Too Gay To Functn: “Ra On Me” | Culled Culture

Contents:

• IS LADY GAGA AND ARIANA GRAN’S RA ON ME THIS GENERATN’S FG GAY ANTHEM?
• TOO GAY TO FUNCTN: “RA ON ME”
• THE TOP 75 MOST INIC GAY ANTHEMS DERVG OF THE TLE OF BEG CALLED THE "GAY NATNAL ANTHEM"

IS LADY GAGA AND ARIANA GRAN’S RA ON ME THIS GENERATN’S FG GAY ANTHEM?

Gay anthems are a staple of pop mic, wh almost every female pop star’s disgraphy ntag at least one song that’s been adopted by queers.

Still, there are clear standouts that have stood the tt of time, om Sylvter’s dis classic You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real), through to Madonna’s ballroom culture-appropriatg Vogue and, more recently, Brney Spears’ motivatnal banger Work Bch, which she claims was spired by her gay fans. The long-moured llaboratn between Lady Gaga and Ariana Gran, arguably two of the biggt gay ins of the 21st century, has fally arrived and ’s everythg fans wanted to be; a relentls club track wh tchy hooks that shows off both pop star’s vol talent. Of urse, an artist don’t have to be queer to liver a fantastic gay anthem – and historilly they often haven’t been – but certaly helps the whole experience feel more thentic.

As an pist pop song, Ra On me is credible, but as a gay anthem has the potential to live on forever – and for that ticks all the box.

TOO GAY TO FUNCTN: “RA ON ME”

Mother Monster and Ariana Run Pop jt dropped the gay dance anthem to end all Pri bangers, and a vio to boot. In the tradn of gay ins havg songs about ra–om Barbra Streisand’s “Don’t Ra On My Para” to Geri Halliwell remakg “It’s Rag Men” to Madonna’s “Ra” to Rihanna’s “Umbrella”–the cliche about the (often sexual) metaphor of this weather phenomenon has been well-played out at this pot.

In Lady Gaga and Ariana Gran’s se, they clearly did not want to bank on the gay kryptone of their togetherns alone. Somethg that speaks to the “gay experience” as a whe woman se (y, let not fet Ariana is the same Italian-ish breed as Lady G, though much tanner). The way gay men have had to do time and time aga the face of discrimatn and send class cizenry.

At the same time, Ariana probably said all of this better on 2018’s “No Tears Left to Cry”–another ls obv gay anthem (backbeat-wise) centered on the imagery of sdg water (i. The alln to the baptismally cleansg power of water the Catholic girl maniftos beg evint both tracks, bears a certa irony that, until was “chic” to do so, relign–least of all Catholicism (which is odd, nsirg the homoeroticism that ns rampant wh )–has never offered a place for gay men, only, stead, vrlic shunng. Yet is so often the women who grew up amid this reprsive type of “spirual” upbrgg that attract the hight nsy of gay fans–for who n relate better to early reprsn than a homo male?

THE TOP 75 MOST INIC GAY ANTHEMS DERVG OF THE TLE OF BEG CALLED THE "GAY NATNAL ANTHEM"

To the pot of thunr and ra imagery, and what has long allud to (sploogg), the sexual nuendo of the phrase “ra on me” is chastely avoid (so maybe the track a’t that gay after all) by the duo direct ntrast to Madonna’s (whom neher woman has ever nied beg spired by) embracg of on the Eroti album, specifilly “Where Life Begs, ” durg which she sgs a hyper-sultry tone, “I’m glad you brought your raat/I thk ’s begng to ra. While a posive msage livered at a time when people are clamorg for (so that they n ntue to live their Blanche DuBois state of nial), somethg about “Ra On Me” feels liberately ntrived to appeal to the gays (a re of both pop stars’ dience)–as Janis Ian would say, the song is “almost too gay to functn, ” if you will.

Naturally, “Hey, that’s only okay when gays say ” will be the rponse to such an asssment–of urse the gays will be too by to make that judgment while the midst of choreographg a TikTok vio preparatn for the glor moment when they thk club life–and the dance floor that go wh –will return to normal.