Playlists: songs about twins

By Marco den Ouden

The topic this week took on a lot of nuances. The field was wide open dealing not only with human twins, identical, fraternal, or Siamese (now more commonly known as conjoined twins), but also variations such as doppelgangers, lookalikes, and twin objects. And there were quite a few suggestions that used twins as metaphors.  

We start off with human twins. Two songs referenced specific sets of twins. Black Box Recorder bring us a moody piece about a woman contemplating suicide. She imagines swimming with The Deverell Twins, real twins who drowned in the Thames in the 1880s. She accepts their invitation knowing “It's the beginning of the end.”

Manic Street Preachers also sing about the Gibbons Sisters born in 1963 and raised in Wales. They were known as the silent twins because they communicated only with each other. In their teens they wrote stories, poems and novels. June’s The Pepsi Cola Addict and Jennifer’s Discomania are both still available at Amazon. In their late teens they got into petty crime and were committed to a mental hospital for eleven years. 

Real life twins Ibeyi sing the self-referential Sister to Sister. And French actresses Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac, sisters though not twins, played twins in the musical Les Demoiselles de Rochefort where they sing Chanson des Jumelles (A Pair of Twins). Music by Michel Legrand with the singing voices dubbed by Anne Germain and Claude Parent.

Next we have two songs about Siamese twins. Evelyn Evelyn are a fictional musical duo of Siamese twins Evelyn and Evelyn Neville singing their signature song Evelyn Evelyn. They are portrayed by Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls and Jason Wembley. The song is deeply reflective and emotional, imagining what their future will bring, contemplating severing, and exhibits a deep conflict between the two, one cherishing their togetherness and the other longing for privacy.

I feel something missing
I just want (you here with me/my privacy)
God (can’t we just get along/won’t you leave me alone)?

Tom Waits sings about Poor Edward, telling the apocryphal tale of Edward Mordake, a 19th century Englishman who allegedly had a face on the back of his head. 

A doppelganger is a person who looks exactly (or almost exactly) like you. I, in fact, had one, a doctor who battled the medical establishment and popularized naturopathy in Vancouver. The Japanese-Canadian psychedelic band TEKE::TEKE blend J-Pop stylings into their work and sing about an imagined Doppelganger.

Being a professional doppleganger can be a lucrative career. Impressionists, female impersonators and stunt doubles can all make a living at it. The Unknown Stuntman is the theme song for the TV show The Fall Guy. He performs death defying stunts “but the hardest thing I ever do is watch my leading ladies kiss some other guy while I'm bandaging my knee.” Performed by the show’s star Lee Majors.

Otis Spann reflects on how people think he and his girl Look Like Twins. Some nice bluesy guitar work from Muddy Waters on this track. 

You may recall that Peter Pan’s doppelganger was his shadow. It’s a popular metaphor and The Only Ones sing about Me and my Shadow. 

Don McLean uses the metaphor of Siamese twins to describe his relationship with his girl. Such twins are sometimes joined at the hip, the shoulder, or even the head. But McLean and his girl are Siamese Twins (Joined at the Heart).

Next up are two songs that could be considered twins. Twin Flame and Flame Twin, sung by Weyes Blood and Norah Jones respectively. 

Thinking of a lover as a twin is beautifully conveyed by Muni Long in Made for Me. 

And we close the set with a lively country number by Vern Gosdin. His relationship is as Tight as Twin Fiddles. 

Of course, this topic wouldn’t be complete without twinning it with a B List!

A Special Pairing A-List Playlist:

1. The Deverell Twins - Black Box Recorder (happyclapper)

2. Tsunami - Manic Street Preachers (happyclapper)

3. Sister to Sister - Ibeyi (pejepeine)

4. A Pair of Twins (Chanson des Jumelles) - Michel Legrand with Anne Germain & Claude Parent (David)

5. Evelyn Evelyn - Evelyn Evelyn (Uncleben)

6. Poor Edward - Tom Waits (Uncleben)

7. Doppelganger - TEKE::TEKE (vanwolf2)

8. The Unknown Stuntman - Lee Majors (happyclapper)

9. Look Like Twins - Otis Spann (Nicko)

10. Me and My Shadow - The Only Ones (happyclapper)

11. Siamese Twin (Joined at the Heart) - Don McLean (Fred Erickson)

12. Twin Flame - Weyes Blood (Loud Atlas)

13. Flame Twin - Norah Jones (Fred Erickson)

14. Made for Me - Muni Long (magicman)

15. Tight as Twin Fiddles - Vern Gosdin (Fred Erickson)

The Big Brace B-List Playlist:

1. Gemini - Alan Parsons Project (ajostu)

2. I Wish I Were Twins - Fats Waller (magicman)- so I could love you twice as much

3. Twin Peaks Theme - Angelo Badalamenti (happyclapper) - instrumental

4. I Fell in Love With Twins - The Irwin Twins (BanazirGalbasi) 

5. Twin Guitar Special - Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys (Nicko) - mostly instrumental

6. Il Favola Di Romulus E Remus - Courtney Pine (Uncleben) - instrumental - Romulus and Remus were the twins who founded Rome

7. Twin Stars of Thence - Sun Ra (pejepeine) - instrumental

8. We Share Everything - Henry Krieger, Alice Ripley & Emily Skinner (Uncleben) - about Siamese twins from the musical Side Show

9. Lips Like Sugar - Echo & the Bunnymen (vanwolf2) - She'll be my mirror, reflect what I am … my Siamese twin

10. Children of Production - Parliament (pejepeine) - So, we the Clones, were designed. We're gonna blow the cobwebs out your mind.

11. Dead Ringer - Roy Burns & the Dick Grove Big Band (Nicko) - instrumental

12. Dead Ringer - The Stranglers (Nicko)

13. Algol - Dawn of Midi (Nilpferd) - instrumental - Algol is a binary star

14. Stunt Doubles - workfriends (Songbar Landlord)

15. Doublé Doublé - Nyboma (Nicko) - Congolese wedding dance - double trouble

16. Los Jimagüas - Los Dos Hermanos (pejepeine) - instrumental - Spanish for twins

17. Artemis and Apollo - Stan Kenton Orchestra (TatankaYotanka) - instrumental - Artemis and Apollo were twins and Greek gods, Goddess of the Moon anf God of the Sun respectively

18. My Clone Sleeps Alone - Pat Benatar (Fred Erickson) 

19. Ibeji (The Twins) - Ella Andell (Nicko) - the Yoruba people of Nigeria have the highest rate of twin births in the world (4.5 - 5 % of all births) and Ibeji is a divine spirit or Orisha of the Yoruba religion. The twin sister vocal duo of Ibeyi are of Yoruba descent. (See A List for a song by Ibeyi)

20. Gemini - Jimmy Heath (Nicko) - instrumental 

21. Forever Twin Soul - Anri (ajostu) - J-Pop

22. Castor and Pollux Overture - Jean-Philippe Rameau (ajostu) - instrumental - Castor and Pollux are semi-divine twins of Greek and Roman mythology

23. Twin Cities - Everything But the Girl (Fred Erickson) - about the twin cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul. 

24. Identical Twin - Neil Finn (Fred Erickson)

25. Shadow Twin - Ora the Molecule (Fred Erickson) 

26. My Twin - Eleni Mandell (Fred Erickson)

27. Long Lost Twin - Clem Snide (Fred Erickson)

Guru’s Wildcard Picks:

1. Just the Two of Us - Mike Myers - as Dr. Evil in The Spy Who Shagged Me

2. Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn - Evelyn Evelyn - Evelyn Evelyn was one of my favorite finds this week (see A List) and digging into it I found this other song from the concept album. It’s in ragtime and has an absolutely brilliant video. 

Evelyn Evelyn

These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations in response to last week's topic: Come play with us … songs about twins and twinning. The next topic will launch on Thursday after 1pm UK time.

New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...

Fancy a turn behind the pumps at The Song Bar? Care to choose a playlist from songs nominated and write something about it? Then feel free to contact The Song Bar here, or try the usual email address. Also please follow us social media: Song Bar X, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.

Donate