t.A.T.u's 'All The Things She Said' still runs through our heads

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NPR

News Commentary, Society & Culture, News, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 8.8K Ratings

🗓️ 6 September 2022

⏱️ 20 minutes

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Summary

The Russian pop duo t.A.T.u released their smash single "All The Things She Said" 20 years ago this week. To this day, the bop is a queer staple, but should it be?

From t.A.T.u to Britney Spears and Madonna, the early 2000s were full of straight women dabbling in queerness for profit. In this episode, senior producer Barton Girdwood sits down with author Jill Gutowitz (Girls Can Kiss Now) to talk about how these moments gave young queer millennials a taste of their sexuality even though it was all an act. They discuss whether or not a false representation can still be meaningful, and how the basic formula of "All The Things She Said" gets lesbianism right — even though so much of it is wrong.

You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey y'all, you're listening to It's Been A Minute from NPR. I'm your guest host, Elise Hugh.
0:07.9	I'm It's Been A Minute Senior Producer of Barton Gurdwood. I Elise.
0:11.5	Hey there.
0:12.3	When I say all the things she said running through my head, what does that make you think?
0:17.3	That makes me think of the earworm from when I started college.
0:21.9	Well, I was 11.
0:24.6	That reveals the thing about both of us.
0:26.4	One, two, three.
0:39.8	20 years ago this week, the Russian pop duo Tattoo released their smash single,
0:44.0	All the Things She Said.
0:45.6	And there's two things I make this song memorable.
0:47.6	There is the song itself. It's super catchy. It's super fun. It's a Bob.
0:51.8	Super catchy.
0:52.8	And then there's the kiss.
0:55.0	That would ban called Tattoo. These girly girls are making a mark and it's really not all about their music.
1:01.0	Take two sweet young girls from Moscow.
1:04.2	Press them and schoolgirl out if it soaked them down with water, then have them kiss passionately.
1:08.6	And what do you get?
1:09.6	Try number one album in 10 countries and a top 20 hit in America.
1:13.5	Welcome to the 21st century.
1:27.2	So in the music video, the lead singer is Lena Katina and Julio Vokova.
1:31.7	Famously, make out.
	...

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