Gay anthem Y.M.C.A danc to history at leadg U.S. library | Rters

Contents:

• HAPPY PRIDE! HOW “Y.M.C.A.” BEME A GAY ANTHEM!
• 'Y.M.C.A.,' THE SPORTS ANTHEM ABOUT A GAY CISG SPOT: LYRICS AND MEANG
• IS Y.M.C.A. REALLY A GAY SONG? THE MEANG OF THE LYRICS
• THE REAL STORY OF THE YMCA THAT INSPIRED THE VILLAGE PEOPLE'S GAY ANTHEM
• GAY ANTHEM Y.M.C.A DANC TO HISTORY AT LEADG U.S. LIBRARY

HAPPY PRIDE! HOW “Y.M.C.A.” BEME A GAY ANTHEM!

” Though, today, you’ll hear the track at everythg om a school dance to a 50th anniversary party, has also been adopted by the gay muny as one of s unofficial anthems.

The songs targeted a niche rerd buyg dience: gay disthequ and their patrons. The tl were self-explanatory: “Fire Island” (the East Coast’s gay summer retreat); “San Francis (You’ve Got Me)” (the Wt ast’s premier gay statn); “Village People” (a look at the habants of New York Cy’s largely gay Greenwich Village); and “In Hollywood (Everybody is a Star), ” the promise of artistic acplishment the word’s entertament pal. Village People nsisted of six members, each of whom personified a popular gay archetype.

'Y.M.C.A.,' THE SPORTS ANTHEM ABOUT A GAY CISG SPOT: LYRICS AND MEANG

Only Willis and Rose participated on the “Village People” LP–wh Rose roly creded as “Felipe ‘Indian From the Anvil’“ (the Anvil was a gay NYC sex club). The gay msagg their songs, the gay fantasy stripper-stum, the gay dancg and fx macho posturg seemed to go over the heads of the dience–or they jt didn’t re.

IS Y.M.C.A. REALLY A GAY SONG? THE MEANG OF THE LYRICS

“Key Wt” (a gay rort statn), “Jt a Gigolo, ” “I Am What I Am” (a gay claratn), and “Sodom and Gomorrah” reached their re dience–but the sgle “Macho Man” reached further.

An energetic chant song whose lyrics extoled the male form, exercise and gym culture, “Macho Man” was heard by straight dienc as ls gay and more sports/athletics/ol-du fun mic.

Neteen seventy-ne’s double entendre-tled “Cs’” (referencg gay cisg) h stor jt seven months after “Macho Man.

THE REAL STORY OF THE YMCA THAT INSPIRED THE VILLAGE PEOPLE'S GAY ANTHEM

” was not a “gay” song, but “a song for everyone. Addnally, lyrics like “lger on the siwalk where the neon signs are pretty” and “someone who is jt like you and needs a gentle hand to gui them along” were tac vatns for a gay listeng dience. ” was more than a h rerd, was a cultural tone: a world anthem built on, for, and about gay life and sensibili that was, neverthels, fully embraced by mastream dienc.

What began as a gay anthem performed by the Village People has been cleansed of s mp and brought to the mastream as an upbeat song about how great is to work out at the Y. " was immediately adopted as a gay anthem not only bee of s subtext and bangg dis beat, but the Village People were the most "out" gay mil act of the era ( spe of their very straight lead sger), but did beg as a song about gay sex?

Is at the same time the most famo gay anthem the history of mic and one of the bt known dis songs ever. Composed practilly by chance by Village People and released 1978, the song quickly beme a huge succs, both the gay muny of the time and subsequently any ntext where you need a song to get people gog, be at a weddg, a nightclub or a the Village People ed to do their songs, YMCA’s lyrics nta several allns that n be easily noticed by a gay dience. Apparently was also an easy way for young homosexuals to meet other peers when you were new the cy, and this ed the entire homosexual muny to set up as a muny the years, Village People have often been asked if Y.

GAY ANTHEM Y.M.C.A DANC TO HISTORY AT LEADG U.S. LIBRARY

’s lyrics explicly geared to double meangs that uld be weled by gay dienc.

And although the band were openly gay and tend to target that specific dience whenever they uld, lyrics’ thor and Village People founr Victor Willis means as a song about cln and social relatnships of young people new to the neighborhood. As he stat  this 2017 terview:“YMCA was not wrten to be a gay song bee of the simple fact I’m not gay.