Orville Peck, “Hope to Die” | LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶

In the 16^th edition of LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 (2022), we highlight the song “Hope to Die” performed by Orville Peck.

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ring on the B-O-P-Z, like #SLAYYY! LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 is a column t that embraces, highlights, and celebrates singles and tracks by LGBTQIA musicians.  In LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶we provide background info and insight into the respective musician(s), as well as analyze + go gaga over the bops being served up.  Furthermore, when the music dictates deeper, more transcendent discussion, we ensure the point is articulated to the fullest.  All styles of music are welcome and the BOPZ can be classics or brand-spanking new. So, without further ado, in the 16^th edition of LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 (2022), we highlight 🎵 “Hope to Die” performed by 🎙 Orville Peck.

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Theme & Lyrics ✍ 

“Take me back to the time / I was yours, and you were mine.” Sounds like the end of a relationship, 🎙 Orville Peck! The Canadian-based gay 🌈 alternative/country music musician, who always wears a fringed masked, dives into a complicated romance between two cowboys on 🎵 “Hope to Die”, which appears on his 2019 debut album, 💿 Pony.  How complicated was it? “I had to whisper / Because you liked it that way,” suggests the relationship was secret aka remaining ‘closeted.’

There are other hints of the complicated nature of this union, which seems to parallel gay relationships, particularly depending on where they occur.  “Take me back to the world I know/ You were crying / They don’t cry where we go.” The part of that lyric that stands out most is “They don’t cry where we go” which could reference toxic masculinity and the idea that men don’t cry and aren’t allowed to exhibit emotions or show vulnerability.  Also, it might reference the idea that some gay men are viewed as effeminate, not manly enough, and not respected.  Crying cowboys? They don’t exist, right? Secrecy and, say, ‘being discreet’ is key to “Hope to Die,” evidenced by the titular lyric, “Cross my heart, now I hope to die.”

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Final Thoughts 💭

🎵 “Hope to Die” is a fantastic record. Perhaps what makes it even more interesting are the ties it has to gayness/gay relationships.  No, the word gay is never uttered, nor is LGBTQ ever mentioned for that matter, but the music video 🎶📼 and lyrical hints confirm that, well, it’s gay. By the way, if this is your first experience with Orville Peck’s music, it’s a glorious one!

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🎙 Orville Peck • 💿 Pony • 🏷 Sub Pop • 📅 2019

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Orville Peck, “Hope to Die”: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 No. 16 (2022) [📷: Anna Shvets, Brent Faulkner, Kurious, The Musical Hype, Pexels, Pixabay]

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