What makes a gay anthem?

Jun 27, 2023, 09:00 AM

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 –...

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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