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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. UK LGBT rights charity Stonewall named Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" the most empowering song of the past decade for LGBT people.[1]

Themes

Although every song is individual, the criteria for what makes a gay anthem has shown a trend among the years. In the book Queer, the following ten main themes were listed that are common among many, if not all gay anthems:[2]

Big-voiced divas

Rather than particular songs, 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. Modern examples include Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga.

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 theme 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.

Songs

Year Song Artist(s) Reference
1920 "The Lavender Song (Das Lila Lied)" Lyrics by Kurt Schwabach [3]
1939 "Over the Rainbow" Judy Garland [4][5]
1954 "The Man that Got Away" [6]
1955 "Tutti Frutti" Little Richard [7]
1957 "Somewhere (There's a Place for Us)" From the musical West Side Story [2][5]
1960 "As Long as He Needs Me" Shirley Bassey [2][5]
1966 "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" Dusty Springfield [2]
1970 "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Diana Ross [2]
1972 "Maybe This Time" Liza Minnelli [2]
1975 "Free Man" South Shore Commission [8]
1976 "Dancing Queen" ABBA [2][5]
"Turn the Beat Around" Vicki Sue Robinson [2]
1977 "I Feel Love" Donna Summer [9]
1978 "Glad to Be Gay" Tom Robinson Band [10]
"I Will Survive" Gloria Gaynor [11][12][5]
"Y.M.C.A." Village People [13]
"You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" Sylvester [5]
1979 "Boys Keep Swinging" David Bowie [5]
Don't Stop Me Now" Queen [5]
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) ABBA [5]
"Go West" Village People [5]
"If You Don't Want to Fuck Me (Then Baby Fuck Off)" Jayne County [2]
"No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand [2]
"We Are Family" Sister Sledge [14]
1980 "I'm Coming Out" Diana Ross [15][5]
1982 "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" Jennifer Holliday [2]
"Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" Culture Club [5]
"It's Raining Men" The Weather Girls [2][5]
1983 "Hand in Glove" The Smiths [16]
"Holiday" Madonna [2]
"I Am What I Am" From the musical La Cage aux Folles [17][5]
"So Many Men, So Little Time" Miquel Brown [2][5]
1985 "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin [2]
1986 "¿A quién le importa?" Alaska y Dinarama [18][19][20][21][22]
"Greatest Love of All" Whitney Houston [2]
"So Macho" Sinitta [5]
"True Colors" Cyndi Lauper [23][24]
1988 "A Little Respect" Erasure [2]
1990 "Justify My Love" Madonna [25]
"Vogue" [5]
1991 "Finally" CeCe Peniston [2]
1993 "Go West Pet Shop Boys [5]
1997 "Free" Ultra Naté [2]
1998 "Outside" George Michael [5]
"Believe" Cher [26]
2001 "Can't Get You Out of My Head" Kylie Minogue [5]
"Your Disco Needs You" [27]
2002 "¿A quién le importa?" Thalía [28]
"Beautiful" Christina Aguilera [29][30][31][32]
"Endangered Species" Dianne Reeves [33]
2003 "Defying Gravity" From the musical Wicked [34]
2004 "Take Your Mama" Scissor Sisters [5]
2006 "Todos Me Miran" Gloria Trevi [35][unreliable source?]
2007 "Here I Am" Leona Lewis [36]
2008 "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" Beyoncé [37][unreliable source?]
"Better (Boyzone song]" Boyzone [38]
2010 "Dancing on My Own" Robyn [39][unreliable source?]
"Raise Your Glass" P!nk [40]
"All The Lovers" Kylie Minogue [41]
"My Heart Beats For Love" Miley Cyrus [42]
"We R Who We R" Ke$ha [43]
"Firework" Katy Perry [44]
2011 "Born This Way" Lady Gaga [45]
"Putting It Out There (Pride)" Wynter Gordon
"Shine" Cause and Effect [46]
"Sexy and I Know it" LMFAO [47]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.stonewall.org.uk/media/current_releases/5511.asp
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s 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)
  3. ^ Sarah Lippek. "Disrupted Values, Erupting Culture: Cabaret and the Sexual Persona in Weimar Berlin". Social Science Research Network. p. 13. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  4. ^ Richard Dyer. "Judy Garland and Gay Men". Queer Cinema ed. Harry M Benshoff and Sean Griffin. p. 162. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "The pink hit parade: Sing if you're glad to be gay". The Independent. London. 2006-11-01. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  6. ^ Michael Bronski. "Culture Clash: The Making of Gay Sensibility". Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  7. ^ Joanna Frueh, "Tarts, Stars, Jewels, and Faries," Art Journal, Vol. 58, No. 4. pp. 88-89. College Art Association. Winter 1999.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Benjamin Genocchio (February 19, 2006). "Exploring the Effects of Disco's Beat" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  10. ^ Peter Tatchell. "Not Glad to Be Gay?"
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Jeff Perlman. ""Y.M.C.A." (An Oral History)". Spin magazine. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  14. ^ 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)
  15. ^ Andrew Dawson. "The mining community and the ageing body". Realizing community Ed. By Vered Amit, European Association of Social Anthropologists. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  16. ^ Warnes, A. "Black, white and blue: The racial antagonism of The Smiths' record sleeves," Popular Music, 2007. Cambridge University Press.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "Grandes himnos gay. Great Gay Anthems".
  19. ^ "'A Quien Le Importa Cancion gay".
  20. ^ "Musica Gay".
  21. ^ "Best Gay Anthem".
  22. ^ "Fangoria documentary".
  23. ^ Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles -anti-bullying music video - Performing Arts Live
  24. ^ Pink, Katy Perry and Ke$ha songs all angle to become gay anthems, but will they? | Gossip, Theater, Sports & Politics About & For Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Women | AfterEllen.co...
  25. ^ Samantha C. Thrift. "Appropriate the Stereotype: Cultural Appropriations and the Queer, Lesbian, and Gay Spectatorships of Madonna and Martha Stewart". thirdspace, volume 2 issue 2 (March 2003). Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  26. ^ "El mejor HIMNO GAY!". listas.20minutos.es. 8/29/2008. Retrieved 11/3/2011
  27. ^ Llewellyn, Caspar (2006-11-02). "Reveal your gay anthems to the world | Music | guardian.co.uk". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2010-09-1. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  28. ^ Joseph A. Kotarba, Jennifer L. Fackler, and Kathryn M. Nowotny. "An Ethnography of Emerging Latino Music Scenes," Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 32, No. 4. Fall 2009. University of California Press.
  29. ^ Hawgood, Alex (2010-11-05). "Ke$ha and Katy Perry Sing for Gay Rights". The New York Times.
  30. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a313129/christina-aguilera-tops-empowering-song-poll.html
  31. ^ http://jointheimpactma.com/?p=715
  32. ^ http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/04/02/it-gets-better-columbus-gay-mens-chorus-and-columbus-childrens-choir
  33. ^ "Rhapsody in Rainbow: Jazz and the Queer Aesthetic". Jazz Times. December 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-27.
  34. ^ Gay Anthems: Singing it loud and proud. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); External link in |Bollywood Celebs Features
    35. <li id= and |accessdate= (help); Text "Celebrity Features" ignored (help); line feed character in |Bollywood Celebs Features] <li id= at position 187 (help); line feed character in |accessdate= at position 17 (help)
  35. ^ [1]
  36. ^ http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:3MTQsEsoV7cJ:www.advocate.com/printArticle.aspx%3Fid%3D200762+raise+your+glass+gay+anthem&cd=15&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com
  37. ^ http://www.sdgln.com/entertainment/2011/01/03/video-kylie-minogue-defends-gay-kissing-all-lovers-video
  38. ^ http://www.sdgln.com/entertainment/2010/06/24/miley-cyrus-dedicates-song-her-lgbt-fans
  39. ^ http://www.out.com/features/2011/05/Robyn-Pop-Goes-The-Damsel/?slideshow_title=Robyn-Pop-Goes-The-Damsel&theID=4
  40. ^ http://www.out.com/features/2011/05/Robyn-Pop-Goes-The-Damsel/?slideshow_title=Robyn-Pop-Goes-The-Damsel&theID=4
  41. ^ "'Born This Way': The New Gay Anthem?". MTV. 2010-11-23. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
  42. ^ {{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/itgetsbetterproject?sk=wall&filter=2
  43. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyx6JDQCslE
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