As pri heats up, we took upon the impossible task of roundg out the 20 most important albums to shape gay culture.
Contents:
- THE GAY ESSENTIALS: THE 75 ALBUMS EVERY GAY MAN NEEDS TO OWN
- THE 13 GAYT MIC VIOS OF THE '80S
- RYM ULTIMATE BOX SET > 80'S GAY SYNTHPOP
- THE 50 BT GAY SONGS TO CELEBRATE PRI ALL YEAR LONG
- POP MIC COULD USE ANOTHER DE AS 'GAY' AS THE '80S
THE GAY ESSENTIALS: THE 75 ALBUMS EVERY GAY MAN NEEDS TO OWN
* 80s gay albums *
Rumors had been swirlg for years around Michael’s sexualy but nothg was ever nfirmed by him prr to this song’s release (shortly thereafter he me out as bisexual, before g out as gay further down the le). While there’s nothg explicly homosexual the play, many believe that the ma characters Vladimir and Estragon are an ageg homosexual uple, who are worn out and not engagg sexually any longer. Nile Rodgers (om the band Chic), who was workg wh Ross on material for her album Diana, got the spiratn for the song after seeg multiple drag queens drsed as Ross at a gay-iendly New York Cy club.
Sure, RuPl had already broken before this song and movie (see our number one song) and the mid-’90s were surprisgly gay-iendly — To Wong Foo was sandwiched between the release of two other celebrated and succsful mastream LGBTQ films, The Adventur of Priscilla, Queen of the Dert 1994 and The Birdge 1996. Although only reached number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, was a number one h on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play, large part bee so many gay men loved the song — after all, was fun, sexy, danceable and mpy. 1990 was the year that the unrground gay ball scene sort of went mastream, thanks large part to this Billboard Hot 100 number one h om one of the most famo artists the world at the time.
For those unfaiar, the New York Cy ball scene was an LGBTQ subculture where different ho — mostly Black and Lat gay, bi, lbian and trans people — walked (or peted) for trophi tegori such as Face, Body, Butch Queen Realns, Femme Queen Realns, miscellaneo drag and Vogueg. But I’m sure Ru uldn’t have imaged that 27 years later, not only would his song still be played gay bars, but people all over the world, both LGBTQ and our alli, would still be sayg l om this song, thanks to their cln a realy show lled RuPl’s Drag Race. As pri month heats up, we took upon the impossible task of roundg out the 20 most important albums to shape gay culture – an sential llectn of blockbter classics and subversive selectns alike.
THE 13 GAYT MIC VIOS OF THE '80S
A roundup of the gayt, queert, and most flamboyant mic vios om an already over-the-top : the 1980s." name="scriptn * 80s gay albums *
In fact, two tracks om her sophomore album played pivotal rol recent queer entertament: RuPl’s Drag Race star Sasha Velour went on to snatch the season 10 crown followg a jaw-droppg lip sync to “So Emotnal” and Pose’s Jamal (played by Ryan Jamaal Swa) won hearts durg a dance school dn to the in’s mega-h “I Wanna Dance wh Somebody. On “Free Xone, ” she sgs of gay and lbian upl who are “ee to be who you really are” and her mega-h “Together Aga” rells a iend who died of plitns related to AIDS.
Nk’s “Raise Your Glass” led the charts at the time, Gaga didn’t mce word about the dience the album’s tular anthem was tend for, sgg, “No matter gay, straight, or bi / Lbian, transgenred life / I’m on the right track, baby / I was born this way. You are here: Home / Entertament / Celebs / The Gay Essentials: The 75 Albums Every Gay Man NEEDS to OwnA primer for lennials on the 75 mt-have albums they need to own, bee whether they want to believe or not, THERE ACTUALLY WAS MUSIC BEFORE BEYONCÉ. Like my prev list of the 50 Movi Every Gay Man Needs to Watch, the mic here is aimed at lennials and clus mostly pre-90s mic that I thk they really ought to be acquated wh.
Loosely based on a story of a fictnal alien rock superstar named Ziggy Stardt, this album did more for generatns of sexually ambiguo eaks and outsirs than a ln gay pri paras. Songs like “Perfect Day, ” “Satelle of Love, ” “Andy’s Cht, ” and of urse “Walk on the Wild Si” still speak to today and rema important hallmarks of gay culture. Jobriath, Lonely Pla Boy: A super-gay glam-rock god who was unfairly relegated to the dtb of pop culture history, his mic has been scribed as a cross between early 1970s albums, wh some cidly Jaggerque vols.
RYM ULTIMATE BOX SET > 80'S GAY SYNTHPOP
LGBTQ mic history is so much more than a timele of who me out when and which songs beme gay anthems -- ’s also about the artists who weren’t aaid to be themselv eras when dog so often had real risks attached. * 80s gay albums *
If Beyonce and Gaga and Lana Del Rey and Katy Perry and Rihanna all sang “I Am What I Am” to a throbbg dis beat, wouldn’t be HALF as gay – or as popular – as this album was. Her brash, feisty rope-’em-and-tie-’em-up sensibili have stck a chord wh legns of gay fans who idolize her strong, no-nonsense – yet credibly heartbreakg – song stylgs.
Ins like Whney and Madonna turned out plenty of hs durg the ‘80s that are today nsired gay anthems, but the classic vios—eher by LGBTQ+ artists or featurg queer subject matter—are gay a more leral sense. BRONSKI BEAT - “SMALLTOWN BOY” (1984)This ‘80s dance h and s explicly queer vio about a smalltown gay boy the big cy broke new ground for LGBTQ+ visibily—and reached the top of the charts the procs.
THE 50 BT GAY SONGS TO CELEBRATE PRI ALL YEAR LONG
Pri serv more than a month. The gay songs – om dis hs to club classics – are perfect for Pri year-round. * 80s gay albums *
MARC ALMOND - “RUBY RED” (1987)Few ‘80s pop stars were more -your-face about their sexualy than Soft Cell ontman Marc Almond, and this kky Kenh Anger-spired visual is as gay as B-52s - “LOVE SHACK” (1989)As if The B-52’s John Waters-spired athetic and out-and-proud ontman Fred Schneir weren’t gay enough for you, this mpy vid for their late-’80s h featur a pre-fame meo by the one and only RuPl. - “CLUB TROPICANA” (1983)It would be another 15 years before he formally me out, but if Gee Michael a whe speedo vampg to this breezy 1983 bop don’t set off your gaydar…nothg will.
ERASURE - “CHAINS OF LOVE” (1988)If seeg Andy Bell spend om chas jt BASKING his gayns don’t make you feel like you’re an episo of Queer as Folk, you’ve got some homework to do.
While some classics do appear on our list, others do not – sorry, Gloria Gaynor, Kylie Mogue, RuPl, Brney and Cher, we still adore you — here are 25 sential pri songs om the 1970s to today. Somewhat rctively lled the “Queen of Dis, ” the virtuosic, openly gay sger approached genr ( his performative and private liv) as a fluid, non-bary ncept a pre–Judh Butler era.
POP MIC COULD USE ANOTHER DE AS 'GAY' AS THE '80S
Although seems most of Queen’s fans were cluels as to how openly gay and subversive ontman Freddie Mercury was – spe the unabashed swank of his stage prence – he also never really tried to hi .