What Mak a Gay Song? - TIME

Contents:

• THE ARE THE 20 MOST IMPORTANT GAY ANTHEMS OF ALL TIME
• WHAT MAK A GAY SONG?
• THE 50 BT GAY SONGS TO CELEBRATE PRI ALL YEAR LONG
• BT GAY ANTHEM: 'TE COLORS' OR 'OVER THE RABOW'? | THE TYLT
• S.F. GAY MEN'S CHOS MASH UP 'TE COLORS' AND 'BRAVE' FOR TRIBUTE TO HEALTH CARE WORKERS
• 55 BT GAY SONGS OF ALL TIME (LGBTQ+ PRI SONGS)
• ULTIMATE PRI PLAYLIST: THE 50 BT GAY SONGS
• 55 BT GAY SONGS OF ALL TIME (LGBTQ PRI SONGS)

THE ARE THE 20 MOST IMPORTANT GAY ANTHEMS OF ALL TIME

In 2007, Lper lnched the "Te Colors Tour" an effort to support gay rights and fight hate crim. While new gay artists and empowerg anthems pop up daily, ’s important to honor the tried-and-te classics.

While high-energy classics like Whney’s “I Wanna Dance Wh Someone” and CeCe Peniston’s “Fally” see heavy rotatn among gay clubs, Grace Jon’ laid back staple out-queers them all, wh eyebrow-raisg lyrics: “Pull up to my bumper baby / In your long black limoe / Pull up to my bumper baby / And drive between. Its ntroversial mic vio follows a young man kicked out of his hoe for beg gay and ultimately takg his life.

WHAT MAK A GAY SONG?

The Brish synth-pop tr regularly explored their sexualy throughout their talog (all three members were openly gay). As if this song wasn’t gay enough, the Glee rendn was a duet between the show’s rint lbian, Santana (Naya Rivera), and gut star Ida Menzel. While “I Will Survive” seems like the obv choice for a Gaynor classic, “I Am What I Am” has gayer origs: the song, penned by out poser Jerry Herman, was wrten as the fale performance to close out the uber-gay Broadway mil La Cage x Foll.

Debutg at the top of charts across the world, the song is straightforward s tentn to empower the LGBTQ muny: “No matter gay, straight, or bi / Lbian, transgenred life / I’m on the right track, baby / I was born to survive, ” the superstar mands. And like her smash rerd, Bean’s 1977 track (which was prevly rerd by fellow Motown rerdg artist Valento) was forthright s gay lyricism: “I’m happy / I’m reful / I’m gay, ” the cheery-voiced sger proclaims over a dis beat.

The tour, found by Cyndi Lper last year, is highly unual that s ma purpose, bis entertag crowds, is to rally for gay, lbian and transgenr rights.

THE 50 BT GAY SONGS TO CELEBRATE PRI ALL YEAR LONG

There's never really been this kd of anized gay-themed tour before, and s very existence, durg what many urban csars nsir a postgay era — a "whatever" age which inty polics are on the wane — seems quat and fortg. Is about sensibily and ntext, like most of the dis mic of the '70s that was performed by straight artists for gay crowds?

BT GAY ANTHEM: 'TE COLORS' OR 'OVER THE RABOW'? | THE TYLT

Doyle, a rad DJ who hosts a Hoton-based show lled "Queer Voic" and keeps an archive onle lled Queer Mic Herage, has specific notns about what mak a song gay that are at odds wh other people's nceptns.

"I uld be scribg my rad show to someone who hasn't heard of , and I'd say s purpose is to share and prerve the history of gay mic, " Doyle said on a show a few years ago. And I'd climb up on my soapbox and ask why they would thk dis mic is gay mic, sce most of is by straight artists, mostly women, and only a ty percent is lyrilly gay.

But I certaly n't ny that to most people dis or dance mic is the genre most associated wh gay culture.

S.F. GAY MEN'S CHOS MASH UP 'TE COLORS' AND 'BRAVE' FOR TRIBUTE TO HEALTH CARE WORKERS

Those searchg for a more fluid fn might check out a hefty tome by Universy of Michigan profsor Nade Hubbs lled The Queer Composn of Ameri's Sound, which purports to fd gay sensibili stmental mic. Anthony Tommasi, classil mic cric of the New York Tim, was among those who were skeptil, askg "jt how is a gay sensibily exprsed mic? Like all the great gay arguments, such as whether Ernie and Bert are more than jt iends, gettg there is half the fun.

To fuel the bate, TIME talked to people who were both at and part of the Te Colors tour to fd out their favore gay song.

55 BT GAY SONGS OF ALL TIME (LGBTQ+ PRI SONGS)

Cyndi Lper's "Te Colors" and Judy Garland's performance of "Over the Rabow" might be the most lorful gay anthems of all time. "Over the Rabow" has bee a not only a gay anthem sce 's 1939 release, but 's also regard as the most classic gay anthem ever.

Wh two gay ins on one song, “No More Tears” opens wh Streisand croong “It’s rag, ’s pourg/ My love life is borg me to tears. This song, wh lyrics like “this is the life that we choose” and “e out, e out if you dare, ” add sparks to mors that Clarkson uld be gay.

Bh, the song took on a bigger meang after Prop 8 — an anti-gay marriage state nstutnal amendment — was passed California.

ULTIMATE PRI PLAYLIST: THE 50 BT GAY SONGS

For her sophomore album, Mariah Carey enlisted the help of Robert Clivill and David Cole (the lears of C+C Mic Factory) who -wrote and -produced the gospel fluenced dance track “Make It Happen. While the four members of Sister Sledge are actual sisters, the song took on a eper meang wh the gay muny beg one big fay. The gayt song om Queen’s talogue was surprisgly not wrten by Freddie Mercury, but rather bassist John Dean.

While her one-two punch of her femme-bashg “Ur So Gay” and her exhibnist fx-lbian “I Kissed A Girl” haven’t aged well, Perry has bee more progrsive and would be hard to fd a Pri para not playg this boomg (pun tend) anthem. The drag-centric mil took home six Tonys, cludg bt mil; bt sre (wh mic and lyrics by gay in Cyndi Lper); and outstandg actor a mil, for out-and-proud Billy Porter’s eback performance as Lola, a drag queen. Self-scribed “rock’s tt fairy, ” Jobriath was the first openly gay mician to be signed to a major label (Elektra).

Aguilera was given a GLAAD Media Award for the song’s acpanyg mic vio, which featured movg portrayals of a gay uple and a transgenr person. This heartbreakg piece of ‘80s synth-pop tells the story of a naway whose fay rejects him for beg gay. Will (Eric McCormack) is sgg the song the mirror while shavg, to which Grace (Debra Msg) quips, “We’re jt like 50 men and a mirrored ball away om beg a gay dis.

55 BT GAY SONGS OF ALL TIME (LGBTQ PRI SONGS)

In what appeared to be a rponse to the Brish ernment’s damng Sectn 28 act (which crimalized the promotn of homosexualy, rultg the closg of lbian, gay and bisexual support groups across Brish schools and lleg), the song qutns “What relign or reason uld drive a man to forsake his lover?

1 December 2010 and featur scen om a gay marriage s mic vio, spired by her bt iend’s weddg. It’s impossible to put a fger on when Cher beme a gay in, but this mic vio didn’t hurt her reputatn.