99. t.A.T.u – All the Things She Said (2002)

Somehow, there never was a lesbian sex-symbol in pop. There were sexy lesbians, like Joan Jett, but they played down their preferences to appeal to a wider audience. Those who were open about their orientation looked like they were bent on justifying the stereotype of a lesbian as a woman lacking femininity and sexual appeal. The power of pop is in breaking stereotypes, and I'm still waiting for a lesbian who would be brave enough to pose a sexy image, which will star in women's fantasies. And, if she plays it right, in men's fantasies as well.

We needed an import from Russia to cast the first stone. The cute t.A.T.u duo declared that they have the hots for one another, were happy to demonstrate, and hinted that they dig boys too, which made them more interesting to the other gender (actually, it was all a fib – they are not lesbians). Their 2002 breakthrough wrote another chapter in the sexual revolution of the period, a period that saw the liberal mind completely transcend the remnants of past homophobia. But they got tired pretty fast: they weren't exactly sexy, they didn't have an interesting enough personality, and not enough good records. We still await the lesbian that will get it right.

'All the Things She Said' is probably the most memorable gay record of the decade. The heroine is a girl who falls in love with another girl, and has to deal with her confusion, and with the negative reaction of those around her. Trevor Horn, who was responsible for similar records in the past, produced.