“Blue Dress” (2019), the indie pop gem by singer-songwriter Lucy & La Mer (she/they), captures the exhilarating panic of bisexual attraction in four minutes of Americana-tinged charm. The song chronicles a bi narrator’s flustered encounter with a woman in a blue dress at a party — complete with nervous stammering, jealous fantasies (“you can have my boyfriend”), and ultimately, missed connections as she leaves with “that bro-y guy, Steve.” The official music video stars prominent bi artists Gabe Dunn and Nicole Pacent, while the companion lyric video features Lucy themself wandering their childhood farm in a pink ballgown and electric blue pixie cut, embodying the song’s queer nostalgia.
The lyrics are simple yet effectively capture the anxious thoughts of the bi narrator as they build up the courage to talk to and flirt with the girl in the blue dress. From feeling nervous and freezing up (“you make a joke, and I can’t move”), Lucy skillfully illustrates the relatable stages of a bi panic at a party. In the end, the narrator loses their nerve when they see her leaving with a guy, and all they can do is ask her where she got that blue dress.
Lucy has been open about being bi for much of her career, and bi themes feature prominently in their music. In an interview with Billboard, Lucy revealed the song was inspired by a “lightbulb crush” moment:
I wrote the song right after a first date — last year, actually — just reflecting on that initial lightbulb experience about being curious and attracted to another gender than you thought you were […] I wanted it to be something that was positive and energetic, not so serious or tortured or anything like that.
They traced their bisexual awakening further back:
It was actually a drummer in the church band when I was in middle school […] And she was just the coolest person I’d ever seen. I don’t even know her name, but I remember her as this wonderful, magical drummer person. My family didn’t even go to church, but I was going back every Sunday. I didn’t recognize it until after I came out years later.
On her Bandcamp profile, Lucy dedicates the track as “an Americana tribute to my younger queer kid self”, a description that perfectly encapsulates its twangy guitars and wistful playfulness.
The music video amplifies this spirit, blending the song’s narrative with line dancing, romantic glances, and Lucy’s band performing in a barn. Dunn — resplendent in the blue dress — becomes the object of desire for multiple partygoers, celebrating queer attraction without tragedy.
With over 100,000 combined streams, “Blue Dress” stands out for its rare alchemy: it transforms the universal bi experience of “wait—why am I nervous around this person?” into a joyful, twangy confection. By featuring openly bi artists both onscreen and behind the scenes, it offers representation that’s as authentic as it is entertaining—a worthy addition to the canon of bi anthems.