Devil On Your Shoulder, by Some Kind of Infernal Machine (song, 2021)

[lb_lee]

“You see that boy? You see that girl? You see that longing glance
Don’t you get all chickenshit, go ask them for a dance
You see the way they look at you that gaze all scorch and smoulder
Let me be your wingman, I’m the devil on your shoulder”

Blurb: "Devil on Your Shoulder is a song about making friends with one of your nightmares to ward off the others. What could possibly go wrong?" (from SKOIM's website)

Why is it worth your time?: It's a fun three and a half minutes of a girl making friendly with the devil on her shoulder, who encourages her to live a little and pursue the boy and/or girl of her dreams. The song quality is rough, but the Devil's infectious enthusiasm carries it; it's worth a  few minutes of your time.

Plural Tags: metaphysical/spiritual

Content Warnings: I don't think it's a huge spoiler to tell you that a song about the Devil will involve discussions of death, the afterlife, and Hell.

Accessibility Notes: Lyrics can be read here. Available for free listening on Youtube; you can also pay-what-you-want for an MP3 on bandcamp.com

My Ego, by Regurgitator (rock song, 2004)

[lb_lee]

“Last night right after the show
I had to let myself go
I got too needy wouldn't leave me
For one second alone

But I still sleep with myself
That's kinda complicated
I steal the blanket as well
That gets me so frustrated"

Blurb: A ridiculous farce of a song about having a terrible dysfunctional relationship with your own ego, breaking up, and continuing to have sex with it.

Why is it worth your time?: It's three and a half minutes of catchy comedic absurdity about someone making terrible life choices. It's funny, you can listen to it for free on bandcamp, I'd say it's worth your time.

Plural Tags: in-system romance (in the worst way)

Content Warnings: in case the band name Regurgitator didn't cue you, you might be offended by this song. Think of the sleaziest, scummiest way you could depict such a relationship, and you've about got it.

Accessibility Notes: The original version that I know from the Mish Mash! album is available for $1 AUD, but there are at least three versions of this song available on bandcamp, and you can buy them all in one go for $4 AUD. Mish Mash! is also available on CD and vinyl.

Small Red Boy, by AJJ (folk punk song/comic, 2016)

[lb_lee]

"I found a small red boy inside my tummy
With three dollars in change and a Milky Way Lite
In my occasional pursuit to find something more meaningful
Than yet another word that rhymes with "die"
I cut him out and put him on my table
His shallow-breathing chest would fall and rise
His South of Heaven shirt was way too big for him
His horns were long and sharp
And then, he opened up those eyes that said:
"I am, I am, I am, I am the truth"

Blurb: A five minute song (or 12 page comic) about giving birth to your inner demon, loving it, and being transformed by it.

Why is it worth your time?: This song is transcendent, a religious experience in song/comics form that can move people to tears. Apparently it's even more intense when performed live. And seeing as the lyrics include the line "the loved ones in and out of us," I feel like seeing it as a plural song isn't that wild.

Plural Tags: spiritual? otherworld? this song is hard to define, even more so than the others

Content Warnings: Contain spoilers; see comments below.

Accessibility Notes: You can find the lyrics anywhere; the song costs $1 USD on Bandcamp. There is also a free comics adaptation online!

The Stranger, by Billy Joel (pop song, 1977)

[lb_lee]

"Well we all have a face
That we hide away forever
And we take them out and show ourselves
When everyone has gone
Some are satin some are steel
Some are silk and some are leather
They're the faces of the stranger
But we love to try them on"

Blurb: Five minute song about the sides of ourselves we hide from others, and being surprised by a loved one's own "stranger." Like all the other songs listed here, easy enough to interpret in a singlet way as well.

Why is it worth your time?: It's good. Moody and noir-ish, with the air of a rainy city street. Also, it's so old, you can find it near anywhere.

Plural Tags: switching

Content Warnings: none

Accessibility Notes: This song was a hit almost fifty years ago, so it's easy to find anywhere on vinyl, cassette, CD, or digital. Ditto lyrics.

Disconnected, by Ghost Mice (folk punk song, 2015)

[lb_lee]

They all wished that you get well
But they sure as hell don't want to
Or they don't know how to help
They're afraid that they might catch what you got
And it's scares them to death when they hear you talking to yourself
Cause they're afraid that those voices in your head might spread
Into their own
They all know that they hang by a thread
And it's so easy to let go
They don't wanna lose their hope so they don't call you anymore
That's why they don't call you anymore

Blurb: A three-minute song about losing a friend to mental illness and ableism. (The mental illness is unspecified, but there's the line, "they're afraid that those voices in your head might spread / Into their own" so I feel like it could count under the plural umbrella.)

Why is it worth your time?: It's beautiful and sad and painful, about the failings of both the medical system and community support.

Plural Tags: none

Content Warnings: Contain spoilers; see comments.

Accessibility Notes: The song is $1 USD on Bandcamp (link includes lyrics) and free to listen to as well.