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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