What makes a gay anthem?

Vulture might have killed the song of the summer back in 2016, but if you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s hard to argue against “Padam Padam” by Kylie Minogue. The track, released this May, has taken the queer community by storm, quickly becoming ubiquitous and inescapable – it's hard to even scroll on Twitter without a well-timed meme about the "padam-ic" popping up on the timeline. However, Minogue's song hasn't even cracked the Billboard Hot 100; instead, its status has morphed into that of a "gay anthem," a song widely celebrated inside the community but unable to garner longstanding success outside of it.

This episode of Switched on Pop, producer Reanna Cruz tackles a question that the LGBTQ+ community has debated over for decades: what makes a gay anthem? Through talking with everyone from academics to their close friends, the answer takes us from Judy Garland to 1920s cabaret to, of course, "Padam Padam."

Songs Discussed:

Kylie Minogue – Padam Padam

Édith Piaf – Padam padam

Kylie Minogue – Supernova

Mischa Spoliansky – Das lila Lied (The Lavender Song)

Queen – I Want To Break Free

Lady Gaga – Born This Way

London Philharmonic Choir – Amazing Grace

Traditional – God Save The King

Queen – We Are The Champions

Tom Robinson Band – Glad to be Gay

Diana Ross – I'm Coming Out

Judy Garland – Alone Together (Live At Carnegie Hall/1961)

Countess Luann – Chic C'est La Vie

Judy Garland – The Trolley Song

Lady Gaga – La Vie En Rose

Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy

Village People – Y.M.C.A.

Sylvester – You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)

Miquel Brown – So Many Men, So Little Time

Depeche Mode – Never Let Me Down Again

The Weather Girls – It's Raining Men

Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive


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