"Poses" by Rufus Wainwright

[SRodriguez82]

This WAS my senior year in high school. Oh to be 17 again :) Wait. No way! Still a great song though!

[mrkstphns1]

Listened to this song endlessly during my painful break up from my ex. Didn't turn gay because of Rufus but he sure did hit the right notes to make things bearable at the time...

[MotherTeresa456]

@Benj888 I'd get a sex change then turn gay for Rufus, I can see that you have much less work to do haha ;) x

[prettylittlescars]

We need more singers like rufus wainwright and patrick wolf around.

[Benj888]

A playboy like me would go gay for Rufus in a heartbeat.

[lulu84187]

Brings back beautifull and sad memories of a wonderfull time in my life, Hes a Legend

[lulu84187]

Brings back beautifull and sad memories of a wonderfull time in my life, Hes a Legend

[tomthrylos07]

Xristo logisti apo domoko ec poses? o vo 3-4!!!! xaxaxxaxax

[elemileTLDR]

those lyrics...

well done.

[berbelpeters]

zo mooi!

[megathria]

absolutely transcendental. but oh, the hair... this needs to stop...

[EnglishRose511]

Like it a bit, but can't believe this is Kate Winslet's favourite soundtrack ;)

[TheKunig]

I think this is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard - the key changes are so unusual and laced with Aeolian cadences - its like a sad journey through music !

[RoseBlack222]

a wonderful song

queer as folk <3

[TheMNicole]

who couldn't love some Rufus ....ahhhhh

[lestatdylan117]

he almost makes me wish i was gay

[Thecakeisalie1]

Rufus is beautiful, inside and out. He has such a beautiful talent, it's a shame not more people know of him. If he wasn't gay, millions of women would be throwing themselves to his feet for him.

[girlinterrupted221]

@Thecakeisalie1 Sod it, I do anyway, just in case he opts for the "I've changed my mind" stance. True stalkers cover all bases ;)

[sylvia1971de]

This song is like a most beautiful poem. And I can't even find the right words to describe his wonderful voice and singing. Like you are sucked into it and don't wanna get out again.

[LeonDeLaMole]

I'm not in the least bit gay but goddamn that man has a voice like a choir of angels, fucking gorgeous song, I feel his pain

[PunkntheGodfather]

@LeonDeLaMole yep me too but feel it in my balls

[MrDrin18]

The whole album - Poses - is one of the best I've ever heard. Love every song...

[SquidViscous]

D'aw, what a cute youngin' he was

[adiclm29]

I love him. I love his voice. I love his lyrics. I love his face.

[SupernalOne]

I just saw Wainwright last Saturday evening in Bethesda MD - never heard anything by him before, and I was blown away - what rapturous, gorgeous, heartfelt music, what virtuosity, what a voice, what a soul! He captured my heart, and I'm straight - such an amazing talent he is, and a nice guy too - go see him if you can

[gokinsmen]

"Life is a game and true love is a trophy."

10/10

[GdyniaKrz]

ale to nudne...masakra

[KEITHHODKINSON]

There's something very calming yet uplifting about this song, play it when you are stressed out and you will feel great!

[mediagod2004]

Wonderful!

[lifelib]

Rufus I love you forever

[stevenlillie]

love this song never tire of hearing it, he is so smart and verbal, love it x x x

[ViewNo2]

@stevenlillie

his way of performing and his voice....making me tired!

[KristinaBrooker1]

REACT

Pen is position opinion (RANK)

[onetrashdancer]

I've been the biggest fucking prick on Rufus but the truth is he's pretty dam good if he sticks with what he writes .

[onetrashdancer]

Not bad Rufus ,much better than that Judy stuff

[HeavyMechanics]

He is far better performing his own material, I agree

[leb03003]

Incredible voice. He sings with true emotion. Extremely talented. Beautiful song.

[austinbeat]

Outstanding performance.

[kokanee112]

i don't care he's gay. he's very talented and could have any woman he wanted. That's one more attractive woman left for us straight guys and one attractive talented guy we don't have to compete with. lol

[parisianna87]

theres nothing you can say to a gay guy he hasnt heard before!

you can go anywhere but england

[gyrate4]

He goes forever without a breath. What lungs!

[diamonddog1974]

What can i say apart from sublime ,this is what music is about,drags your soul out of you and makes you listen,superb xxxxxx

[peace4allyo]

Josiah Leming reminds me of him. Leming sounds similar to him. Not the other way around lol.

[pixi3angeldreamx]

love the piano melody

[CABRN55]

I was recommended this by a friend of my 22 year old son. As a fan of music of the 60's & 70's primarily, I was struck by the similarities to James Taylor, the earthy emotional rawness of Carol King and the wonderful lyrics reminiscent of Joni Mitchell. I enjoyed it. I think great performers can transcend generations.

[comradepinko]

I think that's one of the best measures of greatness in an artist. Can their work still be appreciated by people of later generations?

[garzaeduardo]

this by you and heartfelt,i'm sure,but james,carol and joni were like water on oil.this guy is the oil.maybe he won't sell as much since he's not POP,but that doesn't matter.

[Svetsarkirurgen]

He has such a cool voice.

[natthesillyhat]

His voice is full of emoition. That is a rareity these days. He's clearly a very, very talented guy. Not many people can sing this brilliantly live.... I think he's incredible.

[crazycycoclowner]

good lyrics, but the sluring annoys me...

[ASadHippoOnABicycle]

A sad loser who gets confidence by insulting musicians and generally people who he knows won't reply to his jabs on the internet. As well as that on your profile there's a comment asking you if you went to a drag show. You don't have the right to insult...

[lovebuzz108]

and yet it inspires you enough to post dreary, mediocre, boring comments. props to rufus !

[Nwovance]

not a big fan huh?

[thebigfatkil]

I think I might turn gay to sing as well as Rufus. Well maybe not.

[joe44850]

Some amazing lyrics in this song, you should look them up because it's difficult to hear through Rufus's pseudo-drunk delivery (which I love).

[avalino79]

Ive always loved RW sound.... just comfortably relaxed and full of a grey day with beautiful colors in flowers, clothes, and smiles...somehow

[plebe30501]

my too

[AnnAmsterdam]

for some reason I almost recognise myself in his songs... I just love his music, this guy is amazing...

[gusjet1]

a unique entertainer, I like this guy, somehow touches something down deep in your soul. very rare singer.

[Yustagirl3]

Beautiful!!! I think Rufus Wainwright is a god ;)...he is yust brilliant!

[aqualily96]

amazing song

even better knowing it's comedian russell howards favourite song :)

[ridiculous1100]

love poses

[OakMr]

Amazing.

[gingerfreakinkid]

I absolutely adore this song. I heard it in Starbucks one evening, and literally sat there singing along. :)

[takashishimasu]

I think this is the most beutiful and wonderful song I've ever heard in my life

[YacubH2961]

what he does on his own time is his business.

why has society become so shallow and rude?

[Aramikah]

Beautiful! heard this on QAF sound track.

[Flowerblood]

What's QAF?

[KryzWalker]

Queer As Folk.

[alistairkok]

QAF is the mini-series Queer As Folk

[nitzi775]

umm it's not a mini series..(:

[Karli1017]

@Aramikah

That's where I heard this beautiful song, also!

[carey579]

@Aramikah ya it was when brian wanted to buy flowers for justin on the street but decided not to because he did not want to confess his love and just walked away into the dark and this song was played...because of that this song is even more haunting to me

[JustCallMeThebee]

god i love this guy!

[awakeningjenny]

This is so beautiful! This song always tugs on my heart strings - such an unusual voice but he's a fantastic performer ♥

[drband36]

Happy to have voted DynamicMouseketeer down one more time. Not a fan of that Disneyfied world he/she lives in.

This straight female musician and music educator is *completely* in awe of Rufus, for the record. His sexuality is 100% not our business.

[dynamicmouseketeer]

@drband36 I absolutely love Rufus Wainwright as well; I was just saddened because I find him very attractive. I'm sorry if my comment seemed closed-minded.

[DannyWrigley]

@dynamicmouseketeer lol, what a hilarious misunderstanding

[ComicBookNut]

......."why does he have to be gay"......wow.

[tyrteasof010]

is he????????? seriously? what? =/

[ladyvirgil]

Yeah, I was pretty surprised too. It's no problem at all, it's just he's very hot.

I adore his voice and how he plays the piano. His performances are very touching.

[rafaeltadeu88]

amazing voice!!!!!!

[infideluxe]

@dynamicmouseketeer

"why does he have to be gay???"

Short answer - because sexual orientation is not a choice.

[onetrashdancer]

Rufus you suck , and one big SISSY MARY LISP

[caroline3286]

Has anybody else pre-ordered the 'Milwaukee at Last' Live Performance Boxset from the new Universal Webstore?

[estetadorian]

This voice you cannot hate, you just listen and love, whatever you want...

[whatisitfawlty]

A poof in other words then?

[diffusiventity]

Fucking bigot.

[whatisitfawlty]

Fuck you faggot

[whatisitfawlty]

His voice is rubbish, who the fuck buys this crap?

Sounds like he sings through his nose

[salazarmark]

Someone who's not a retard like you.

[69Mozzer69]

if he was drug addled he did amazingly well - didn't know anything about him til his Johnathan Ross performance tonight and was kind of intrigued. Obviously extremely talented. Quite cute too - shame he's gay!

[CaptainTimsvLog]

For YOU, maybe!

; D

[onetrashdancer]

singing right out his nose ,REAL GREAT SINGER ?

[DaSpaz94]

Back while he was all skinny and meth-y.

[UncleJacktheJim]

He didn't gain that much weight did he? I didn't know if he got big big or just "alittle" bigger than he is here, you know just healthy looking..

[DaSpaz94]

Nah, Rufus is still a pretty scronny bastard ;), he just doesn't look like, well, like he is taking large amounts of meth, he's built like a real human being now.

[missangelic1]

I love how i can always identify with something in all of his songs.

Utter perfection. x

[hollyfawn]

those last few seconds. oh, gosh &hearts;

[revolve46]

Noooooo kidding nice nice!

[agussiek]

Seriously, this HAS to be one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard. Words, music, arrangement... Everything's just so unique.

[spaceydecember]

His best song. Among the top 100 songs I've ever heard.

[roomto]

When he hits that high note at 3:56 I have to catch my breath--absolute perfection!

[Coklan]

Sweet....

[scottchristopherband]

Saw Rufi at the Wellmont in Montclair, Nj...Amazing Show!!!!!

[dompascarella]

This so elegant and wonderful! Just perfect. Love this so much.

[Sibelius19]

even though this may be about gay love, I still relate to in in my heterosexual world.

[sirfeathersmcgraw]

beautiful beautiful song

[guster815]

this song makes my cry :'(

[mogus55]

well i like some of your music but i hate the record company that just took from us all of your clips,so FUCK YOU AND THEM!!

[neobenny]

It's one of my very favorites !!!

Je l'adore !

[takashishimasu]

This is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard in my life!^^

[potato8chels]

the pomona winterguard did their show to this

[fabianoduncan]

All those things are perfectly reasonable conclusions to draw from that scene, but the lyrics of that song pretty much points a neon flashing arrow to its meaning: Brian's attitude is a pose, and that's bad.

[fabianoduncan]

Without that song, there would be several possible interpretations of that scene: that Brian doesn't really love Justin that much, that Brian has a genuine rebellious streak that makes it impossible for him to do anything so banal as buy his lover roses, that Brian doesn't understand what the roses would have meant to Justin.

[fabianoduncan]

Life is a game, and true love is a trophy...

So, the other day I was listening to this song in "Quuer as Folk". This is the song that plays when Brian doesn't buy the roses in Season Two. And it got me thinking...

That song tells us very plainly what that scene means: that Brian is full of shit. He loves Justin but can't get over his own "image," his pose, and do something that would mean a lot to Justin because it would seem too conventional, romantic, expected, whatever.

[laslomoto]

I think the line about watching your head has more to do with becoming lost in the world of these poses, as they are seductive and trapping. A warning perhaps.

[GraceAdler999]

do u feel like you r in another world when listening to this???? i do

[winsletgirl]

I LOVE YOU, RUFUS.

[babsthesheep]

That is kind of his style... and it's beautiful.

[Pixiestyc]

I saw him a couple times with Tori, and he was so beautiful and awesome. I love his music....love it.

[DS1CD]

OH MY GOD, that was beatiful!!

[KarlyFer]

que hermosa canción

[xxAcediaTristiaxx]

That is such a beautiful song.

I love Rufus.

[babyycat]

watch my head about it... well it means i think ...pitures in his mind. someone is telling him to watch these pictures.Look to today....I may be wrong but i think thats what it means..

[babsthesheep]

aah, but there's just so muvh more to sing about then! i know, believe me...

[babsthesheep]

Poor Rufus - this was just before he took the long and mental road to the crystal palace of meth. Thank God he pulled through!

This makes me cry, so beautiful <3

[desertgrrrl76]

i agree...so glad he made it to the other side whole and healthy! i still love his long hair days.....so handsome.

[TheParanoidAndroid1]

i think this was slap bang in the middle of that period in 2001: Poses, could be wrong though. Ironic how artists tend to create their greatest work when they are at their most self destructive.

[pavonibus]

This song....

I can't contain the awesome.

[rodolfob2003]

hi all,

May anybody explains me the meaning of "Watch my head about it...", i don´t speak english and the song is so beautiful. It would be painful to misunderstand what it says. Maybe a synonymous be enough, thanks.

[lillimarleennight]

I don´t speak a lot spanish but the verb is "cuidar" - he says he has to watch his head (look after his head), be careful that he doesn´t get lost in love. Maybe also a synonym that the could lose his head (like to die in a way).

That's how I interpret it.

[rodolfob2003]

Thanks for response lillimarleen, i live in a big city and i know, sometimes, certains words or phrases have a particular meaning in a particular place: it seems it´s not the case. Thanks again.

[hianksiety]

rodolfob2003,

a beautiful and poignant song--

sometimes i think his lyrics are so cryptic and imagine they must be very personal."Watch my head about it..." when examined in the context of the other lyrics seems to be advice from a confidant--a close personal friend whom he has known all his life. the melody seems to me mournfully reflective and almost confessional. as if he has not and might not become the person he'd wanted to be. i would love to know what you think...

[rodolfob2003]

Thanks, hianksiety for response, i have to seek poignant in dictionary, jajaja. I appreciate your comments, i know rufus for a few songs and recently. I agree: he´s very personal and has a special ear to find the word in the line. It´s really good when a musician find a poet in a same person. Anyway, we´re all ravel/debussy´s childrens.

[vins1979]

"Watch my head about it...": maybe he is so lonely and desperate that he's just praying (although he's not used to).

[octogirlpretty]

"Watch my head about it" means to keep your head on Earth..like to stop being cocky.

like "he has a big head"...that sort of thing.

That's what I thought anyways :)

[asit1]

Damn right, as they say, success, beauty and youth are "heady" - all but fleeting charms. He stresses about watching his head about it from wanting to be someone to wearing flip-flops and becoming a man, who cares what that is... all that does go to the head and as Shakespeare says it so aptly, goeth before a fall.

[Se7inz]

It could be interpreted a couple of different ways, but this is pretty close:

He means "don't let yourself get caught up in the fake, materialistic 'poses' the world offers you."

It is a warning.

[lions969]

I've always liked his long hair days

Anywoo-this song is one of my favorites

[yourfakeplasticlove]

why do we care if anyones gay anymore? lets move society forward

[CLOUGHY101]

Well said m8!

[60sbest]

Jerk cont - but The Replacements did "I can't hardly wait" in 1986 which has a great rock hook .. Check it out .. Similar theme. Then you can hit with your barbs and trophy roses. Hey just trying to understand new music. And Im less of an ass - then you think.

Great Artist young guys don't know _ Love / The Move/ Smokey Robinson & the Miracles/ The Impressions/ Buffalo Springfield/ Elvis Costello's first 5 CDs/ The Replacements.

Hey I like but wouldn't mention the Beatles.

ABBEY Road sucks

[malisolja18]

for your information im 16 and like Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and Rufus Wainwright

I would be grateful if you do not generalize the youth of today

i.e ME

[60sbest]

Sorry for taking so long to get back - point well taken. Glad you can appreciate Smokey - ever hear "I'll try something new",with beautifully orchestra and touching is not corny song. Melody is a killer.

[60sbest]

Jerk continued - Am I being a jerk to so say this song is not great .. it seems pretty good and very daring and interesting but doesn't hook me in enough. Lyrics are much better then I could write, sure. On first listen I though it would but then it just didn't. And really, I like a lot of singers who mumble and sing way worse then Rufus and write obscure lyrics. But can Elton really be serious with "he's the best song writer on the planet" ?? Emotional, affecting, nice try but

[lillimarleennight]

Watch some other videos of him, like "coffee and Cigarettes" or some official videos. I think his long haired time was also his doing-drug time, after that he got much better. read the lyrics, then you will understand. If not it`s just not your taste, so don`t bother.

[60sbest]

Thanks for you interest. I actually like Poses better than "coffee". Yeah he's not my tastes I'm a much older guy to and liked his dad's funny and poignant songs.

[60sbest]

Reality check. Rufus' Dad, Loudon, was and still is a funny singer songwriter. Hey, I'm an older guy and into sixties rock but I like the meandering melody somewhat and piano and the lyrics seem overblown but affecting - is he trying to mumble along with the piano? Does he do it just in this song? . Is the song about hypocrisy and obsession with fame and the shallow world and then you when wake up it's not anything good or what you expected just a trophy world? I can't wait for the hate mail.

[benjy1975]

Frigging LOVE Rufus...

Is it me though, or has he also smoked away (until the evening) some quite elusive quality in his voice? I'm not sure that he still hits me on his last album, with quite the same amazement as he did back in his prime(Such as right here..) Anyway why would anyome want a Pet Shop Boy to produce an album? Especially the one who WASN'T the sound tweaking geek!? Anyone remember their records for their enduring production values? Not me. Still love you more than any, tho Rufus.

[andyt1313]

This is one of my fav songs. The amazing thing is that his voice is as crystal clear and velvety live as it is from the recording studio. Magnificent.

[Pimpentonilla]

Mine too!!!!

[Pimpentonilla]

Mine too!!!

[sea1940]

this is why americans are labeled negatively.

[benjy1975]

I thought it was cos they thought Americans were arrogant twats, Rather than because they don't like a singer from Montreal..

[sea1940]

I guess I should've reworded it differently. I apologize if you didn't get it. It's the context he used.

Proposition 8 affected a lot of people, and to post a comment like that on this video offended me. We all know Rufus is gay, but that obviously doesn't stop him from becoming one of the most talented artists of our era.