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Pride & Prejudice – Sex Work Top Ten Music Chart
Our musical Top Tens dedicated to all things kinky
Not all the tracks in this chart are favourable – hackneyed pejorative tropes about sex work pervade (chiefly, the patronising and misogynistic notion that all sex workers are victims in need of saving); however, hits like Roxanne were to iconic to not include; and some of the songs are probably honest reflections of the industry like Street Life & When The Sun Goes Down. I have tried to counter these with other tracks with more considered lyrics including the rather brilliant Whore, which encapsulates how sex workers have become receptacles for the projections of societies own fears and ills surrounding sex.
In Baz Luhrmann’s wonderful Moulin Rouge! To sidetrack the disapproving lyrics of Roxanne, he gave us an interpretation where the verse implies the singer is just jealous of his sex worker partner’s liaisons – a very respectful twist. Walk on the Wild Side is infamous for its peek into the world of TS/XDressing pros, who were based on real sex worker’s Lou Reed knew; while it’s been strongly suggested (check out the lyrics) that this is also the inspiration for Freddie‘s Killer Queen.
Oh and I should have made this a Top Twenty as I couldn’t make my mind up.
| Pride & Prejudice – Sex Work Top Ten | ||
| 1 None Of Your Business | Salt ‘n’ Pepa (1993) | Play Video |
| 2 Whore |
In This Moment (2012) | Play Video |
| 3 Roxanne & El Tango De Roxanne |
The Police (1978) or Moulin Rouge! (2001) |
Play Video |
| 4 Lady Marmalade |
Patti LaBelle (1974) or Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya & Pink (2001) | Play Video |
| 5 Seedy Films joint with 5 Sex Dwarf (The Grid Remix) |
Soft Cell (1981) Soft Cell (1981) |
PlayVideo PlayVideo |
| 6 Only Fanz | Sean Paul ft. Ty Dolla $ign (2021) | Play Video |
| 7 Rent joint with 7 Private Dancer |
Pet Shop Boys (1987)
Tina Turner (1984) |
Play Video |
| 8 Street Life joint with 8 Bad Girls joint with 8 No Diggity |
Randy Crawford (1979) Donna Summer (1979) Blackstreet ft. Dr. Dre (1996) |
Play Video |
| 9 When The Sun Goes Down |
Arctic Monkeys (2006) | Play Video |
| 10 Killer Queen joint with Walk On The Wild Side |
Queen (1974) Lou Reed (1972) |
Play Video |
Contenders that didn’t quite make it into our Top Ten:
Call Me by Blondie (1980) Play Video
Big Spender by Shirley Bassey (1967) Play Video
Honky Tonk Women by The Rolling Stones (1969) Play Video
Charlotte the Harlot by Iron Maiden (1980) Play Video
Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked by Cage The Elephant (2008) Play Video
Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend by Marilyn Monroe (1953) Play Video
Skin Trade by Duran Duran (1986) Play Video
Got You By The Balls by ACDC (1990) Play Video
Copacabana (At the Copa) by Barry Manilow (1978) Play Video
The English Mansion’s Kinky Music Charts
Take a look at our other musical Top Tens dedicated to all things kinky
~ to be included the rules are: they must be big hits or tracks from internationally well-known performers.
