it's different for girls

The title is a play on the phrase "it's different for guys," which is something young men tell girls to explain their urges (Joe Jackson tackled the subject in his 1979 track, also called "It's Different For Girls"). In the song, Of Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes imagines what it must be like to be a woman, starting with a didactic analysis ("aggressively objectified"), then telling it in more simple terms ("they don't spit on the streets"). A key observation comes in the refrain: "For every one psycho bitch, there's 10,000 aggro pricks." The song was released in 2016, which was a year before the #MeToo movement picked up steam.

Kevin Barnes penned this song in Paris from the perspective of his 11-year-old daughter, Alabee. He explained to Billboard magazine: "I try to relate on her level. It gives me a special perspective on the female experience. You see how misogynistic the world is. It's nowhere near as bad in the United States as it is in the Middle East, or other areas of the world, where it can be so oppressive towards women. We need to address this as a species. We need to have a dialogue."

Kevin Barnes has a long history of wearing drag on stage, so it was no surprise when he appeared in the video wearing women's clothing. Directed by Stephen Winter, the clip shows a gathering of colorful people freely expressing themselves.