Having just finished a bondage photoshoot with Adrian, the results of which will appear here later, I’ve been thinking. What are the best songs based on bondage? Since I have a few photos that seemed to fit, I thought I’d put together my own (since the world cup is almost here) first XI of bondage songs.
- The Velvet Underground & Nico – Venus in Furs

This song is out an out BDSM classic – I mean you can’t get more obvious than “Comes in bells, your servant, don’t forsake him
Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart”. 5 minutes of amazing atmosphere creating soundscapes. Ok, it’s not specifically bondage themed, but damn it’s a good song. - Recoil – Breath Control

Wow. I’m a sucker for narratives within songs, but this is fantastic. As the relationship in the song moves on “it’s been fine so far, but after a while I want more than a soft style” in to the practically orgasmic middle, this this bondage in audio form. As a side project of Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder, I should also give honourable mentions here to two Depeche Mode songs – “In Chains” and “Master and Servant” - Closer – Nine Inch Nails

Ok, I’ll admit it, this song is only hear so I have an excuse to show you a photo of Marvin here. He’s made of nails and a pig’s heart – a bit like this song! - Under My Thumb – The Rolling Stones

Who said bondage had to be about leather straps? This song is a celebration of breaking someone’s will. “It’s down to me, the way she does just what she’s told”. Unlike a lot of these songs, this seems quite one sided, there’s no ‘she asked me to’ here. The closest we get is in the opening lines of “The girl who once had me down”. Revenge is sweet? - I’m your man – Leonard Cohen

More psychology here. This is the ultimate song of submission, if ‘Under my thumb’ is the celebration of domination, then this is surely the other side of the coin. - Head like a Hole – Nine Inch Nails

Again, more BDSM than bondage, but a fantastic song. I couldn’t have made this list without including “bow down before the one you serve, you’re going to get what you deserve”. - Whip in my Valise – Adam and the Ants

Tongue firmly in cheek, this is a great glammed up punky song with some great lyrics. - Passenger – Deftones

Yes this has now got connotations of ‘Queen of the Damned’ but this wall of sound builds up into a brutally soft song – and that’s really not a paradox here. - SexyBack – Justin Timberlake

Who says we can’t look at mainstream pop? You certainly can’t get any more mainstream than Justin Timberlake and with lyrics like “You see the shackles
Baby I’m your slave
I’ll let you whip me if I misbehave” this song needs to be here. - Leather – Tori Amos

You couldn’t do a list like this without at least one religious reference and Tori Amos brings all the catholic guilt you could ever want to most of her songs, but this simple song and it’s blues piano solo are fantastic. - Oh Bondage, Up Yours! – X-Ray Spex

Go check out Poly Styrene at wikipedia, that’s a pretty damn good description of this song!
Any more you could add to the list? If you want this lot on spotify, you can find them here
Oh and finally…
I’m shocked my personal phone was able to view this particular posting, brilliant work.
You realize that in the song breath control, she kills him, right?
Not that I’d have a problem with it if she did, but unless there’s a talking corpse involved, I’m pretty sure he’s alive at the end of it!
It was a minute then three then five then ten,
He wasn’t coming up again.
I held on for twelve.
I saw him seize and thrash and twist
And when he was still, I lifted away my wrists
And looked at my hands
And tried to understand.
“It’s just a thrill” I said
As he relaxed on the dark, dark bed.
I sat aside his chest,
“It’s just a thrill,” he said,
“just a thrill. It’s just breath control.”
Am I the only one who thinks there needs to be a wry, darkly-humorous but ultimately rather tragic goth-rock cover of that fantastic Tom Lehrer song? I can see the Dresden Dolls doing it PERFECTLY.