Gay Pride Anthems: Billboard Explains – Billboard

Members of the LGBTQ+ community have a vast soundtrack of songs at their disposal to play every year when Pride Month comes around, but what exactly makes a songs a gay pride anthem? The latest episode of Billboard Explains dives in.

Much like the LGBTQ+ community itself, gay pride anthems are incredibly diverse and span a variety of genres and are performed by a range of musicians who inspire the courage to be your most authentic self.

One of the earliest hits emblematic of gay pride was Judy Garland‘s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” As the 1970s rolled around, ABBA delivered “Dancing Queen” and Queen offered up “Somebody to Love,” which both deeply resonated with the LGBTQ+ community. And in the 1980s, Sister Sledge, Diana Ross and The Weather Girls gave way to the now-anthemic tracks “We Are Family,” “I’m Coming Out” and “It’s Raining Men,” respectively.

Of course, modern-day divas like Mariah Carey, Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera are gay icons, but it isn’t just pop singers who soundtrack Pride Month — even Disney movies like Encanto and Frozen provide inspiration, as unconventional of a choice as it may seem.

Watch the latest episode of Billboard Explains above to learn more about pride anthems and their origins.

After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and why Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” was able to shoot to No. 1 on the Hot 100.