Song of the Day 4/27: The Replacements, “Androgynous”

Republicans are like an aging band that doesn’t realize they’re playing stale oldies for a graying audience. They’ve been trying to relitigate the 1960s for 50 years now without coming up with any new tunes, so they’re back to demonizing sexual/gender nonconformity. They’re also keen on spotting perverts everywhere except the obvious places, namely evangelical pulpits and GOP headquarters.

The Replacements might have been a group of drunken louts, but way back in the ’80s they were woke enough to tell people freaked out over the gender-blending of goths and punks to chill the fuck out. This song was from the band’s 1984 breakthrough album, “Let It Be.”

The recording is shambolic even by the loose standards of the ‘Mats, but it’s been covered by various artists in the years since. Crash Test Dummies released it as the third single from their 1991 debut LP, “The Ghosts That Haunt Me.” It charted only in Canada.

Joan Jett covered it for two different albums. She also joined Miley Cyrus and Laura Jane Grace, the trans frontwoman of Against Me!, back in 2016 for a performance to benefit Cyrus’ charity organization, Happy Hippie.