Sex (I'm A...)
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"Sex, Synths, and Subtlety (Not Really)"
Decades ago, when we were spinning records at clubs and a college radio station, we didn’t have dating apps or twitter—we had mix tapes and MOOD LIGHTING. How did you let that special someone know you were into them without awkwardly stammering it out? You cued up a song like Give It To Me Baby by Rick James or Pull Up To The Bumper by Grace Jones and let the music do the talking.
This playlist is a time capsule of not-so-subtle seduction, the kind that could either:
Sparks fly ("Oh, you get it"), or
Land you in the friend zone forever ("Wait, did you just play I Wanna Be Your Dog at me?").
A mix tape with Sex (I’m A...) or Sexy Boy was the 1980s equivalent of sliding into DMs—or, if we’re being honest, the infinitely more tasteful version of a dick pic. These tracks ooze sweat, leather, and synth-laden confidence, perfect for:
Dancing (or "dancing"),
Nostalgic flirting, or
Pretending you’re in a John Hughes movie.
So hit play, turn the lights down, and let the real soundtrack of desire do the work. (No guarantees, but your success rate will at least be higher than a Winklevoss-era Facebook poke.)
How to listen to this playlist?
Click on the link below for the streaming service you sub. Youtube always works for everyone but they don’t have the best selection compared to dedicated music streamers. For the Youtube playlist we try to link official video or live video of the song. You could also jump to the Here are the songs section and click the Spotify links for individual songs.
Here are the songs:
Sex (I'm A...) – Berlin
Pleasure Victim | Geffen, 10/01/1982
I Feel Love (12" Version) – Donna Summer
Bad Girls (Deluxe Edition) | Island Def Jam, 04/25/1979
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) – Dead Or Alive
Evolution: The Hits | Epic, 01/01/1983
Behind the Wheel – Depeche Mode
Music for the Masses (Deluxe) | Venusnote Ltd., 09/28/1987
Sexy Boy – Air
Moon Safari | Parlophone France, 01/16/1998
Head – Prince
Dirty Mind | Rhino/Warner Records, 10/08/1980
Bad Girls – M.I.A.
Matangi | Interscope, 01/01/2013
Desire (Come and Get It) – Gene Loves Jezebel
Discover | Beggars Banquet, 01/01/1985
Need You Tonight – INXS
Kick | Rhino Atlantic, 01/01/1987
Give It To Me Baby – Rick James
Street Songs (Deluxe Edition) | Motown, 04/07/1981
Love Rollercoaster – Ohio Players
Honey | Mercury Records, 08/16/1975
Obsession – Animotion
Obsession: The Best Of Animotion | Island Mercury, 01/01/1996
Pull Up To The Bumper – Grace Jones
Nightclubbing | Island Records, 01/01/1981
SexyBack (feat. Timbaland) – Justin Timberlake
FutureSex/LoveSounds | Jive, 09/12/2006
I Wanna Be Your Dog – The Stooges
The Stooges | Rhino/Elektra, 01/01/1969
All I Want – The Cure
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me | UMC, 01/01/1987
Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? – Revolting Cocks
Linger Ficken' Good... | Reprise, 01/01/1993
Get It On (Bang a Gong) – The Power Station
The Power Station | Parlophone UK, 01/01/1985
Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin
Mothership (Remastered) | Rhino Atlantic, 01/01/2007
Never Say Never – Romeo Void
Warm, In Your Coat | Columbia/Legacy, 01/01/1981
Until the next one.
— Gregory and Robert
The Data Below:
20 songs, 1 hour and 42 minutes
Genres:
Proto-punk, Punk, Garage Rock, Disco, Hi-nrg, Soul, Classic Soul, Funk, Synthpop, New Wave, Darkwave, Funk Rock, Motown, Art Pop, Post-punk, Gothic Rock, Trip Hop, Downtempo, Industrial, Industrial Metal, Industrial Rock, Ebm, Deathrock, Classic Rock, Rock, Hard Rock, Rock And Roll
Average song length: 4 minutes 50 seconds (long!)
Average BPM: 121.31
Danceability: 64% 1
Energy: 77% 2
Criteria and Methodology
For this playlist Robert and Gregory both submitted songs on the theme. They then +1’d the songs of the other’s. They selected all the songs selected by both to end up with a final list to select from. They also allowed 1 song each which wasn’t +1’d and grouped songs by sound or lyric or style or beat and started making the list. The playlist was started with the title song and went from there. A final check was done of all the transitions and moved a few around.
In the comments please guess which songs were not +1’d and how many (hint: more than 2) with extra credit for which of us.
Danceability describes how suitable a track is for dancing based on a combination of musical elements including tempo, rhythm stability, beat strength, and overall regularity.
Typically, energetic tracks feel fast, loud, and noisy. For example, death metal has high energy, while a Bach prelude scores low on the scale. Perceptual features contributing to this attribute include dynamic range, perceived loudness, timbre, onset rate, and general entropy.