Durg an appearance on the Nelk Boys’ “Full Send” podst, Donald Tmp said “Y.M.C.A.” is his go-to song when playg DJ at Mar-a-Lago. “They ll the gay natnal anthem. ‘Y.M.C.A.’ gets people up and gets them movg,” he said.
Contents:
- '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
- IS ACTUALLY GAY? HERE’S THE TE MEANG OF THE SONG “YMCA”
- TMP EXPLAS HIS LOVE OF ‘Y.M.C.A.,’ WHICH HE CLAIMS IS THE ‘GAY NATNAL ANTHEM’
'Y.M.C.A.,' THE SPORTS ANTHEM ABOUT A GAY CISG SPOT: LYRICS AND MEANG
The Village People's Y.M.C.A. is an unmistakable ll to the dance floor -- om the openg brass hs of s tro melody you know what song is playg and you even know the arm motns that acpany the lyrics. The song self is one of the most bizarre cultural phenomena of all time. What began as a gay anthem performed by the Village People is performed at mpaign ralli and the sixth ng of New York Yanke baseball gam. * ymca gay hymn *
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 mzvahs.The 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.“At first I me to a 32nd Street rincy, but a guy who lived there told me was cheaper at McBurney,” says Joseph Kangappadan, a former MTA and Post Office employee who began stayg at the McBurney YMCA 1969 after immigratg om England.
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.“The weekend party people who would stay there really jt need the rooms to crash,” says Garrett.
IS Y.M.C.A. REALLY A GAY SONG? THE MEANG OF THE LYRICS
In 1978, Village People, a dis band of six men liberately stylized as sexy macho gay characters, released s album Cis’. The album featured “YMCA,” an upbeat dis track praisg the Young Men’s Christian Associatn’s (YMCA) muny centers as a great place for physil recreatn and temporary lodgg. But what is the meang of the… * ymca gay hymn *
Meanwhile, hoekeepers me not jt to offer towels and change your sheets, but to keep an eye on you, Kangappadan rells.Part 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. 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 terpretatn.David 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.
“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.”Karen Tongson, a queer studi scholar and associate profsor of English and genr studi at the Universy of Southern California, says both the history of the McBurney branch and the “YMCA” vio’s dual legacy are right le wh the way queerns has long existed real life and pop culture.“A lot of queer exprsn has happened through nuendo,” Tongson said. 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 ACTUALLY GAY? HERE’S THE TE MEANG OF THE SONG “YMCA”
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.
TMP EXPLAS HIS LOVE OF ‘Y.M.C.A.,’ WHICH HE CLAIMS IS THE ‘GAY NATNAL ANTHEM’
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.
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?