All of These LGBTQ Pride Anthems Will Get You on Your Feet
All of These LGBTQ Pride Anthems Will Get You on Your Feet
Pride Month serves several purposes: it's a time to reflect on all that the LGBTQ community has achieved in the fight for equality. In addition, Pride is also a time to celebrate love in all forms. And while we're at it, it's true that every party requires a good playlist packed with songs that capture the loving spirit of the season.
So what does it take for a song to become a Pride anthem? It needs to resonate with the community before it can be embraced. In the decades since the Stonewall movement, songs like Diana Ross's "I'm Coming Out" and Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful," not to mention Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" and RuPaul's "Sissy That Walk," have made queer people feel seen. Add these to your device and get ready to dance.
"Born This Way" by Lady Gaga
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Lady Gaga has always been a fierce advocate for LGBTQ equality and this 2011 song made that abundantly clear with lines like "a different lover is not a sin." By releasing this single, Mother Monster helped a generation of young queer kids learn that being different is something to be proud of. To further the message of the song, Gaga's Born This Way Foundation was established to "support the wellness of young people, and empower them to create a kinder and braver world."
"All Things (from Queer Eye)" by Betty Who
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Many of Betty Who's hits pay respect to the LGBTQ community, but her 2018 re-recording of the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy series theme song is one of her best gifts. The lyrics refer to a person in your life who can brighten up any day. It's impossible not to listen to this song and smile (or get up and dance).
"LGBT" by Lowell
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Alt-pop singer Lowell's 2014 Pride track directly targets bigotry with a chorus that repeats, "Don't hate on love." It's not quite as danceable as some of the other songs on this list, yet it still deserves the acknowledgment.
"I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross
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As if this one even requires an explanation. Ross sings all about being your authentic self with lyrics like, "There's a new me coming out/And I just had to live." There are few songs quite as fitting for the queer community than this 1979 anthem, and you really can't do a pride playlist without it.
"Girls / Girls / Boys" by Panic! at the Disco
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Brendan Urie proclaims, "girls love girls and boys and love is not a choice" in this 2013 hit celebrating bisexuality and polyamory. Urie himself came out as polyamorous in a 2018 interview with Paper magazine.
"Girls Like Girls" by Hayley Kiyoko
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LGBTQ performers have finally hit the mainstream in the music industry. Kiyoko has dropped a few singles that are unapologetically queer and undeniably catchy, including this 2015 hit where she proclaims, "Girls like girls like boys do, nothing new."
"Raining Glitter" by Kylie Minogue
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This 2018 song from Kylie's Golden album hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. With lyrics like, "no more hiding in the shadows" and "we all want the same, yeah, we're looking for that hand to hold," it should be a staple for every DJ working at a gay bar.
"Love Yourself" Sufjan Stevens
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In honor of Pride Month, Sufjan Stevens released two tracks for the queer community in 2019. "Love Yourself" won't have anybody running to the dance floor, but sometimes we could all use a song that makes us stop and reflect.
"Rainbowland" by Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton
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Miley teamed up with her godmother, Dolly Parton, in 2017 to create this song about living in a place where everyone is free to be who they are. Both women are beloved by their LGBTQ fanbase and this song feels like a love letter back to them with lines like, "We are rainbows, me and you/every color, every hue...Let's shine on through."
"This Is Me" by Keala Settle
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The Greatest Showman may have taken some creative liberties in the retelling of P.T. Barnum's story, but the music from the 2017 film is top-notch. When Keala Settle's bearded lady character belts out, "I am brave, I am bruised/I am who I'm meant to be," anybody who has ever felt like a misfit or an outcast can feel her pain.
"I Rise" by Madonna
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There's a handful of more popular songs by Madge that could've made this list (hello, "Vogue"), but "I Rise" was specifically written and recorded to honor the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, and to inspire marginalized people to stand up and fight. Madonna has been a vocal supporter of the gay community throughout her career and having an ally like her has made a huge impact.
"I Want to Break Free" by Queen
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This is kind of like the rock version of "I'm Coming Out." Freddie Mercury brings his signature vocals to this 1984 track about trying to resist falling in love with someone. Lyrics aside, the music video for the song also featured Mercury and his bandmates in drag, which adds a whole new layer to the song.
"Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera
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Aguilera's 2002 ballad about loving your imperfections is a message anyone can relate to, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. It holds a special place for the LGBTQ community because so many people are made to believe that their queerness isn't something to celebrate or be proud of.
"True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper
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Lauper is another artist who has used her platform to support the community. "True Colors" started as a song (in 1986) about loving someone for exactly who they are through lyrics like, "I see your true colors and that's why I love you." It's become something much more impactful via the True Colors United initiative, which supports LGBTQ homeless youth.
"Freedom! '90" by George Michael
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The late, great George Michael released this protest song about not forcing your beliefs onto other people in (you guessed it) 1990. Lyrics like "I don't belong to you and you don't belong to me" still serve as a reminder to anyone who thinks they have a right to tell other people how to live their life.
"I Kissed a Girl" by Jill Sobule
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Long before Katy Perry was on the scene, Jill Sobule released this folk track in 1995 about exploring same-sex attraction. Perry's track may have charted higher, but Sobule's version deserves our attention, too. Her song "Supermodel" from the Clueless soundtrack might also be worthy of a slot on your list.
"Body Was Made" by Ezra Furman
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Furman is all about breaking gender norms. He told the Telegraph in 2018, "Now that I know more about it, I don't think gender-fluidity is the right term. But I called myself that once and it is the whole tag now. I think it is a discrete…identity that involves being sometimes male, sometimes female, and sometimes neither," he said. "But I am just a male. I don't... I'm not trans[sexual] because that would mean I'm not male. I guess I just do being a man different than some." This 2015 song sends a message about taking ownership of your own body and identity, and not letting anybody else interfere with that.
"Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie
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Bowie was all about androgyny and celebrating queerness. From the opening guitar notes, "Rebel Rebel" is a song that inspires people not to be afraid of a little self-expression—even when authoritative figures in your life try to keep you down.
"We Exist" by Arcade Fire
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Arcade Fire recruited Andrew Garfield for the powerful video of this 2013 track to make one thing clear: rejecting or turning your back on people who are different doesn't erase them. Lines like, "daddy, it's true, I'm different from you, but tell me why they treat me like this?" will remind you that the fight for LGBTQ equality continues.
"King for a Day" by Green Day
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Billy Joe Armstrong is a far cry from the pop divas that have lovingly been embraced by so many queer fans, but this song from their 1997 album Nimrod is a pop-punk Pride song about a man who likes to dress in women's clothing. The line, "king for a day, princess by dawn/Just wait 'til all the guys get a load of me" is repeated in the chorus and acts as a battle cry for acceptance.
"American Pie" by Shea Diamond
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Shea Diamond preaches about acceptance and equality in this 2018 song about waiting for her piece of the American pie. She touches on people holding onto the antiquated idea of what it means to be an American in this day and age. That message is something any marginalized group can relate to.
"True Trans Soul Rebel" by Against Me!
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The power of this song from 2014 is best explained by the lead singer herself, Laura Jane Grace, during a 2016 interview with Elle. "To me, this song is coming from the darkest of places, questioning whether even God has love for a transsexual soul when the overwhelming majority of societies in the world see trans people as disgusting, sick, or diseased," she said. "Asking the question of, 'Will you ever find acceptance or understanding as a trans person?' To get up on stage and have so many people connect with the song, shout the lyrics back at me regardless of whether or not they themselves are trans or fully understand the trans experience, just seeing that they can connect with that base human need of love that we all have."
"Boyfriend" by Tegan and Sara
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Nobody wants to be another person's secret. That's the premise of this 2016 single where the openly gay twin sisters discuss being in a relationship with someone who doesn't want to take things public. Heartbreak is never fun, but they found a way to make it catchy.
"Sissy That Walk" by RuPaul
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Did you really think we wouldn't include Mama Ru? The iconic drag diva makes music with beats that inspire people to make the world their runway. "Sissy That Walk" (from 2014) reclaims the term that so many queer kids have been called as an insult. The lyrics might be about owning your femininity, but it's relatable for anyone who has tried to suppress parts of themselves to fit in.
"She Keeps Me Warm" by Mary Lambert
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This 2013 song started as just the chorus to Macklemore's "Same Love" before Lambert developed it into her debut single. She wrote the song because she wanted a love song that spoke to her experience as a gay woman. The lyrics "and I can't change, even if I tried...even if I wanted to" appear in both tracks.
"Follow Your Arrow" by Kacey Musgraves
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There's no pleasing everyone, so you might as well live your life how you want. That's the idea behind this CMA Song of the Year winner from 2013. "Say what you feel, love who you love'...Cause you just get so many trips 'round the sun" is a good mantra for living your life.
"Brave" by Sara Bareilles
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While this 2013 song feels appropriate when discussing the idea of coming out, it's also about finding the strength to speak your truth and the power you can gain from that.
"Raise Your Glass" by P!nk
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P!nk included this 2010 single on her first Greatest Hits album and it's become one of her most successful tracks. It's an invitation for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider to ban together for a toast and dance.
"Firework" by Katy Perry
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The lyrics to this 2010 pop anthem are meant to inspire everyone to realize their full potential and let it out. Mustering up the courage to speak your truth isn't easy, but there's a lot of good that can come from "igniting the light."
"Crayons" by Cupcakke
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Rappe Cupcakke never minces words, and here, she addresses heterosexual men who cheer when they see two gay women together, but not when they see two gay men. The chorus (rather explicitly) tells people to like who they like without paying any mind to naysayers. With "transgenders are people...so I'ma treat 'em equal," it's clear that she is using her voice for good. Her track "LGBT" is also worth adding to your list.
"Don't be a drag, just be a queen."
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