I expect simple behaviours here. Friendship, and love. Any advice should be from the perspective of the person asking, not the person giving! We have had to make new membership moderated to combat the huge number of spammers who register
Location: USA
Registered: November 2008
Messages: 973
I guess the movement just hasn't made it this far.
A coupla decades ago, I got excited by what sounded like a male voice singing "Somebody's Knockin". It was by Terri Gibbs. I thought it was a guy singing about a guy, but it was just a lady, who has that kind of voice.
Location: Israel
Registered: October 2004
Messages: 1367
Well, this wasn't a song with gay lyrics, but when a man sings it...
In Eytan Fox's movie "Bubble" Ivri Lider sings a song and it is invested with completely different meaning, while not a word of the lyrics has been changed. You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3AJnHBQ4rY
(Ivri Lider is one of Israel's most popular singers and since he came out of the closet a few years ago he has become almost a gay icon in Israel.)
J F R
The paradox has often been noted that the United States, founded in secularism, is now the most religiose country in Christendom, while England, with an established church headed by its constitutional monarch, is among the least. (Richard Dawkins, 2006)
Location: USA
Registered: November 2008
Messages: 973
I see what you mean. A lot of songs could be like this if a guy would sing them. I guess there aren't any gay singers besides Ivri. Or maybe there are, but they are loath to be frank about it. Of course Elton John sang "Daniel", but the lyrics were fixed to make Daniel be a dead older brother. My bets are that Daniel is really the straight guy Elton fell for in his youth and that has never come out because, well, he's a straight guy. That's what happened to me anyhow.
Location: Canada
Registered: December 2003
Messages: 869
... I can't say for sure if all the band members were gay but their lead singer certainly was.
I remember the flack that ensued over his very public coming-out and their concert dates, at that time, in Halifax being canceled because of it; although they did continue the tour and appeared to sellout crowds in Toronto, and elsewhere. A subsequent tour included Halifax where they appeared with no further controversy.
Despite the media coverage, I can't recall having given any thought to the actual content of their lyrics, until the early hours one morning, some years later, I was lying in bed, somewhere between being asleep and awake, sort of listening to CKFM and Peggy Graham's dusky voice as she prattled on about the album "Breakfast In America" which she was then featuring, and being startled into full consciousness through my discovering just what Roger Hodgson was actually talking about in Supertramp's "Goodbye Stranger". 30-years later, I can still remember thinking "Oh my, what will the the little old ladies and the grey-rinse set in Forest Hills Village have to say about this tune if they had any inclining about what the hell is really going on here?" The tune was a monster hit for the band, and played in rotation dozens of time a day all across Canada and I'm sure everywhere else too.
I provide for your reading and listening please links to both the lyrics, and the tune itself.
Warren C. E. Austin
The Gay Deceiver
Toronto, Canada
P.S. I should add, the their album "Even In the Quietest Moments" has long be heralded as an instrumental classic. For followers of both the Saxophone and Whistling, the album has no peers outside of perhaps Roger Whittaker. WCEA
Location: Worcester, England
Registered: January 2005
Messages: 1561
In the UK there have been a fair number of out gay singers.
Tom Robinson's iconic and groundbreaking "Glad to be Gay", of course, started it, but for me the classic gay pop song will always be Jimmy Somerville (with Bronski Beat) with "We know how it feels".
Sadly, I can't find a link to it ... so here's the tune that's set as the ringtone on my mobile phone: "There's more to love (than Boy meets Girl)". Jimmy again, this time with the Communards from 1988, which reached #20 in the UK charts. Incidentally, Richard Coles - another member of The Communards - is now an Church of England priest, and features regularly on the BBC Radio 4 "Thought for the Day" slot.
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
Location: USA
Registered: November 2008
Messages: 973
I always liked that song, but never thought of it as anything gay. Is there any hidden clue, or do we assume its gay because of Roger Hodgson's story? "Goodbye Stranger" is certainly descriptive of some encounters I had back when I was in circulation.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
Ps 133:1 NASB
I have been a fan of his throughout my adult life. The songs conger up images for me that I have experienced nowhere else. But the thing that really impresses me is his beautiful voice. It turned me on in my twenties and it still does. And he's one of those rare people who gets better looking with age, a mon avis.
If this is your cousin it's really amazing. There was another male vocalist whose voice I loved. He was a Hawaiian named Israel (IZ) Kamakawiwo'ole
Anyway, I met IZ's cousin on line in a gay chat community. It was just a guy using a Hawaiian handle and I asked him if he had ever heard IZ. I was shocked when he said that IZ was his father's little brother. I'm sure the guy was truthful because he knew the story of IZ's life and his music...and there was really no reason for his to lie about something like that. If you tell me that Roger Whittaker is your cousin, I'll believe you too. It's just amazing; I mean that degree of separation thing. Are you acquainted with somebody who is a good friend of the Queen?
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
Ps 133:1 NASB
Location: USA
Registered: November 2008
Messages: 973
"There's more to love (than Boy meets Girl)"
I never heard that before. Still, the message is quite watered down to be acceptable to society at large. Face it, "Glad to be Gay" never made it to England's top 20, did it?
I still think that there is a lot of discrimination against openly gay music on the public air waves though. Probably sponsors would object, because of public outrage and refusal to buy their products. Maybe that will change as being openly gay becomes more acceptable, and they can measure and target the gay audience.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
Ps 133:1 NASB
Location: Canada
Registered: December 2003
Messages: 869
... focuses upon both drug-abuse, 'male' prostitution and in particular 'male-on-male' encounters (aka 'hustling') nearly glorifies the latter through its' use of veiled double-entendre references throughout it's lyric.
Warren C. E. Austin
The Gay Deceiver
Toronto, Canada
Location: Canada
Registered: December 2003
Messages: 869
... and deservedly so, for his rendering of ballads such as "Durham Town" and others, Roger Whittaker has the distinction of being one of only a half-dozen or so men in the past century with a near tonally and melodically perfect 'Whistle'.
Others numbered amongst those few include the Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto, whose rendition of the tune "Ue o muite arukō" [aka Sukiyaki] took the world by storm in 1963 primarily because of that 'Whistle' and Roger Hodgson, whose whistle is best heard on three tracks from the aforementioned album "Even In The Quietest Moments" and in particular the title track, where he uses his whistle to best effect in tandem with the saxophone, the tune's only other instrument.
Roger Whittaker, it would seem, had quite a love affair with East Africa in his youth, and has featured many a theme from the region in the larger body of his work. Of particular note are two albums (recorded I believe in the late 1970's), and for the life of me I can't remember either title just at the moment (you just know I'll be doing a web-search following this post) where he uses his whistle with startling results, largely in tandem with a single woodwind instrument, which varies by tune, (just as Hodgson uses the Saxophone) several capable of bringing tears to the eyes of the listener they have such a profound effect upon them.
Warren C. E. Austin
The Gay Deceiver
Toronto, Canada
Location: Canada
Registered: December 2003
Messages: 869
... entitled "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly (Fond of Each Other)", and albeit recorded largely as his response to public and media backlash over the film "Brokeback Mountain".
Yes, Macky, that one. I was born in Staffordshire and my mother was sister to Valda Showan, Roger's mother, who married Teddy Whittaker and emigrated to Kenya. I didn't know him though. At the age of four I remember playing in the garden of our house with his sister, Betty. Apparently I called her 'Batty' but it was before I knew what batty meant.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone I knew was friends with the queen, but I can't help you further as I don't know who, if there is anyone.
Location: Worcester, England
Registered: January 2005
Messages: 1561
Macky wrote:
(snip) Face it, "Glad to be Gay" never made it to England's top 20, did it?
Well, it got a lot of airplay and TV exposure - not sure of the chart position, to be honest.
But something that did, definitely, make #1 here( for five weeks), and was overtly gay performed by a band with an openly-gay singer, was "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. OK, a new video had to be shot 'cos some places wouldn't show the original one ... but we all loved it!
Here in the UK, I really don't think that being gay has much impact on a band's commercial success: songs that are explicitly about the gay exerience, gay love, homophobia etc are no longer likely to get themselves banned, but they no longer get bought simply because they represent a small-scale rebellion by individual kids against "conventional" values. Being gay is, in short, unremarkable - and that's how I think it ought to be. And the (out gay) winner of the inaugural UK "Pop Idol" series, Will Young, certainly exemplifies that ...
Most songs, of course, are pitched so that everyone can to some extent identify with the situations (whether they are male, female, straight, gay, or anything else)- indeed, I'd argue that anything worthwhile has to transcend the specific and tend towards universality. But that's another question altogether ...
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
Location: USA
Registered: November 2008
Messages: 973
Willie Nelson! That idol of American manhood. Damn, he sure came through for us gays didn't he? The man's voice ain't fer shit, but he sure is a poet ain't 'e? Think I'll lunch at the Texas Roadhouse ta'day. Thanks Warren!
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
Ps 133:1 NASB
Location: USA
Registered: November 2008
Messages: 973
You're likely right NW. Just let gays and gay music be like everyone else's. Being singled out has never done us any good. But you would think that more arrangements of music written for female voice would be developed for men to sing and thus become gay. BUt I guess the market would just be too small.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
Ps 133:1 NASB
Location: Canada
Registered: December 2003
Messages: 869
... that I wouldn't mind seeing an artist of the likes of a Rufus Wainwright, Michael Bublé, John Mayer or Michael Crawford perform, and no suitable change in the lyrics of either would probably be necessary either; nor, is there any intended reflection of the artist's true sexual orientation in of my selected choice of performers, just that I think all or any of them would do an admirable job of either tune in their respective genres.
Lyrics | Vicki Carr lyrics - It Must Be Him lyrics
Lyrics | Grace Jones lyrics - I Need A Man lyrics
Warren C. E. Austin
The Gay Deceiver
Toronto, Canada
Location: Canada
Registered: December 2003
Messages: 869
... there really was very little doubt at the time for whom he was singing; this, not-with-standing the visually heterosexual tone of the first vidéo which I suspect arose solely out of financial considerations, and not any pressure from the record label. After all, their "Bohemian Rapsody" has the singular distinction of being the only album to ever chart number one in each and every successive decade since it's first release in the early 1970's, and no-one could ever believe (even back in 1975) that this band wasn't gay, nor that the subject matter of their catalogue wasn't probably gay-tinged as well!
Lyrics | Freddie Mercury lyrics - Love Me Like There's No Tomorrow lyrics
Should I keep digging Macky?
Warren C. E. Austin
The Gay Deceiver
Toronto, Canada
N.B. Post corrected to fix an embedding issue with the first video. WCEA
Location: USA
Registered: April 2009
Messages: 430
I get your point now, Macky. I have to admit that acceptance of gay themed songs are not going to be too popular because those songs will probably be judged as a "gay" only song. Thus openly gay and lesbian songwriters (Elton John, Green Day, Melissa Etheridge, KD Lang, Indigo Girls, and others) are writing songs for the strength of the song. Freddie Mercury singing Bohemian Raphsody doesn't for a moment stop to ponder whether it's about a gay themed issue, but that he sung a strong wrenching song. Many of Etheridge's or John's songs are truly beautiful and emotional songs and also are strong. There's going to be a strong song about a boy's first kiss with another boy. That I can hardly wait for.
Location: USA
Registered: November 2008
Messages: 973
I guess that gays just have to look at the people who write the songs and know that the theme must be gay based on the gay author.
I just remembered one band that had a very thinly veiled gay theme in their music. But in my opinion, they made a mockery of gay life. I'm speaking of the Village People and their "YMCA" and "Macho Man" sort of stuff. I am not sure if it was their intent, but all the comments I've ever heard on these songs have the tenor of gay jokes.
Yes, you can stop digging. Now that I have been reminded that Willie Nelson sang the popular country western song about cowboys falling in love, I am vindicated.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!
Ps 133:1 NASB
Location: Canada
Registered: December 2003
Messages: 869
... that the original music vidéo of the first tune "I was born to love you" was remixed in 2004 and released by the studio to include original concert footage taken from one of the Wembley concerts. This rendition is actually 'gender-neutral', with all but the most innocuous 'female' presence removed entirely.
Location: Canada
Registered: December 2003
Messages: 869
... and the "Village People" reminded me of another group prominent within Gay circles in the 1970's. Known by the name "Blowfly" they may have lacked Jacques Morali's polish and promotion skills, but more than adequately made up for it with plain old chutzpa and determination.
If I recall correctly, Weird World (their studio) released some dozen albums over a 10-year period, each one keyed to a specific theme and musical genre. Perhaps the most memorable of them was the album entitled "Blowfly does disco" which featured some dozen or so familiar tunes whereby they parodied notable dance hall hits of the 1970's. Songs that received the Blowfly treatment on the album included Ester Philips' "What a difference a day makes", reworked as "What a difference a LAY makes" and Harold Melville and The Blue Notes' "Bad Luck" styled as "Bad FUCK".
"Blowfly does Hollywood" is equally memorable, with them providing XXX gay-themed turns to a number of movie classic standards spanning several decades.
For obvious reasons I've provided no links to either their vidéo's or lyrics; but, trust me a search on both their name and either one of the above titles will provide enough fodder to fuel many an hours worth of amusement.
Incidently back in the day, I had actually purchased the "Blowfly does Disco" album, giving it as a gift to my brother, and it became quite the cause célèbre at many a bash awash in alcohol over the next dozen years or so.
Warren C. E. Austin
The Gay Deceiver
Toronto, Canada