Geminis are ruled by Mercury, the god of communication and a renowned mythological trickster, so anyone born under the sign (between May 21 and June 21) usually has to battle its shitty stereotype as a two-faced liar and cheat. But as an intellectual air sign ruled by the messenger planet, Geminis also have the capacity to be highly evolved poets who unearth deep truths about the world’s great opposing forces. In fact, many of the world’s greatest musicians are Geminis who push the boundaries of the industry in terms of lyricism, musicianship, production, and conceptualization.
In my eyes, all Geminis strive to be the kind of person who can spit profundity and follow it with a mic drop—but the simple truth is that regardless of the zodiac, we’re not all brilliant enough to be profound. That’s why a Gemini’s poeticism can be hit or miss, best illustrated in the case of the sign’s archetypal celebrity Kanye West.
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Like its ruling Tarot card, the Lovers, Gemini is a symbol representing opposing forces, each of which can’t exist without the other. This playlist consists of musicians born under the sign of the twins, and pairs two of their songs representing the dualities of a Gemini: egotistical and vulnerable; hard and soft; frantic and formulaic; light and dark.
Sit back, suppress your horoscope prejudice, and enjoy the dynamic audio journey courtesy of the music industry’s greatest Geminis:
1. Kanye West: “Runaway” and “Power”
“When I think of competition it’s like I try to create against the past. I think about Michelangelo, Picasso, the pyramids. That’s the reason why I put 5,000 hours into a song like ‘Power,’” Kanye West said, touching on an extremely Gemini theme that we see explored by multiple artists on this playlist.
2. Bob Dylan: “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” and “The Times They Are A-Changin”
It should be no surprise that the musician who won a Nobel Prize for Literature is a Gemini.
3. Kendrick Lamar: “DNA” and “Poetic Justice”
Likewise, it should be no surprise that the first rapper to win a Pulitzer is also a Gemini.
4. Brian Wilson: “Good Vibrations” and “Time to Get Alone”
“Good Vibrations” was one of the first songs recorded in multiple sessions and studios, setting a new standard for musicians and production. “Once you’ve been labeled as a genius, you have to continue it or your name becomes mud. I am a victim of the recording industry. I didn’t think I was a genius. I thought I had talent. But I didn’t think I was a genius,” Brian Wilson said in 1976.
5. Paul McCartney: “Eleanor Rigby” and “Yesterday”
“Eleanor Rigby” was also a whole new sound for the Beatles at the time—the song has no guitar, no keys, and no percussion—just strings and vocals. Where that song highlights a complicated perfection with multiple moving parts, “Yesterday” touched on McCartney’s more preternatural or subconscious genius—he says he composed the entire melody in a dream one night.
6. Andre 3000: “B.O.B” and “Hey Ya!”
7. Noel Gallagher: “Stop Crying Your Heart Out” and “Live Forever”
“I have always tried to aim higher than I think is possible. Some people try to be bigger or better than their contemporaries or their predecessors… Me? I’m just trying to be better than myself, which as we now know is virtually impossible,” said Noel Gallagher on “Live Forever.”
8. 2pac: “Hit ‘Em Up” and “Keep Ya Head Up”
9. Biggie Smalls: “Unbelievable” and “Juicy”
10. Lauryn Hill: “Everything is Everything” and “To Zion”
11. Stevie Nicks: “Landslide” and “Gold Dust Woman”
These are the two sides of the most fully-realized Gemini witch: soft and effusive vs. ready to burn it all to the ground. “Did she make you cry, make you break down, shatter your illusions of love?” Nicks croons—and we know she’s singing about herself.
12. Lenny Kravitz: “It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over” and “Are You Gonna Go My Way”
13. Patti LaBelle: “New Attitude” and “On My Own”
14. Prince: “Nothing Compares 2 U” and “Let’s Go Crazy”
15. Rivers Cuomo: “Say It Ain’t So” and “Hash Pipe”
