Happy Pride Month everyone!
For those who don't know, June is the month where the LGBTQ+ community celebrates themselves and the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
There are a lot of ways to celebrate Pride Month. Supporting queer art and creators, going to parades and parties, wearing rainbow colored things. But the way a lot of people celebrate Pride Month is by listening to Pride anthems.
Here are the quintessential Pride Month anthems.
1. (Pride) A Deeper Love - Aretha Franklin
File:Arethafranklin.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.orgThis song is literally called "Pride", how is it not a Pride Month anthem? It is also a great motivational song about not letting the daily struggles of life get you down. Lastly, it reminds you to have pride and self-love when things get hard. Oh, and it's got great vocals from the Queen of Soul, but you probably already knew that, even if you've never heard the song.
2. I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross
I'm Coming Out — Diana Rosswww.youtube.comThe Boss, Diana Ross, gave us the coming out anthem we all need. While it might not be about the coming out process, specifically, it might as well be. Coming out is a difficult process, and this is a great song to find comfort in during that part of your life. It also encourages you to not hide or feel ashamed in your sexuality.
3. Vogue - Madonna
I mean, come on. Madonna has been an ally of the queer community since before it was cool. She was supporting the queer community back during the AIDS crisis, and was heavily influenced by the ballroom and drag community. "Vogue" was originally a song on the soundtrack for the movie "Dick Tracy", but nobody actually remembers that, because the song is so amazing. This song introduced the world to an integral part of the queer community, and allowed all of us to attempt the video's choreography and fail at it. Madonna also featured several queer POC ballroom figures in the video and in her live performances, proving that she is always ahead of the curve.
4. Born This Way - Lady Gaga
From a Madonna song, to a song that Madonna called "reductive." Just kidding! But not really! I mean, what can I say about "Born This Way" that hasn't already been said? It's an empowering song, and it's the first ever song to mention the trans community by name. While the video is about five minutes too long, it's still iconic. Also, there is a country version of this song on the deluxe version of the album. Don't knock it, until you listen to it. It's amazing, and Lady Gaga showcases some incredible vocals.
5. You Need To Calm Down - Taylor Swift
This song officially cemented Taylor as a queer icon and ally. The song contain lyrics supporting the queer community, and the video features so many amazing queer people and allies. Taylor also used this song to promote the Equality Act, which prevents LGBTQ+ people from being discriminated against. This song also got Taylor her second "Video of The Year", and "Best Video with a Message" at the 2019 VMAs, deservedly so.
6. Finally - CeCe Peniston
This is a great example of a '90s jam, and is a bit of an underrated Pride Month song. It's a dance track about finally, see what I did there, finding the one you're supposed to spend the rest of your life with. I think every Pride playlist needs at least one love song, because we have to celebrate queer love during this month.
7. Juice - Lizzo
Lizzo might be the most confident person to ever exist. And her music shows that. "Juice" is fun and is all about self-love, which we all need in our lives. Lizzo even put out two music videos for this song, with the second featuring queens from "RuPaul's Drag Race." If that doesn't make it a Pride Month anthem, I don't know what does.
8. Get Outta My Way - Kylie Minogue
I think the best Pride anthems are both danceable and inspirational, and this song exemplifies that. It's all about moving on from things weighing you down, and not letting anything block you. Hence the title "Get Outta My Way." This song was also sampled in Alesso's song "Cool", proving its staying power and impact.
9. Sissy That Walk - RuPaul
I mean, you could pretty much pick any RuPaul song for this list, because Ru's entire discography is Pride anthems. This is just the one I picked, and is my personal favorite. It's got motivational lyrics, and an instrumental break that is made for pretending to walk a runway. What more could you want?
10. Believe - Cher
All of Cher's music belongs to the queer community. No need for discussion. And "Believe" is the best example of this. It's both inspirational and danceable. It's also the song that introduced us to the lovely thing known as autotune, for better or worse.
