Pride month is in full swing! With a month dedicated to being out, loud, and proud, having a playlist to top it off is essential. June is all about celebrating being ourselves, acknowledging the hardships of the LGBT community, and encouraging those who may not be ready to come out of the closet. What better way to pay homage than having a party?
Here are ten songs to get your month of Pride started with a bang!
1. ‘Industry Baby’ – lil nas x
The criticism around ‘Industry Baby’ was primarily based on the music video. It features censored nudity along with Lil Nas X being unapologetically open about his homosexuality. Despite the backlash, the song and his Montero album served as inspiration for the LGBT community and aspiring content creators. By making the song and the video so outrageous, he stepped out of his comfort zone and expressed who he truly is through his work.
2. ‘sissy that walk’ – rupaul
Along with being a world-renowned drag queen and the main judge of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Rupaul has quite the discography. ‘Sissy That Walk’ is his most popular song. The music video features other famous drag queens such as Bianca Del Rio, Adore Delano, Courtney Act, and Darienne Lake.
The song itself is very uplifting as it is meant to build up confidence in its listeners. The song is also very campy and reminiscent of House Music. It’s a great track to get your energy going and perfect for any Pride party or event!
3. ‘vogue’ – madonna
Madonna, also called the ‘Queen of Pop’, changed the music industry’s view of women as we know it. Debuting in 1982, her music has influenced many female artists to be more open and independent with their music. Her style is passionate, driven, and in some cases, raunchy in the eyes of older generations.
‘Vogue’ was inspired by Madonna witnessing the LGBT ballroom crew, Xtravaganza, performing at a club. Voguing is a popular style of dance within the African American and Latino LGBT community and consists of moving to music while pausing periodically to strike a pose. With this song, Madonna pays homage to this culture and voguing continues to be prominent in LGBT dance communities to this day.
4. ‘i want to break free’ – queen
Freddie Mercury remains as a prominent LGBT icon in today’s day. Even though he never discussed his sexuality to the public, it was clear that he claimed his gay identity with pride. Toward the end of his life, he met Jim Hutton and fell in love before passing away from HIV/AIDS.
Surprisingly, ‘I Want To Break Free’ is not a song directed toward the LGBT community. This song is actually about a woman wanting to break free from a constraining relationship. However, many speculate that the song was a subtle hint at Freddie’s desire to be more open about his sexuality. The music video also features Freddie and his crew dressed in drag. Thus, the song has become an anthem for LGBT people, specifically those who are still in the closet.
5. ‘jenny’ – studio killers
‘Jenny’ is Studio Killers’ most popular song. It’s a simple song about a girl falling in love with her best friend, but it immediately became popular with the bisexual and lesbian community. The British-Finnish-Danish band is known for being open and accepting of the LGBT community along with its display of vibrant colors and controversial topics.
What makes ‘Jenny’ stand out from other LGBT-centric tracks is that it makes no mention of the struggles that the queer community faces. While those factors are important in queer history, this creative decision is part of the movement to make queerness more normalized. Thus, having a simple love song about a woman falling in love with another woman can bring a sense of comfort to the listeners.
6. ‘you need to calm down’ – taylor swift
Taylor Swift has been a long-time ally of the LGBT community and she makes it known with this song. ‘You Need To Calm Down’ is essentially a diss track toward homophobia and homophobic people.
The lyrics call out the people who go out of their way to express their angry at queer people and queer allies. These events primarily occur on internet platforms such as Twitter or during public protests. But Taylor pushes back by asking why they’re so mad and telling them to take a chill pill. Additionally, song is iconic for its line, “Cause shade never made anybody less gay”.
The music video is what takes the cake in this production. The setting is in a small trailer park neighborhood dawned with bright pastel colors and LGBT flags. The neighbors feature several stars such as Hannah Hart, RuPaul, Ryan Reynolds, Todrick Hall, Billy Porter, and many others.
7. ‘noel’s lament’ – ride the cyclone
Ride The Cyclone is a musical about six unsuspecting teenagers who take a ride on a deadly roller coaster. When they wake up in limbo, each one laments about the hopes and dreams they missed out on. In ‘Noel’s Lament’, Noel sings about his potential past life as a French prostitute.
Even though the musical was released in 2008, this song has become especially popular among the LGBT TikTok community. In the original production, Noel is dressed in drag throughout the number. Along with this, the lyrics are somewhat reminiscent to being transgender. Because of these factors, the song is well liked by gender non-conforming listeners.
8. ‘born this way – lady gaga
Lady Gaga has always been an artist ahead of her time. She took much of her influence from musicians such as Madonna, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, and Michael Jackson. Her music paired with her over-the-top expression is what ultimately lead to her success.
‘Born This Way’ is the very definition of a gay anthem. The lyrics have clear mention of gay, bisexual, lesbian, and transgender individuals. She also does a play on words with the line, “Don’t be a drag, just be a queen”, which pays homage to drag queens. The song also references people of color. Put simply, this is a song about self-love and self expression. You are guaranteed to hear this gay anthem at least once at your local Pride festival.
9. ‘king for a day’ – green day
‘King For A Day’ was released as part of Green Day’s Nimrod (1997) album. While it is not their most popular studio album, it is what shaped how we know the band today. Considering that LGBT topics were still considered controversial in the late 1990s, the song was ahead of its time and helped pave the way for more open discussions in media.
The song took a brave leap by being centered around a man who desires to be a woman. The lyrics connect with the experiences of several gender non-conforming individuals. The narrator tells a story of dressing in their mother’s clothes and their father sending them to conversion therapy. But in the end, the narrator prevails and grows up to be the best version of themselves.
10. ‘girls’ – girl in red
Indie Norwegian singer-songwriter Marie Ulven Ringheim, or Girl In Red, is specifically known for making music for the lesbian and bisexual community. She first debuted in 2016 with her single, ‘I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend’, and has continued pursuing her musical dreams ever since.
‘Girls’ takes a more personal approach to the LGBT experience. The lyrics are from the point of view of a girl who is realizing that she prefers to date girls instead of boys. But she struggles with accepting this knowledge because society tells her that she’s supposed to like boys. In the end, she accepts her sexuality and embraces who she is.
As previously stated, the song and the artists’ music is generally targeted at bisexuals and lesbians. But this song especially struck a chord with the whole LGBT community, as the experiences mentioned in the lyrics are universal for anyone who has had to come out as queer.
Here at Mic Drop Music, we want to know your thoughts! What do you think of these selections? What songs will you be jamming out to this Pride Month? Comment below!
