Mitski
A brief, hymn-like address to the moon in which the speaker asks that their love outlive their body. It works less as narrative…
mortality possession and dispossession love as legacy
Elliott Smith
A hushed, seductive address that turns out to be spoken in the voice of addiction itself, offering comfort, oblivion, and…
addiction as intimate voice self-destruction disguised as tenderness loss of potential
Talking Heads
A household turns a newborn into a novelty toy, with siblings and cooing relatives conspiring to keep him awake past his bedtime…
family and domesticity possession and objectification innocence versus adult impulse
SZA
SZA casts herself as the mistress in a triangle and refuses the shame the role usually carries, framing her position as a…
infidelity and complicity self-worth versus desire possession and comparison
Free
A blues-rock warning shot aimed at a rival encroaching on the narrator's relationship. It's less a fully worked lyric than a…
jealousy and possessiveness masculine pride confrontation
Betty Davis
Betty Davis takes the insults an ex has thrown at her -- witch, alley cat, dirty dog -- and turns them into a badge of honor,…
sexual autonomy reclaiming slurs female desire vs. respectability
Fleet Foxes
A short, dread-laced folk song about arriving too late for a lost love, told through images of bodily decay and a locked door.…
loss and abandonment decay and mortality possessiveness/control
Nina Simone
A catalog of natural images—birds, rivers, blossoms, stars—builds toward a declaration of liberation and renewal. Simone's…
liberation and freedom renewal rebirth through nature
Little Feat
A late-night narrator wanders into a seedy nightclub called the Spanish Moon and finds himself pawning his possessions to keep…
seduction and ruin vice and nightlife music as intoxicant