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…
Contents:
- HAPPY PRIDE! HOW “Y.M.C.A.” BEME A GAY ANTHEM!
- '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
- THE REAL STORY OF THE YMCA THAT INSPIRED THE VILLAGE PEOPLE'S GAY ANTHEM
- VILLAGE PERSON SAYS "Y.M.C.A." ISN'T ABOUT GAYS, IS PROBABLY LYG
- IS ACTUALLY GAY? HERE’S THE TE MEANG OF THE SONG “YMCA”
HAPPY PRIDE! HOW “Y.M.C.A.” BEME A GAY ANTHEM!
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. * y m c a gay men *
” Though, today, you’ll hear the track at everythg om a school dance to a 50th anniversary party, has also been adopted by the gay muny as one of s unofficial anthems.
'Y.M.C.A.,' THE SPORTS ANTHEM ABOUT A GAY CISG SPOT: LYRICS AND MEANG
Though 's as chic as a marchg band and mands that you do that dorky dance along to (a dance whout any acknowledgement of one's hips, no ls), perhaps you are like me and fd the Village People's 1978 dis anthem "Y.M.C.A." enarg anyway. A feat of subversn that is still routely played at the heterosexual pri-oriented outgs better known as sportg events, the song has kids om 2 to 92 oblivly pantomimg letters along to barely veiled lyrics that tell of public man-on-man butt sex the sanely bched pre-AIDS era. In terms of gay culture peratg the mastream whout the mastream's knowledge, "Y.M.C.A." stands virtually alone s reach and stealths (though Madonna's "Vogue" close—ball culture reached as far as Stephanie Tanner). * y m c a gay men *
The songs targeted a niche rerd buyg dience: gay disthequ and their patrons. The tl were self-explanatory: “Fire Island” (the East Coast’s gay summer retreat); “San Francis (You’ve Got Me)” (the Wt ast’s premier gay statn); “Village People” (a look at the habants of New York Cy’s largely gay Greenwich Village); and “In Hollywood (Everybody is a Star), ” the promise of artistic acplishment the word’s entertament pal.
Village People nsisted of six members, each of whom personified a popular gay archetype.
IS Y.M.C.A. REALLY A GAY SONG? THE MEANG OF THE LYRICS
Only Willis and Rose participated on the “Village People” LP–wh Rose roly creded as “Felipe ‘Indian From the Anvil’“ (the Anvil was a gay NYC sex club). The gay msagg their songs, the gay fantasy stripper-stum, the gay dancg and fx macho posturg seemed to go over the heads of the dience–or they jt didn’t re. “Key Wt” (a gay rort statn), “Jt a Gigolo, ” “I Am What I Am” (a gay claratn), and “Sodom and Gomorrah” reached their re dience–but the sgle “Macho Man” reached further.
An energetic chant song whose lyrics extoled the male form, exercise and gym culture, “Macho Man” was heard by straight dienc as ls gay and more sports/athletics/ol-du fun mic.
Neteen seventy-ne’s double entendre-tled “Cs’” (referencg gay cisg) h stor jt seven months after “Macho Man. ” was not a “gay” song, but “a song for everyone. Addnally, lyrics like “lger on the siwalk where the neon signs are pretty” and “someone who is jt like you and needs a gentle hand to gui them along” were tac vatns for a gay listeng dience.
THE REAL STORY OF THE YMCA THAT INSPIRED THE VILLAGE PEOPLE'S GAY ANTHEM
” was more than a h rerd, was a cultural tone: a world anthem built on, for, and about gay life and sensibili that was, neverthels, fully embraced by mastream dienc. 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?
VILLAGE PERSON SAYS "Y.M.C.A." ISN'T ABOUT GAYS, IS PROBABLY LYG
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.
IS ACTUALLY GAY? HERE’S THE TE MEANG OF THE SONG “YMCA”
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? 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.