Since it's (LGBT) Pride month, I thought that I would take a look at some of our favorite LGBT anthems. No, everyone will not like all these hits/videos. Some of them may give you a bad case of earworm. However, it cannot be denied that pop music and especially some of these LGBT anthems have been a force for positive change in our community and helped us to achieve the rights we have today. Follow me below the fold for the list and the music videos.
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Since I live in San Francisco and since many consider it the "gay capital" of the nation, here are the Village People with San Francisco. It has to be one of my favorite dance songs period. The single didn't do that well on the charts, but it was BIG hit in the discotheques of that era.
The list needs a slow ballad, so here is Christina Aguilera with Beautiful. From Wikipedia:
"Beautiful" was also a commercial success, topping the charts in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, where it was certified gold for 500,000 units shipped.
"Beautiful" has been widely embraced as an anthem by the LGBT community for its message of self-empowerment and inner beauty. An accompanying music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund, and earned Aguilera a GLAAD Media Award for its positive portrayal of gay and transgender people. In 2011, UK LGBT rights organization Stonewall named "Beautiful" the most empowering song of the previous decade for gay, lesbian, and bisexual people.
One of the controversial topics surrounding the gay movement and gay people in general is the truth that we are born this way. Our opponents dispute this as strongly as they can. Lady Gaga dealt with the issue in this song, although her major motive for releasing the song was herself. Born This Way debuted at number one on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart in early 2011, and hit number one in numerous other countries around the world as well.
Katy Perry released sort of a more upbeat version of Beautiful called Firework. It's a great song and did well on the charts as well. From Wikipedia:
Perry said that "Firework" is her favorite song on Teenage Dream.[4] She explained that:
"Now, people are coming back and almost adopting it as their own anthem, and it's hard, I think, to write an anthem that's not cheesy, and I hope that this could be something in that category. I hope this could be one of those things where it's like, 'Yeah, I want to put my fist up and feel proud and feel strong. But I also don't want to be cheesy, it's a fine line, and I think 'Firework' ... would be like the opus or my one song — if I had to pick a song to play — 'cause it has a great beat. But it also has a fantastic message.
Coming out is a big issue in the gay community. We've needed to come out to friends and family to get the rights that we have achieved today. When we've done that, it has given many of us a feeling of validation, relief, and even exhilaration for some. Here is Diana Ross and I'm Coming Out. It peaked at number five on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and hit number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Chart in 1980.
Of course, marriage equality has been a big issue in recent years (I know - that's an understatement). Macklemore and Ryan Lewis released a marriage equality anthem called Same Love (which featured Mary Lambert) in 2012. From Wikipedia:
"Same Love" was unofficially adopted as an anthem by supporters of legalizing same-sex marriage, particularly in reference to Washington Referendum 74 (R-74 or Ref 74), a Washington state referendum to approve or reject the February 2012 bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state.[citation needed]
Macklemore explained that the song also came out of his own frustration with hip hop's positions on homosexuality. "Misogyny and homophobia are the two acceptable means of oppression in hip hop culture. It's 2012. There needs to be some accountability. I think that as a society we're evolving and I think that hip hop has always been a representation of what's going on in the world right now."
My favorite gay anthem is probably Noise by Gavin Creel. It was recorded in 2011. I LOVE the song and the video.
From broadway.com:
Tony nominee Gavin Creel is a founder of Broadway Impact, the nonprofit group dedicated to marriage equality, and the handsome actor is using his musical talents to further the group's cause. Along with his writing parter Robbie Roth, the former Hair star recorded a new song about the marriage equality movement called "Noise." All proceeds from the single (which will be available for download in mid-December) will benefit Broadway Impact, so to raise awareness for the project, Creel called on his fans to appear in a music video.
What have you done today to make yourself Proud? Proud was released and became the official anthem of London's 2012 Olympics bid, but it sounds like the perfect LGBT anthem to me.
The newest LGBT pride/marriage equality anthem is by Jennifer Hudson and is called I Still Love You. This is another one with a great and moving video.
From ew.com:
Jennifer Hudson’s latest music video, “I Still Love You,” is a poignant statement on marriage equality – one you, yes, can still dance to.
The new clip, released as part of Logo’s #All50 campaign, features a gay couple on their wedding day and of one of the grooms’ fathers last-minute decision to make an appearance at the ceremony. The #All50 campaign is a platform for LGBT people and allies to stay connected with the fight to get gay marriage legalized in all 50 states.
What is your favorite LGBT (or other) anthem?
Now, on to the top comments.
TOP COMMENTS
June 23, 2015
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Flagged By Jon Sitzman:
I wish I could come up with a witty one-liner about this comment by blesscurse ... I can't because I'm still laughing too hard. Hope you enjoy! It's found in weinenkel's diary, Republicans keep making up quotes from Founding Fathers.
From Mopshell:
raincrow posted the wittiest comment I've ever read with regard to the South clinging to its racist past in Laura Clawson's diary, South Carolina isn't alone in its Confederate symbolism—or the fight to remove it. Great stuff, raincrow, and we agree!
From leu2500:
nicteis had a very eloquent comment on the change we're seeing in the aftermath of the Emmanuel Church shooting in ericlewis0's diary.
From your humble yet proud diarist:
This comment from jayden is good advice for Pastor Rick Scarborough in my diary about the pastor setting himself aflame if SCOTUS rules in favor of marriage equality.
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TOP PHOTOS
June 22, 2015
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