If I Could Switch Bodies

Omar Apollo “Stayback”

There’s some things about “Stayback” that very obviously point in the direction of a heavy Prince influence, but the most Prince-ly thing in the song is fairly subtle – that line where Omar Apollo sings about wanting to switch bodies with the person he’s in love with. A lot of people can be a funky minimalist, sing falsetto, or rip a hot solo, but not everyone can approach that desire for a freaky, unreal intimacy that twists gender and crosses boundaries. It’s all the more interesting in that this isn’t a “I’m so into you I want to be you” song, but more of a breakup song. The desire to switch bodies is a desire for control, to somehow give himself closure by treating this other person like a puppet. Weird stuff.

Stream it on Bandcamp.