Generation X is the new lost generation. No, not lost, really… forgotten. Known as the smallest generation in numbers, we’re constantly left out of the endless debate between Baby Boomers and Millennials, and in turn, between Millennials and Gen Z. No one has much interest in what we have to say about anything, and even less interest in the role we play in the current state of the world.
Perhaps that’s why we’re so nostalgic for an earlier era. Why we constantly fall back on bragging about our scrappy childhoods, when we drank directly from garden hoses, only ate food that came from cans, and had neglectful parents.
But is That Nostalgia Misplaced?
The short answer? Yes. That misplaced nostalgia for things that actually kind of sucked has gotten old and stale. It’s long past time for Generation X to brag about something actually worthwhile, to introduce the younger generations to some of our greatest achievements.
Like Our Top-Quality Sex Music
To be honest, it’s a small miracle that Gen X ever discovered sex. We came of age at a moment when it seemed like anything that felt good–alcohol, drugs, casual sex–was actually bad, or even potentially fatal. It was a dreary time period that would eventually result in the rise of grunge rock, a genre far too sad (or angry) to make anyone think of sex. And yet the 90s alternative music scene also managed to offer some sweaty, dreamy, throbbing tunes that made even the clumsiest dry-humping at least 25 percent hotter.
Photo: Maurício Mascaro via Pexels
What a Difference a Decade Makes
Emerging out of the 1980s, when the only two singers who seemed like they knew what an orgasm was were Prince and Madonna, the 1990s alternative scene was a breath of hot, steamy air. Even when it wasn’t specifically about sex, this music sounded sexy. Not just sexy, but sexual, reflecting lust, longing, and occasionally dark obsession. It was the soundtrack for the best vampire movie that never existed.
Three groups were at the forefront of this aural sex movement. The first was Depeche Mode. Though they first came to prominence in the 1980s, it was the 1990s when they burst into bloom. Their original sound was more upbeat and poppy: even their most overtly sexual single, 1984’s “Master and Servant,” was something you danced to rather than fucked to.
1986’s “Stripped” offered a taste of what was to come. But it was 1990’s Violator that proved to be Depeche Mode’s extremely horny masterpiece. How horny is it? Dave Gahan proclaims that “it gets better and better as it gets wetter and wetter” on the bonus track “Sea of Sin.”
Though Violator’s biggest single, “Enjoy the Silence,” won’t set any loins ablaze, nearly every other song is either about sex or at least sounds like sex. Even “Clean,” despite being about addiction recovery, is still mean and dirty, with a thumping, intense bass line.
Bands That Deserve Our Thanks
At times it feels as if primary lyricist Martin Gore had a checklist in front of him when writing the songs, marking off “lust,” “pleasure,” “flesh,” “sin,” “domination,” and “voyeurism” as he went along, to delightfully tawdry results that still sound fresh today. If anything, Depeche Mode’s follow-up album, 1993’s Songs of Faith and Devotion, goes even harder, with its biggest hit, “I Feel You,” sounding like it was created specifically to be played during a lap dance. But Violator is the more memorable album, coming right at the exact time that Gen X needed to know that pleasure and sensuality were out there waiting to be discovered.
In contrast to Depeche Mode, who already had a successful career and a devoted fanbase when they released Violator, Portishead came out of nowhere with their 1994 debut album, Dummy. Despite getting very little radio airplay (back when that mattered), the album ended up becoming a surprise hit, thanks to its innovative, cinematic sound. It put trip-hop on the musical map.
If Depeche Mode was for dirty fucking, then Portishead was for slow, sensual lovemaking. Mixing hip-hop beats with music that seemed to come straight out of a 1960s European spy movie, the unique, yearning vocals from lead singer Beth Gibbons only added to the overall mood. This was the kind of album you put on with someone you were hoping would be there and ready for round 2 (or 3 or 4) when you woke up the next morning.
If you’ve never heard Dummy and are wondering where to start, the answer is…anywhere!
Photo: Tim Samuel via Pexels
Gen X Is Simply Better at Sex Music
Seriously, there’s not a single mood killer in the bunch. I could be biased and recommend both “Strangers” (appropriately featured in the underrated, artsy vampire drama Nadja), and the smooth psychedelic-jazz closing track “Glory Box.” But I’d be remiss if I left out the iconic hit single “Sour Times,” and the languid “It’s a Fire.” On the other hand, that’s not fair to “Numb,” “Wandering Star,” or…well, you get my point. You could play Dummy from beginning to end, or just fumble around in the middle of foreplay to hit “shuffle” to the same results.
The third and last member of this trifecta of fuck music? Enigma. Regrettably, Enigma hasn’t held up as well as Depeche Mode or Portishead. To listen to their music in 2024 is to cringe a little. That’s not just because their biggest hit and the lead single off MCMXC a.D., “Sadeness (Part 1),” was the perfect song for a parody of an erotic drama in Tropic Thunder. It’s also because they’re a bit too 90s.
Along with Enya, the German duo Enigma helped define a new genre for the 1990s: Atmospheric new-age music. Combining elements of world music, nature sounds, and ethereal vocals (and, in Enigma’s case, a dance beat), the genre took the world by storm. But decades later, it definitely shows its age..
Retro Sex Music Sounds
But if you’re open to a retro sex sesh, “Sadeness (Part 1)” has a lot to offer. There are samples of Gregorian monk chanting, for those who like their sex music with some religious flavor (but think Type O Negative’s “Christian Woman” is a little too much). And the perfect cherry on top of this bizarre little song? German pop singer Sandra Cretu (married at the time to one half of Enigma) orgasmically gasped and murmured such phrases as “Sade, tell me why blood for pleasure?” in French. There’s never been anything quite like it before or since—and that helped it become an unexpected hit in 1991.
Unfortunately, the rest of MCMXC a.D. doesn’t come close to matching its potential. The remaining five songs, some of which noticeably recycle samples (because why change up your technique, am I right?), sound more like something you’d hear playing in a chiropractor’s office rather than setting the mood for a long and breathless night with someone. But sometimes, it’s about quality, not quantity, am I right?
The Gen X Playlist For Today
And while Depeche Mode, Portishead, and Enigma helped define the sexual soundtracks of an era, those three groups were just the tip of the iceberg. Want to understand what really made Gen X great? Allow me to offer a sample playlist for intimate moments. This is merely a starting point, the more ambitious (or athletic) types can, of course, add other tracks as they so desire. Best of luck with the seduction!
