An album that got me through a hard time: Melissa Etheridge, Brave and Crazy
Although Etheridge wouldn't officially come out to the world until a few years later, many people caught the subtext of Brave and Crazy. It's an entire album of ambiguous pronouns, longing for Ms. Right (or sometimes Ms. Right Now), post-Reagan protest songs, and being left by lovers who wanted safety and respectability over authenticity and passion.
The last song on the album is my favorite, a banger of a train song that got walk-on harmonica by Bono in the studio.
And it sounds like crying
And it sounds like letting go
Oh, breathing and lying
Sinking and dying slow
-- Royal Station 4/16
"You Used to Love to Dance" contrasts the bar scene with an idealized marriage that was only accessible to straight people at the time.
They told me you have found your love
You moved in, locked up and put out your blues
Well all God's children got to grow up
And play house, make vows to hang up their shoes
Do you sit and talk over coffee cups?
Do headline mornings satisfy and fill you up?
I kept your eyes and your cigarette kiss
You couldn't keep the lies, the adrenalin bliss in your life
-- You Used to Love to Dance
In my home town there were two gay bars. The big one held the dance nights, drag shows, and disco revivals. The Other Bar was a hole in the wall with a jukebox and pool tables. When I got my adult ID at age 21, I recognized that space as the one in multiple Melissa Etheridge songs.
"Testify" and "My Back Door" are the protest songs, although IMO they suffer a bit for their vagueness. Still, there's a clear call to action in both to put down the newspapers, turn off the 24/7 news and do something.
Then I saw the world
Wounded deep and curled up on my sidewalk
With the mouths all white and pale
Telling all their tales reality
So I picked up a sign
And I found a place in line
And I shouted, "No talk!"
The men all painted proud
Their words empty and loud
Are trying hard to sell my dream
-- My Back Door
The album came in my life at just the right time when I was struggling understanding myself. Another one I want to give a mention to is Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos who gave a voice to some traumas that have shaped my life.
Written for and submitted to the July 2026 Bear Blog Carnival.