10 queer albums Apple Music SHOULD have put on its 100 best albums list
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These queer albums should've been on Apple Music's list!
Atlantic Records; MSMSMSM/Future Classic; Queen Productions Ltd./Universal Music
Apple Music has released its official list of the 100 best albums ever, and while we certainly agree with many of the albums listed, we couldn't help but notice that some of the best albums of all time (which also happen to be some of the queerest) didn't make the list at all.
There are some definite iconic queer albums included on the list, including ones by Billie Eilish, Elton John, Madonna, Lady Gaga, David Bowie and more.
We could talk for hours about which albums by queer artists were included and which weren't (Blond but no Channel Orange? Flower Boy but no Igor? Listen Without Prejudice but no Faith?)
But these are the 10 queer albums that we think Apple Music messed up the most by not including...
1. Janelle Monáe - 'Dirty Computer'
Janelle Monáe – Make Me Feel [Official Music Video]
Janelle Monáe's third album, released in 2018, still sounds just as futuristic today as it did when it was first released. Featuring overwhelmingly sapphic singles like "Make Me Feel," Pynk," and "I Like That," the album is one of the best celebrations of queerness ever made into art.
2. Sophie - 'Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides'
SOPHIE — It's Okay To Cry (Official Video)
Sophie's influence will never grow old. The debut, and only, studio album by the late Scottish DJ, producer, and artist defined dance and electronic music for the era and gave birth to a generation of hyperpop artists. Songs like "Immaterial," "It's Okay to Cry," "Ponyboy," and "Faceshopping" are club classics and trans anthems.
3. Sam Smith - 'In the Lonely Hour'
Sam Smith - Stay With Me (Official Music Video)
Sam Smith's debut album is a decade old this year and hasn't lost an ounce of what makes it great. The album gave us a beautiful introduction to Smith's velvety smooth voice and introspective songwriting. The album's main single "Stay With Me" won Grammys for Song and Record of the Year, and the album itself was nominated for Album of the Year.
4. The Magnetic Fields - '69 Love Songs'
The Book of Love
When it comes to love songs, no one does it quite like the Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt. In 1999, he released a three volume concept album filled with 69 love songs, including ones that have become classics of queer love. The album features songs like "I Don't Believe in the Sun," "All My LIttle Words," "I Think I Need a New Heart," "Papa Was a Rodeo," and of course, the iconic "The Book of Love."
5. Sufjan Stevens - 'Illinois'
Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
Sufjan Stevens didn't come out until 2023, but his 2005 classic concept album about the state of Illinois is still one of his best, and gayest, works. Stevens' superb songwriting skills are on full display here, with heartbreaking classics like "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.," "Casimir Pulaski Day," and "Chicago." Stevens cemented his status as an instant indie darling with this record and also cemented his status as an all-time great.
6. Against Me! - 'Transgender Dysphoria Blues'
Against Me! - True Trans Soul Rebel (Reading 2015)
Against Me!'s 2014 album was the first the legendary punk band released after lead singer Laura Jane Grace came out and transitioned. It features searingly powerful lyrics about transition, gender, life, death, and love, and will blow you away with its raw vulnerability. At only 28 minutes and 43 seconds long, the album doesn't waste any time or skirt any issues.
7. Tracy Chapman - 'Tracy Chapman'
Official Music video for Tracy Chapman - "Fast Car" from 'Tracy Chapman' (1988)
Tracy Chapman - Fast Car (Official Music Video)
Released in 1988, Tracy Chapman's debut album has only grown in popularity and influence over the years. It features tracks like "Baby Can I Hold You," "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution," and of course, the all-time great "Fast Car." The album won three Grammys and was nominated for four more. It's one of the best folk albums ever released.
8. Queen - 'A Night at the Opera'
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (Official Video Remastered)
Queen's definitive rock classic A Night at the Opera features maybe the world's favorite song "Bohemian Rhapsody" on it, which alone should have secured it a spot on the list. For the album, Queen combined rock, pop, classical music, hard rock, music hall, and more styles to create a sound that was distinctly their own, and this album shows it perfectly.
9. Jackie Shane - 'Jackie Shane Live'
Jackie Shane "Any Other Way" (official audio)
Shane was a trans singer prominent in the Toronto music scene in the 1960s, and this live album (released in 1967) shows why she should have been an international superstar. The album, which was recorded as she performed live, features her take on songs like "Kock On Wood," "Money," "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and "Raindrops," as well as "Any Other Way," her signature song.
10. Beyoncé - 'Renaissance'
Official lyric video for “PURE/HONEY” by Beyoncé. Listen & Download 'RENAISSANCE' out now: ...
Beyoncé - PURE/HONEY (Official Lyric Video)
Beyoncé may not be queer herself, but this album was a literal love letter to the Black and queer pioneers of dance, disco, and house music, and heavily featured queer artists like Honey Dijon, Ts Madison, Kevin Aviance, Kevin JZ Prodigy, and Big Freedia. Every song is soaking in queer influence and references, and it proved that Beyoncé is a master of any genre she wants to be.
