomasochistic overtones. For me, anyway.

And, kids, (shakes walking stick) you have no idea what a blessing the long-form mix CD is! Why, in my day we had these things called records, and you had to turn them over after about twenty minutes!

Now that's a derogation.

By: Keyser Soze

Keyser Soze — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 21:10:21 -0800

Don't crap your huggies old man. (j/k) As a record owner I can comfortably say I would never put one on to get down with. That needle at the end of the record always in the back of my head... 2 Minutes and you have 80 minutes of mix.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 21:35:11 -0800

No.

Gee, and here I was just pondering asking y'all what good music to fuck (and make love) by would be.

My mattress music and more mattress music playlists on my iPod contain:

Stars of the Lid
Low
Kammerflimmer Kollectief
Lali Puna
Red Snapper
Big Ass Truck
Bobby Birdman
Electric Birds
Luna
Billie Holliday
Mojave 3
Palace
Chet Baker
Migala
Two Dollar Guitar
Papa M
2 Lone Swordsman
New Wet Kojak
Iron & Wine
Kingsbury Manx
The New Year
Wu Tang
Paul Burch
Peaches
Will Oldham
I Am Spoonbender
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Leonard Cohen
Pharoah Saunders
Mum
The Dining Rooms
Pauline Oliveros
My Morning Jacket
Nico
Gotan Project
Nina Simone
Mogwai
Polmo Polpo
Owls
The Books
Blossom Dearie
Smog
Flowchart
Live Human
Clem Snide
My Morning Jacket
The Rapture
!!!
Daniel Lanois
Nick Drake
Dead Can Dance
Dirty Three
Do Make Say Think
Elysian Fields
Neal Halstead
Sufjan Stevens
Ms John Soda
Morphine
LFO
The Birdwatcher
Girls Against Boys
Etta James
Explosions in the Sky
Sally Timms
Gas
Monroe Mustang
Lefty Frizzell
Washngton Phillips
Wim Mertens
Jim O'Rourke
Super XX Man
Sonny Rollins
Sonny Criss
Illy B
Joe Tex
Scrapper Blackwell
Zero 7
John Coltrane
Jorge Reyes
Karsh Kale
Sybarite
Manitoba
Sean Na-Na
M Ward
Mazzy Star
Miles Davis
Velma
Trans Am
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
Tortoise
Six Finger Satallite
United Future Organization
Mocean Worker
The Star Room Boys
Ron Sexsmith
Van Morrison
a few volumes of Ethiopiques
Solomon Burke
Thelonious Monk
Velvet Underground
Tindersticks
Skydiggers
a few volumes of Stax singles
Rose Murphy
The Shins
Silver Jews
Sister Double Happiness
St. Germain
Yo La Tengo
Marvin Gaye
Stevie Wonder
Sun Ra
Tight Bros. From Way Back When
Rock*A*Teens
Danko Jones
Rodan
William Bell
Shotmaker
and of course Pussy Galore

Not everything by all the artists, of course. The tracks are all carefully chosen. :)

Like me, it's set to shuffle.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 21:41:20 -0800

what good music to fuck (and make love) by would be

...oompa-loompa pumpity pump*...

If it's distracting you from someone you love, that's bad. If it's making a fun thing better, or drowning out the upstairs neighbors listening to Wheel of Fortune, that's good. And it comes with free frogurt.

*Having visions of orange midgets with bad hair dancing around during the nookular act might also help one achieve greater levels of endurance.

By: bonheur

bonheur — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 22:04:36 -0800

No. Just be careful when setting your mp3s on shuffle-- you never know when "College Girls Are Easy" might come on and ruin the mood entirely.

By: WolfDaddy

WolfDaddy — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 22:12:39 -0800

Damn dobbs, 'tween this and your reading list, will you marry me?

By: quonsar

quonsar — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 22:20:17 -0800

derogation.

By: themadjuggler

themadjuggler — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 23:09:47 -0800

Dobbs, seeing that the Silver Jews are probably my favorite band, I have to ask... what song of theirs is any good for lovemaking??? An instrumental? Hearing Dave Berman's rattly baritone isn't exactly a turn-on for me >_<

By: milovoo

milovoo — Fri, 30 Jul 2004 23:32:02 -0800

If it were not for sex, I suspect Barry White would not be anywhere near as popular. That's the only time I ever listen to R & B.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 01:09:44 -0800

themadjuggler, I think The Natural Bridge is an excellent makeout/foreplaying album, though I skip the first two tracks.

That said, the vast majority of music I recommended is for the making out/foreplay, slow, gliding-hovering circles camp rather than the fast pumping, bent over the kitchen table humping manoevers. So if that's not you're style, ignore me.

Also note that I didn't list music to get someone in the mood for sex but music to enhance the experience. Getting someone in the mood is your own job.

For instance, here's a clip from one of my favorite foreplaying tracks (stars of the lids' anchor states pt ii).

And since I'm at it and an insomniac, here are some others from my list:

I Am Spoonbender
Pauline Oliveros (recorded in abandon missle silos)
Migala
Electric Birds
New Wet Kojak
Polmo Polpo
Manitoba
My Morning Jacket
Peaches
Red Snapper
Sybarite
M. Ward
illy B (this is billy martin of medeski martin and wood)
Velma
Elysian Fields
Mojave 3
Low
Bobby Birdman (2)
Sally Timms
Explosions in the Sky
Kammerflimmer Kollectief
Gotan Project
Monroe Mustang
Ms John Soda (quicktime vid)
Mum
Do Make Say Think
Super XX Man
St. Germain
Iron & Wine
Dining Rooms
Troublemakers (listen to track Get Misunderstood)

And that's probably enough of my shit for one night.

Wolfdaddy, I'm not the marrying type, but thanks for the offer. ;)

By: andrew cooke

andrew cooke — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 06:09:21 -0800

what quonsar said (for once). get a frigging education.

By: orange swan

orange swan — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 06:19:09 -0800

I'd prefer not to listen to music at such times. I find I either don't hear it at all or it's a distraction.

But of course, as with all sexual issues, one must be flexible and accommodating. Instrumental music is a nice compromise.

By: matteo

matteo — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 06:26:18 -0800

DOBBS IS THE MAN

By: themadjuggler

themadjuggler — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 07:15:46 -0800

Oh man, no I'm not one for the humping, ummm... how you described it :)

Excellent music, though!

By: dagnyscott

dagnyscott — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 08:02:36 -0800

Heh. I don't have a specific playlist, so I tend to say "no" because there's just way too much weird stuff on my playlist (such as a great deal of They Might Be Giants, The Bonzo Dog Band, and Barenaked Ladies). Last time it was needed for sound purposes I put it on Yuki Kajiura, which didn't really add or detract, it was just background.

By: dame

dame — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 08:51:59 -0800

Sex without like music is like coffee without a cigarette. Some people claim it's better for you, but they wouldn't know joy if it hit them with a stick.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 09:01:52 -0800

Oops. M. Ward and Manitoba corrected.

By: pieoverdone

pieoverdone — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 09:06:34 -0800

I can cope with SomaFm on in the background.

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 09:40:33 -0800

dagnyscott -- I was just thinking about that. I love TMBG, but they always came up during those college bull sessions of "what would be the WORST music to play during sex?"

I think Napoleon XIV was on there, too.

By: inksyndicate

inksyndicate — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 10:48:50 -0800

How about "Faith In The Heart" from Enterprise or any Star Trek theme music.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 11:04:40 -0800

Hell, with her legs clamped over my ears, I'm not able to hear much of anything anyway...

By: andrew cooke

andrew cooke — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 11:09:01 -0800

is that a candidate for best or worst, inky?

personally, i can't think of much worse than having morrissey (metaphorically) peering over my shoulder. i've got cantaloupe island playing at the moment and that might be quite fun if you were both into it, though i'm thinking it might turn out more like sex as a kind of energetic synchronized swimming...

By: BMF

BMF — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 11:09:07 -0800

All of these albums are GREAT sex albums...(non-flash).

By: inksyndicate

inksyndicate — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 11:15:30 -0800

Worst :)

Just imagine making sweet love to the sound of Jerry Goldsmith's magnificent Klingon Battle Cruiser Theme...or what about Patton?

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 11:16:06 -0800

Ladies, if your beau pauses to put on Wagner, run like hell.

By: andrew cooke

andrew cooke — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 11:27:29 -0800

phew!

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 12:47:44 -0800

Just imagine making sweet love to the sound of Jerry Goldsmith's magnificent Klingon Battle Cruiser Theme

Nah. Imperial March from TESB, which doubles as the best Entrance Of The Bride(zilla) song ever.

Or the Oompa Loompa Song. Or perhaps the Interjections! song from Schoolhouse Rock.

By: inksyndicate

inksyndicate — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 12:53:58 -0800

Yes, the Imperial March would be hot.

Or "2 legit 2 quit" by Hammer. I'm sure someone has.

By: wackybrit

wackybrit — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 14:06:58 -0800

Good sex music:

Traditional - The Hokey Cokey
Steelers Wheel - Stuck in the middle with you
Nelly - Hot in here
Tenacious D - Fuck her gently
Weezer - Tired of sex
Weezer - Pink triangle

By: bingo

bingo — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 14:39:47 -0800

Which Oompa Loompa song? They have a nice rhythm to them, but the part about blaming the mother and the father is...well, I guess it would remind you to use a condom, anyway.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 15:08:16 -0800

I'm d/ling all of your music into a special folder called "dobbs' sex music" - can't wait to listen to this - thanks!

By: iconomy

iconomy — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 15:15:32 -0800

I just changed it to dobb's shag music. Seemed more appropriate...

By: geekyguy

geekyguy — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 15:16:03 -0800

Since I don't have TESB Imperial March I offer for your listening pleasure:
TurnBothKnobs

I knew I'd find a use for that domain . . .

By: papercake

papercake — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 15:33:24 -0800

BOLERO

By: ChrisTN

ChrisTN — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 15:41:05 -0800

Is music a derogation during sex?

If the music in question is from your partner's Amy Grant CD collection, yes.

what quonsar said (for once). get a frigging education.

Or, y'know, you could use an actual dictionary to argue your point about words' definitions. Just a thought.

By: andrew cooke

andrew cooke — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 15:53:08 -0800

psst

By: andrew cooke

andrew cooke — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 15:54:59 -0800

eh? psst

By: CunningLinguist

CunningLinguist — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 16:58:15 -0800

i LIKE wagner...especially tannhauser....

By: Quartermass

Quartermass — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 18:27:17 -0800

Holy shit, the Enterprise comment made me laugh something fierce.

By: milovoo

milovoo — Sat, 31 Jul 2004 21:48:23 -0800

I had to get up and take Aphex Twin's Ventolin off the stereo once, although it might work for certain styles.

Eno is good.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Sun, 01 Aug 2004 04:00:34 -0800

I think Love Detective by Arab Strap is the sexiest song I can think of. Aidan Moffat's voice makes me melt. The song is about a man finding his girlfriend's sex diary in a drawer in their bedroom after she goes to work, and his anguish, so it's really the opposite of sexy, but there's just something about his voice, and that yummy Scottish accent...MELT, I tell ya. Very seductive.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Sun, 01 Aug 2004 04:17:40 -0800

Tied for first place - If Everything Fell Quiet, by Reindeer Section. Vocals by Aidan Moffat. Such pretty lyrics:

be my guide be my pilot
be the breath on my face
be the arms that can form it
be the heart in my chest
this is the way i want you to begin my life
i couldn't face another night like that again
be my hope, ill be your hope
be the hair that knots with my hair
be the drink when i am thirsty
be the hand to hold at night
this is the way i want you to begin my life
i couldn't face another night like that again

Be the hair that knots with my hair?? Who could resist that? You have to listen to the song to appreciate it.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sun, 01 Aug 2004 10:37:04 -0800

Tied for first place - If Everything Fell Quiet, by Reindeer Section. Vocals by Aidan Moffat.

iconomy, I love Arab Strap (I think Philophobia is one of the top 100 records of all time), but never really went for the Reindeer Section. This song, for instance, makes me think of a couple falling in love montage in a movie (not a good thing). Also, I'm prepared to be wrong but if that's Aidan Moffat's voice I'll eat my hat. :)

By: iconomy

iconomy — Sun, 01 Aug 2004 12:43:31 -0800

Dobbs, I hear you, but I think there's a difference in the way that women hear a song and the way that men hear a song. It's as if he's singing the song to me when I hear it - is it like that for you? I sort of project the words onto whomever it is that I'm with, as if that person is singing those words to me. Also, words are way more important than music, seduction-wise. That's just the way I'm wired.

I'm pretty sure that's Aidan Moffat. I know he did the lead vocals on one song on the Y'all Get Scared Now, Ya Hear! cd (every Scottish rock cd must have a guest appearance by Aidan Moffat... ;), and I think that that's the song. Or it could be Gary Lightbody, but it sounds like Aidan Moffat. In my fantasies, it's Aidan Moffat!

By: antimony

antimony — Sun, 01 Aug 2004 15:15:08 -0800

My favorite make-out/sex album is definately The Orb's Adventures beyond the Ultraworld. (Though skipping Little Fluffy Clouds because it's too distracting)

Really, any kind of trancy, ambient music will do. I don't like to rush things.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sun, 01 Aug 2004 21:48:15 -0800

Iconomy, okay, after reading your followup post I had to scoot around and check into it as it was driving me nuts as I was pretty sure I could tell Moffat's voice after a single syllable. I found this on pitchforkmedia.com:

Arab Strap's Aidan Moffat shows up once on "Nytol," a song he lyrically co-write...

Sorry to ruin your fantasies... and yeah, I guess boys and girls hear things different. (Or, more correctly, you and I hear differently.) I always assume that I'm the one singing, rather than being the one sung to. And wow, I never actually thought of that before. When I think about it, I guess that's an ingrown thing in songs I like. I relate as the speaker rather than the listener.