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List of gay anthems

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A gay anthem (or LGBT anthem) is a song that has become widely popular among, or has become identified with, the LGBT community; usually with gay men. The lyrics of gay anthems are often marked with hope against the odds, pride, unity, or defiance.

Themes

Although every song is individual, the criteria for what makes a gay anthem does show a pattern among the songs. In the book Queer the following ten main themes were listed that are common among many, if not all gay anthems; they are:[1]

  • Big voiced divas: Rather than particular song, this area of gay anthems is more akin to a cult of personality of a large gay male following for some particular diva-style pop music vocalists who are almost always female gay icons.
  • Overcoming hardship in love: Usually a narrative of a wronged lover who comes back stronger than before.
  • You are not alone: Songs about coming together as a community or reassurance to the lonely that there are others like them out there.
  • Throw your cares away: A carefree narrative about putting your troubles aside and partying.
  • Hard-won self esteem Here the themes involves fighting through oppression, darkness or fear to gain freedom, beauty or self esteem.
  • Celebrating unashamed sexuality: The theme here is of transcending cultural shame to celebrate one's sexual nature.
  • Search for acceptance: Songs about a welcoming promised land where the dream of acceptance and belonging and hope lives.
  • Torch song for the world weary: A narrative about being used, abused and surviving to tell the tale of lament.
  • Love conquers all: Tales of not giving up on love despite seemingly insurmountable odds.
  • No apologies: Here the theme revolves around defiantly living one's life despite what others may want.

Timeline

Year Song Artist(s) Reference
1920 "The Lavender Song (Das Lila Lied)" Lyrics by Kurt Schwabach [2]
1939 "Over the Rainbow" Judy Garland [3][4]
1954 "The Man that Got Away" [5]
1955 "Tutti Frutti" Little Richard [6]
1957 "Somewhere (There's a Place for Us)" From the musical West Side Story [1][4]
1960 "As Long as He Needs Me" Shirley Bassey [1][4]
1966 "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" Dusty Springfield [1]
1970 "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Diana Ross [1]
1972 "Maybe This Time" Liza Minnelli [1]
1975 "Free Man" South Shore Commission [7]
1976 "Dancing Queen" ABBA [1][4]
"Turn the Beat Around" Vicki Sue Robinson [1]
1977 "I Feel Love" Donna Summer [8]
"Jet Boy, Jet Girl" Elton Motello
1978 "Glad to Be Gay" Tom Robinson Band [9]
"I Will Survive" Gloria Gaynor [10][11][4]
"Y.M.C.A." Village People [12]
"You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" Sylvester [4]
1979 "Boys Keep Swinging" David Bowie [4]
Don't Stop Me Now" Queen [4]
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) ABBA [4]
"Go West" Village People [4]
"If You Don't Want to Fuck Me (Then Baby Fuck Off)" Jayne County [1]
"No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand [1]
"Take Me Home" Cher
"We Are Family" Sister Sledge [13]
1980 "I'm Coming Out" Diana Ross [14][4]
1982 "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" Jennifer Holliday [1]
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" Culture Club [4]
"It's Raining Men" The Weather Girls [1][4]
1983 "Hand in Glove" The Smiths [15]
"Holiday" Madonna [1]
"I Am What I Am" Gloria Gaynor [16][4]
"So Many Men, So Little Time" Miquel Brown [1][4]
1984 "Like a Virgin (song)" Madonna [1][4]
1985 "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin [1]
"Into the Groove" Madonna [4]
1986 "¿A quién le importa?" Alaska y Dinarama [17][18][19][20][21]
"Greatest Love of All" Whitney Houston [1]
"So Macho" Sinitta [4]
"True Colors" Cyndi Lauper [22][23]
1988 "A Little Respect" Erasure [1]
1989 "Express Yourself" Madonna [4]
1990 "Justify My Love" Madonna [24]
"Vogue" [4]
1991 "Finally" CeCe Peniston [1]
1992 "Deeper and Deeper" Madonna [4]
1993 "Go West Pet Shop Boys [4]
1994 "Secret (Madonna song)" Madonna [4]
1995 "Human Nature (Madonna song)" Madonna
1997 "Free" Ultra Naté [1]
Desatame Monica Naranjo
1998 "Outside" George Michael [4]
1999 "Believe" Cher
"Strong Enough"
2000 Sobrevivire Monica Naranjo
"Music_(Madonna_song)" Madonna
2001 "Can't Get You Out of My Head" Kylie Minogue [4]
"Song For The Lonely" Cher
"Your Disco Needs You" Kylie Minogue [25]
"What It Feels Like For A Girl" Madonna [4]
2002 "¿A quién le importa?" Thalía [26]
"Beautiful" Christina Aguilera [27][28][29]
"Endangered Species" Dianne Reeves [30]
2003 "Defying Gravity" From the musical Wicked [31]
2004 "Take Your Mama" Scissor Sisters [4]
2005 "Hung Up" Madonna [4]
2008 Amor Y Lujo Monica Naranjo
2010 "All the Lovers" Kylie Minogue
"Dancing on My Own" Robyn [32]
"Firework" Katy Perry [33]
"Raise Your Glass" P!nk [34]

Bibliography

  • Gay Anthems (Book & CD). Music Sales Ltd. ISBN 071199742X
  • Leila J. Rupp, Verta Taylor. Drag Queens at the 801 Cabaret. University Of Chicago Press, May 15, 2003. ISBN 0226731588

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Simon Gage, Lisa Richards, and Howard Wilmot. "Queer". pp. 26-7. ISBN 1560253770. Retrieved 2009-04-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Sarah Lippek. "Disrupted Values, Erupting Culture: Cabaret and the Sexual Persona in Weimar Berlin". Social Science Research Network. p. 13. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  3. ^ Richard Dyer. "Judy Garland and Gay Men". Queer Cinema ed. Harry M Benshoff and Sean Griffin. p. 162. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab "The pink hit parade: Sing if you're glad to be gay". The Independent. London. 2006-11-01. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  5. ^ Michael Bronski. "Culture Clash: The Making of Gay Sensibility". Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  6. ^ Joanna Frueh, "Tarts, Stars, Jewels, and Faries," Art Journal, Vol. 58, No. 4. pp. 88-89. College Art Association. Winter 1999.
  7. ^ Tim Lawrence. ""I Want to See All My Friends At Once: Arthur Russell and the Queering of Gay Disco" (PDF). University of East London. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  8. ^ Benjamin Genocchio (February 19, 2006). "Exploring the Effects of Disco's Beat" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  9. ^ Peter Tatchell. "Not Glad to Be Gay?"
  10. ^ Elizabeth Kaminski and Verta Taylor. "We're Not Just Lip-synching Here: Music and Collective Identity in Drag Performances". Identity Work in Social Movements, p. 58. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  11. ^ Nadine Hubbs. "'I Will Survive': musical mappings of queer social space in a disco anthem". Popular Music, 26 , pp 231-244. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  12. ^ Jeff Perlman. ""Y.M.C.A." (An Oral History)". Spin magazine. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  13. ^ Sasha Roseneil. "Queer Frameworks and Queer Tendencies: Towards an Understanding of Postmodern Transformations of Sexuality". Sociological Research Online, vol. 5, no. 3. Retrieved 2009-04-26.(subscription required)
  14. ^ Andrew Dawson. "The mining community and the ageing body". Realizing community Ed. By Vered Amit, European Association of Social Anthropologists. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  15. ^ Warnes, A. "Black, white and blue: The racial antagonism of The Smiths' record sleeves," Popular Music, 2007. Cambridge University Press.
  16. ^ Verta Taylor and Leila J. Rupp. "When the Girls Are Men: Negotiating Gender and Sexual Dynamics in a Study of Drag Queens". Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 2005, vol. 30, no. 4. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  17. ^ "Grandes himnos gay. Great Gay Anthems".
  18. ^ "'A Quien Le Importa Cancion gay".
  19. ^ "Musica Gay".
  20. ^ "Best Gay Anthem".
  21. ^ "Fangoria documentary".
  22. ^ Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles -anti-bullying music video - Performing Arts Live
  23. ^ Pink, Katy Perry and Ke$ha songs all angle to become gay anthems, but will they? | Gossip, Theater, Sports & Politics About & For Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Women | AfterEllen.co...
  24. ^ Samantha C. Thrift. "Appropriate the Stereotype: Cultural Appropriations and the Queer, Lesbian, and Gay Spectatorships of Madonna and Martha Stewart". thirdspace, volume 2 issue 2 (March 2003). Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  25. ^ Llewellyn, Caspar (2006-11-02). "Reveal your gay anthems to the world | Music | guardian.co.uk". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2010-09-1. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  26. ^ Joseph A. Kotarba, Jennifer L. Fackler, and Kathryn M. Nowotny. "An Ethnography of Emerging Latino Music Scenes," Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 32, No. 4. Fall 2009. University of California Press.
  27. ^ Hawgood, Alex (2010-11-05). "Ke$ha and Katy Perry Sing for Gay Rights". The New York Times.
  28. ^ Pink, Katy Perry and Ke$ha songs all angle to become gay anthems, but will they? | Gossip, Theater, Sports & Politics About & For Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Women | AfterEllen.co...
  29. ^ Christina Aguilera, a ‘Bionic’ Gay Advocate?
  30. ^ "Rhapsody in Rainbow: Jazz and the Queer Aesthetic". Jazz Times. December 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-27.
  31. ^ Gay Anthems: Singing it loud and proud | Celebrity Features | Bollywood Celebs Features
  32. ^ "Robyn: "Sorry, I'm Straight!"". The New Gay. 2010-08-04. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  33. ^ "Katy Perry's misfire". Sydney Star Observer. 2010-11-23. Retrieved 2010-11-27.
  34. ^ [1]
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