Jason Howard Green

Jason Howard Green

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

My LGBT History Month Soundtrack

Today is October 1 which means we have officially stepped into LGBT History Month.  October has always been one of favorite (and busiest) months.  The Phoenix Rainbow Festival happens this month.  National Coming Out day happens this month.  The AIDS Walk happens this month.  And last but not least - HALLOWEEN.

I figured I would begin the month by generating my own little list of songs to help me celebrate the month. You can call it my personal queer soundtrack, call it songs that give me life, call it whatever you want but it is my top ten list of songs to help me celebrate LGBT History Month.  I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions.

10.  VOGUE.  For many Madonna was their introduction to the ballroom scene.  For a lot of us, Vogue-ing crept into our vernacular when we saw the phenomenal documentary Paris Is Burning.  Nevertheless, Madonna does a wonderful job channeling the energy of Willie Ninja and Pepper Lebeija in this fantastic video.


9. For the past few months this song has been on heavy rotation in my house.  I love Macklemore and Ryan Lewis for flipping the script on Hip Hop and creating this anthem for Marriage Equality.  There was no way this list could be completed with "Same Love."


8.  I remember the first time I heard this song.  When I was growing up when didn't have cable so there was no MTV. If we wanted to see music videos we had to wait for the weekend, stay up late and try and catch Friday Night Videos.  That was the first time I heard this fantastic song (and witnessed the totally campy and fun video).  The Weather Girls earned the number eight spot with their classic "It's Raining Men."


7. Jennifer Hudson was amazing in Dreamgirls, simply amazing.  But I still have to give love to the original Efie White, Ms. Jennifer Holiday.  And you, and you, and you (big ghast), you're gonna love me!!! And I'm telling, us gay folks, we ain't going nowhere.


6.If you didn't know it, this song plays during the closing credits of Sister Act 2.  I remember working concessions for the movie theater on campus when I was in college.  When this song started playing I couldn't help myself.  Child I was in the lobby just dancing like I was in the only gay club.  And I remember leaving that night thinking to myself, well if they didn't know before they most certainly know now.


5.  Yes Gawd Nessa, it's Ms. Patti Labelle.  She has so many great songs but the one I chose for the list is going to be Over The Rainbow.  I love watching her singing, kicking off her shoes, rolling around on the floor and serving hair to the Gods honey.  If birds fly high, why can't I . . .


4. "At first I was afraid, I was petrified, kept thinking I could never live without you by my side."  Well guess what, I'm a survivor, I'm not gone give up, I'm not gone stop, I will love harder.  Yes, I love the Survivor anthem by Beyonce and her backup singers, but the song that makes the list is the original anthem of sustaining, Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive."


3. I'm gonna give you just a little bit of advice, sometime the only way we get through this called life is with a little help from our friends and a lotta help from our family.  And guess what, biological don't always matter.  Sometimes family are those people you accept into your life when the biological has let you down.  That's why the number three song on my list is Sister Sledge's "We Are Family."


2.  I don't how this little nugget escaped me when it was released in the 1970s.  I think it was because America just wasn't ready for it and it did not get the kind of exposure it really should have received.  But Carl Beans (who would later become Archbishop Carl Bean after he found the Unity Fellowship Church) gave us one great song when he gave us this one.  Number two on my list is "I Was Born This Way."


1. Ya'll know I love me some Diana (call her Ms. Ross).  And my number one song for celebrating LGBT History month could be no other than her hit "I'm Coming Out" and for reals, I want the world to know . . .


So that's it, that's my little queer list of songs to help with celebrating LGBT History month.  What songs would you have added?