I was driving home today and Flo Rida’s song “Whistle” came on the radio. I was about to switch away when I was struck by how positive the message was. The chorus promotes a proactive, and respectful approach to physical pleasure without the homophobic hangups with which American culture is so often associated.
Let’s explore this surprising piece of art in more detail.
The Chorus is as follows:
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
Let me know
Girl I’m gonna show you how to do it
And we start real slow
You just put your lips together
And you come real close
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
Here we go
Let’s break it down, line by line:
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
We first need to interpret a metaphor and I hope that I am not mistaken in my assumption that the “whistle” in question is, in fact, a euphemism for penis. With that in mind we can understand that Flo Rida is asking if his romantic partner feels comfortable with performing the act of fellatio. Consent and comfort, the first things on his mind. Definitely the makings of a gentleman.
Let me know
This little addendum to the first line indicates that Mr. Rida is willing to let his partner think it over. This isn’t a demand in the heat of passion or an expectation, it’s a request and he’s willing to give his partner time to make an informed decision.
Girl I’m gonna show you how to do it
This is impressive. He’s not just going to explain to his female friend how he likes to be pleasured, he’s going to demonstrate. That takes a level of commitment that few can claim. It is unclear in the song whether he intends to autofellate or go down on another male partner, but having seen some pictures of Flo, I suspect his musculature would prevent him from achieving oral-genital contact with himself.
That means Flo Rida has made the effort to find another man willing to be fellated by Flo, such that he can help his romantic partner better understand how to satisfy his desires without her having to do anything with which she isn’t yet comfortable. Given that he has already demonstrated his respect for the concept of consent, clearly all involved can expect to benefit from this three part arrangement: Flo will have communicated his wants to his partner, his partner will know exactly what is being asked of her and may even enjoy the learning experience, and the other gentleman will have been fellated by a celebrity.
And we start real slow
Again, Flo is demonstrating both patience and concern for the pace at which his partner feels comfortable moving forward.
You just put your lips together
This may seem on the surface to be rude. Demanding that a woman does not speak is a red flag for misogyny, however we must remember that Mr. Rider is about to perform a demonstration during which he will be unable to engage in active discussion. This line is actually the equivalent of a professor saying “please hold your questions till the end of the lecture.”
And you come real close
Flo Rida is clearly concerned with ensuring that the woman is able to get a good vantage point so that she can get as much from the demonstration as possible.
Can you blow my whistle baby, whistle baby
A simple refrain of the opening line for artistic purposes.
Here we go
An indication that his demonstration is about to start, which gives one last chance for either of the other two involved to raise concerns.
This is followed by several bars of whistling which, as discussed above, is likely a metaphor for having a penis in his mouth and therefore being unable to sing.
Closing remarks:
The exchange of physical pleasure is an important part of romantic relationships and it is encouraging to see a mainstream artist such as Mr. Rida expressing his willingness to take such an active and sensitive role in expressing his desires. I think we can all learn something from Flo.
