16. Steve Grand, “All-American Boy”

[All American Boy, 2015]

A male country artist who is gay? Do those even exist? Nah, it can’t be!  In the case of Steve Grand, he is indeed gay. Grand did something that no mainstream country artist would dare do – he recorded a same-sex love song, “All-American Boy” in 2013.  GASP!!!  Love songs are commonplace in country music, where hunky male artists sing about wooing girls.  Steve Grand has the “hunky” part of the equation down, but the fact that the object of his affection was male shocked the world.

“Ripped jeans, only drinks whiskey / I find him by the fire while his girl was getting frisky, oh / I say we go this road tonight…”

All said and done, the one thing that truly separates “All-American Boy” from any other country love song is the fact that Grand was honest about his preferences.  For country music, that’s huge.  There are simply few country songs that address the LGBTQ community. Grand has filled a gap and initiates the discussion.  “All-American Boy” appeared on Grand’s full-length album that was quietly released in 2015.

“Be my all-American boy tonight / where every day’s the fourth of July / and it’s alright, alright / and we can keep this up ‘til the morning light / and you can hold me deep in your eyes / it’s alright, alright / so be my, be my / my all-American boy.”

17. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert, “Same Love”

[The Heist, 2012]

Rap music isn’t the go-to for LGBT friendly music.  Arguably, hip-hop is less receptive than country music.  Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, with the help of gay singer/songwriter Mary Lambert aimed to shift the perception with “Same Love.” Macklemore isn’t gay (despite the fear of stereotypes), but supports the LGBT community wholeheartedly.

“For those that like the same sex had the characteristics / the right-wing conservatives think it’s a decision / and you can be cured with some treatment and religion / man-made, rewiring of a predisposition, playing God.”

Throughout the song, he references the fears that folks have about same-sex relationships and how hip-hop is on the wrong side of the issue.

“America the brave still fears what we don’t know / and ‘God loves all his children’ is somehow forgotten / but we paraphrase a book written thirty-five hundred years ago / I don’t know.”

Lambert locks down “Same Love” on the hook, specifically the lyric, “She keeps me warm.”  Interestingly, Lambert – who appears earlier on this list – has her own expansion of “Same Love,” “She Keeps Me Warm.”

18. Panic! At The Disco, “Girls/Girls/Boys”

[Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die, 2013]

Brendon Urie is fearless – there is no other way to describe it.  Urie and Panic! At The Disco delivered one of his most risqué singles of its career with “Girls/Girls/Boys.” The single, not to mention Urie’s revelation of sexual experimentation caused the media to label him as bisexual. While he isn’t gay or bi-, he is on board with the freedom to be and do what you would like.

“Girls/Girls/Boys” embraces  bisexuality, from a girl’s perspective:

“And never did I think that I / would be caught in the way you got me / But girls love girls and boys / and love is not a choice.”

Later on, Urie admits to interfering with his love interest’s preferences:

“I’m just a villain vying for attention from a girl / a girl who can’t decide / and here’s the reason why / girls love girls and boys / girls love girls and boys.”

While Urie proclaims himself to be the villain, in this case, he’s ultimately thinking bigger. Since “Girls/Girls/Boys” is a bisexuality anthem, his suggests those interfering with people choosing who to love – judgmental or otherwise – are the villains.

19. Sara Bareilles, “Brave”

[The Blessed Unrest]

“Brave” is arguably the most inspirational song on this list.  “Brave” was specifically written about coming out.  Interestingly, it’s not about Bareilles coming out, but a friend, according to The Huffington Post article cited linked above. Regardless, it is an anthem applicable to any number of situations – wide-reaching by all means.  The chorus soars:

“Say what you wanna say / and let the words fall out / honestly, I wanna see you be brave / with what you want to say / and let the words fall out / honestly I wanna see you be brave.”

Beyond the chorus, the verses yield their own fair share of uplifting, empowering lyrics of overcoming adversity:

“Everybody’s been there / everybody’s been stared down by the enemy / fallen for the fear / and done some disappearing…maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live / maybe one of these days you can let the light in / show me how big your brave is.”

Bareilles “hits it out of the park” on the bridge:

“And since your history of silence / won’t do you any good / did you think it would? / let your words be anything but empty / why don’t you tell them the truth.”

20. Lady Gaga, “Born This Way”

[Born This Way, 2011]

Lady Gaga says it best at the top of “Born This Way”:

“It doesn’t matter if you love him, or capital H-I-M / just put your paws up / cause you were born this way.”

Ultimately, “Born This Way” is an anthem that celebrates every person being special, regardless of sexual preference or otherwise.

“I’m beautiful in my way / cause God makes no mistakes / I’m on the right track, baby / I was born this way / don’t hide yourself in regret / just love yourself and you’re set / I’m on the rick track baby / I was born this way.”

Final Thoughts

All in all, the hope is that this particular article was informative and serves a springboard to do further research. There are many more songs that incorporate these issues, not to mention other issues relevant to society.  The power and reach of music shouldn’t be written off.  These 20 songs – a small sample – show the impact of music.

Photo Credit: Island