The Real Story Of The YMCA That Inspired The Village People's Gay Anthem - Gothamist

Contents:

• THE REAL STORY OF THE YMCA THAT INSPIRED THE VILLAGE PEOPLE'S GAY ANTHEM
• IS Y.M.C.A. REALLY A GAY SONG? THE MEANG OF THE LYRICS
• HARD GAY
• HAPPY AND GAY
• TMP EXPLAS HIS LOVE OF ‘Y.M.C.A.,’ WHICH HE CLAIMS IS THE ‘GAY NATNAL ANTHEM’
• HAPPY PRIDE! HOW “Y.M.C.A.” BEME A GAY ANTHEM!
• GAY DATG ATHENS

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

In the 40 years sce the Village People released “YMCA, ” the song has bee a cultural touchstone: a gay anthem famo for s nuendos and double entendr about young, f men “havg a good time, ” as well as a staple at Yanke gam and bar song has also immortalized the Young Men's Christian Associatn pop culture. Yet former rints of the McBurney Y Chelsea — the buildg that spired the song, and which was featured the vio released late 1978 — say the realy of stays at the YMCA those days was more plited than the lyrics portray, wh gay culture and workg-class workouts existg a sgle munal space.

“There was certaly a party aspect to their vio and that time was the height of all the gay clubs Chelsea, ” rells Davidson Garrett, who lived at the McBurney Y om 1978 through 2000. “[The YMCA] did have some overlappg of gay cisg. Garrett adds unrgraduate stunts and disabled men to the mix of ethnilly and racially diverse renters, about half of whom he timat were gay.

Often gay and their 20s or 30s, the weekend guts ed the YMCA “as a drsg room, ” and as a place to discreetly hook up, Garrett says. Meanwhile, hoekeepers me not jt to offer towels and change your sheets, but to keep an eye on you, Kangappadan of the song’s charm, of urse, is s petg terpretatns: It n be read equally well as a celebratn of gay culture or of the workg man.

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

And as a Sp oral history revealed on the song's 30th anniversary ten years ago, even the group self didn't agree on the proper Hodo (“the nstctn worker”) sisted to Sp that Jacqu Morali, the French producer who helped create the group and -wrote the song wh lead sger Victor Willis (“the p”), certaly had the gay muny md when he me up wh the song. There’s nothg gay about them.

”Jon, who was a Y member at the time, sists to Gothamist that the band's artistic tent wasn’t to produce a gay anthem.

HARD GAY

“But if you happen to be a gay man and have the experience and perspective of hookg up wh each other, ’s another way n be perceived. 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. ’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.

HAPPY AND GAY

As he stat  this 2017 terview:“YMCA was not wrten to be a gay song bee of the simple fact I’m not gay.

I’m happy the gay muny adopted as their anthem, I have no qualms wh that. S a song about illegal gay sex after Tmp ed on his rally.

Village People - YMCA OFFICIAL Mic Vio 1978This don’t exclu that the band played on the multiple terpretatns of the lyrics to wk at the gay muny. Also thanks to the official vio, which you n fd a song that n be terpreted a homosexual key, therefore, but that do not necsarily have to be meant wh this only man, there’s no need to feel downI said, young man, pick yourself off the groundI said, young man, ’e you’re a new townThere’s no need to be unhappyYoung man, there’s a place you n goI said, young man, when you’re short on your doughYou n stay there, and I’m sure you will fdMany ways to have a good timeIt’s fun to stay at the YMCAIt’s fun to stay at the YMCAThey have everythg for you men to enjoyYou n hang out wh all the boysIt’s fun to stay at the YMCAIt’s fun to stay at the YMCAYou n get yourself clean, you n have a good mealYou n do what ever you feelYoung man, are you listeng to me? Sumani's most well-known performg character is Hard Gay (ハードゲイ, Hādo Gei), also lled "HG", Razor Ramon Hard Gay or Razor Ramon Sumani, an eccentric supposedly gay man wearg tight black leather and PVC cloth and actg wh overacted gay mannerisms.

TMP EXPLAS HIS LOVE OF ‘Y.M.C.A.,’ WHICH HE CLAIMS IS THE ‘GAY NATNAL ANTHEM’

Sumani troduced the Hard Gay character (known Japan as Hādo Gei) 2002, growg to natnal renown by 2005 when Hard Gay beme a weekly feature on the Bakhō Mondai no Bakuten! The character reprents a mon stereotype of Amerin gay subculture to the Japane dience and do not reprent any Japane gay subculture.

On the show, Hard Gay go around performg acts of chary (or yonaoshi, “social improvement” → source: wikipedia lk) for unspectg bystanrs, wearg his fetish outf while acpagnied by the Ricky Mart's "Liv’ la Vida Lo" song. The ma theme of Hard Gay's act reli on the ia that Hard Gay is a foreigner, and as such, n get away wh outlandish behavr.

The first Hard Gay vio to be upload to Youtube was a vio of a live performance, upload by er SafonsGhost on January 19th, 2006.

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

On Febary 19th, 2006, a er by the name of Grommet on the foms at started a thread entled For the NANA fans (lk via Wayback Mache) and posted a lk to another Hard Gay vio. On Febary 22nd, 2006, another Hard Gay thread was created.

GAY DATG ATHENS

The thread was lled In Bridget we tst (lk via Wayback Mache) and ntaed an image of Hard Gay hotlked om 420chan., was first registered on Augt 27th, 2006 and archived by on November 7th, 2006. It appears that the first Wikipedia article to be published on Hard Gay was on October 11th, 2005. The Japan Tim prted a story on Hard Gay English on July 17th, 2005.