VIBE CHECK: Songs To Add To Your Pride Anthem Playlist
Do you know what’s exciting about June? We get to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community with Pride! It’s that time of the year when we don’t give a hoot about anything homophobic. Just queer sexuality, identity, and self-expression are celebrated.
With or without a celebratory bash, of course, we won’t let this pass by without good music. Entertaining pride anthems and LGBTQ+ songs with danceable beats that will start the party and make your friends shout their lungs out must be chosen in order to establish a powerful yet fun ambiance. That’s why I’ve made a compilation of songs—many of which feature well-known LGBTQ artists.
VIBE CHECK: Songs To Add To Your Pride Anthem Playlist
1. True Colors – Cyndi Lauper
True Colors, a song covered by a variety of artists, was originally written and recorded by Cyndi Lauper. A clear song that encourages you to be who you are. The song has a somewhat gloomy tone, yet it conveys a strong message of not getting disheartened by the opinions of others about yourself. The best part of the song’s lyrics is the line “your true colors, true colors are beautiful, like a rainbow” as it seeks to convince you that everything about you—including your true attitude and personality—is lovely, regardless of what color it is.
2. Express Yourself – Madonna
This Madonna and Stephen Bray song is about the emancipation of women. Just the opening verses of the song urge you to choose the love that could make you feel like a queen rather than settling for anything less. Because as a woman, you should know what you want and what you deserve. Although ‘girls’ are specifically mentioned in this song, it is not only directed towards women. This song appeals to all genders.
3. I’m Coming Out – Diana Ross
The time has come for me
I have to shout
To break out of the shell
That I am coming out
“I’m Coming Out” is a song that resists hiding one’s true self and has been hailed as one of the hit LGBT anthems. Being publicly gay and coming out of the closet are the track’s main themes. Despite the fact that the singer, Diana Ross, is originally unaware that it is a gay song, it still gained popularity in the 1980s as a means of empowering the gay community.
4. This Is Me – Keala Settle
Look out ‘cause here I come
And I’m marching to the beat I drum
I’m not scared to be seen
I make no apologies
This is me
If there’s one song on this list that the gay community can shout to showcase their acceptance of themselves, this is it. Sung by Keala Settle, this is about a powerful and inspirational story of self-acceptance. This is one of the anthems that empowers its listeners to be proud of themselves, to defend themselves, and be brave in facing the world’s insults without drowning in them. So gals, scream “This is me!”, ignore what the world says, and embrace who you are.
5. Born This Way – Lady Gaga
Whether you’re broke or evergreen
You’re Black, white, beige, chola descent
You’re Lebanese, you’re Orient
Whether life’s disabilities left you outcast, bullied, or teased
Rejoice and love yourself today
‘Cause, baby, you were born this way
The unwavering LGBT hymn by Lady Gaga is up next!
Who has not heard of Born This Way? This is known as one of the best pride anthems. In addition to having a catchy beat, this song’s message to the listeners is also very obvious. To embrace who you are without regard for what others may feel or say. Everyone is born exactly as they were meant to be, whether it is their destiny to be straight, gay, bisexual, lesbian, or anyone they’d want to be identified with—everyone is born exactly as they were meant to be. People will always throw rocks at someone, so you should just “rejoice and love yourself today”.
6. Dancing Queen – ABBA
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
Want to add something that could fire up the night like you’re in a disco-dance setting? Even if you weren’t alive yet when “Dancing Queen” was penned, I’m confident you are familiar with it. You will definitely want to dance to this song because of its upbeat vibe. The mood is usually fun and easygoing once this anthem is played. You just feel like you’re flying through the night. So, don’t forget to include this tune in your playlist!
7. Supermodel – RuPaul
It doesn’t matter what you wear
They’re checking out your savoir faire (ooh, ooh, ooh, yeah)
And it don’t matter what you do
‘Cause everything looks good on you
Familiar with drag queens? If yes, you probably would have also known RuPaul (Rupaul Andre Charles).
Originally released by RuPaul in 1993, “Supermodel (You Better Work)” is a satirical dance song about the fashion industry. The song basically tells the story of a young woman who succeeds as a model. RuPaul, the singer, exhorts the main character to work it on the runway. The song’s lyrics stress that appearances don’t matter and that the protagonist looks fine in everything. In the end, the song’s message is to accept who you are and make the most of it. Thus making this one of the most known of the pride anthems.
8. Ain’t It Fun – Paramore
Ain’t it fun living in the real world?
Up next is a great song to sing along to! The central theme of the song called ‘Ain’t It Fun’ is living with reality while having freedom in the real world. While this song is encouraging you to appreciate the freedom you enjoy, it also intends to remind you that the world does not always revolve around you. I genuinely believe that this is one of the enjoyable tunes that may raise the partygoers’ moods. You can immediately feel from the song’s beat the freedom implied by its lyrics. Well as we all know, what the LGBT community needs among other things, is to be free.
9. Who Says – Selena Gomez
You made me insecure
Told me I wasn’t good enough
But who are you to judge
When you’re a diamond in the rough
Have other people ever judged you? Have you been made fun of and subjected to harsh judgments? Well, disregard that crap! Listen to Selena Gomez’s song “Who Says,” and you’ll be inspired to discover and admire your inner beauty. This song has become an anthem of self-love and body acceptance, and it continues to inspire others, which is why this song is often not just uplifting, but also emotional.
10. You Need To Calm Down – Taylor Swift
‘Cause shade never made anybody less gay so…
I don’t want to be biased in creating this list but in my opinion, I’d say this song is the boldest gay anthem! Thanks to its music video, it also emphasizes the message it wants to convey. This song served as Taylor’s platform for raising awareness of her Equality Act petition. Few artists who share Taylor Swift’s advocacy for equality made cameo appearances in the song video. The song itself advocates for equality and criticizes homophobic individuals and haters similarly, calling out the minority who rally against LGBTQ acceptance. gay marriage, and Pride marches. In the video’s closing credits, she included a shout-out to the Equality Act that says “Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all of our citizens equally.”
