Pride Day Song of the Day - I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross

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It's World Pride Day and the festivities are shortly to get underway in New York City.  Though I won't be attending this year's celebration, I am with my LGBT brethren in spirit, as always.  Be out, be proud...Peace!

Pride Month Song of the Day - Born This Way - Lady Gaga

Don't be a drag, just be a queen!

One of the most iconic pride songs of all time is from one who, along with many many other in a long line of allies, carries the torch fiercely for those for whom she advocates.  Just yesterday, Lady Gaga made an appearance at the Stonewall Inn, on the 50th Anniversary of the riots, and gave a rousing speech to an adoring and appreciative crowd.  Here's Born This Way...

Flashback Friday Song of the Day - I'm Outta Love - Anastacia

Happy Friday!  It's World Pride Weekend, with big big celebrations all over the place, and especially here in NYC.  Here's a club anthem that I am sure will be played somewhere, sometime over the weekend.  Enjoy I'm Outta Love...

Pride Month Song of the Day - Same Love - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, with Mary Lambert

And I can't change

Even if I tried

Even if I wanted to

My love, my love, my love

She keeps me warm

She keeps me warm

She keeps me warm

She keeps me warm

Happy Pride!

Song of the Day - Celebration - Kool & The Gang

Last day of school...That is all!  Yahoo!!!

Pride Month Song of the Day - Your Loving Arms - Billie Rae Martin

Good morning and Happy Tuesday!  Here's a classic dance floor filler straight from the gay 90's.  This one got me to be a big follower of German singer-songwriter Martin, at least through her two albums that I know of.  Great artist!  Here's Your Loving Arms...

John's Summer Jams Song of the Day - WOW - Zara Larsson

Here's a hot summer jam by Swede siren Zara Larsson that'll "make your jaw drop, make your jaw drop drop."  Check out Wow...

Pride Month Song of the Day - Beautiful Stranger - Madonna

For pretty much as long as she's been around, Madonna has always been a champion of LGBT rights and this year, the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, she's been named the Stonewall Ambassador of Pride Month and will be performing next week at Pride Island, a special live music event that's held to commemorate the end of World Pride.  That said, here's a fun little shaggerific time with Madonna and Austin Powers.  Check out Beautiful Stranger...  

Pride Month Song of the Day - It's Not Right, But It's Okay (Thunderpuss Remix) - Whitney Houston

Here's a classic club anthem from none other than Miss Whitney.  Enjoy...

Flashback Friday Song of the Day - Last Night a DJ Saved My Life - Indeep

There's not a problem that I can't fix 

cause I can do it in the mix

and if your man gives you trouble 

you just move out on the double 

and you don't let it trouble your brain

cause away goes trouble down the drain...

Back in 1982 there was this hella cool jam with some catchy, funky lyrics and a hot hot hook.  Indeep's Last Night a DJ Saved My Life was the hottest song back in the day and it's still irresistible.  Check it out...

Pride Month Song of the Day - Heaven - Troye Sivan, feat. Betty Who

Without losing a piece of me

How do I get to heaven?

Without changing a part of me

How do I get to heaven?

Troye Sivan's 4th single from his debut Blue Neighborhood album is this underrated gem that speaks to an inner struggle that a lot of us deal with in our lives.  Just listen to the lyrics of Heaven...

All my time is wasted

Feeling like my heart's mistaken, oh

So if I'm losing a piece of me

Maybe I don't want heaven?

Hump Day Song of the Day - Blame It On Your Love - Charli XCX, Lizzo

Here's a hot new jam for your mid-week pick-me-up.  It's a catchy tune that's toe tappingly happy, written and performed by none other than Charli XCX, with a lil help from Lizzo.  Check out Blame It On Your Love...

Pride Month Song of the Day - Brave - Don Diablo, Jessie J

Deejay/producer Don Diablo teams up with Brit Jessie J on this hot new dance jam that's chock full of pride and inspiration.  Check out Brave... 

Pride Month Song of the Day - Let's Hear It For the Boy - Deniece Williams

It's still Pride Month and here's a classic originally from the 80's and the Footloose soundtrack, but was also featured (with singer Katy B) in the very first episode of the sizzling Showtime series Queer as Folk.  Well, I figured I'd combine the original by Deniece Williams with the theme of Pride...why not?  Here's Let's Hear It For the Boy...

Song of the Day - Dance With My Father - Luther Vandross

Happy Fathers Day to all the wonderful dads out there!

Song of the Day - I Rise - Madonna

Madame X is here!  Honestly this latest release by Madge has elicited the least excitement in me for some reason, though admittedly I did Madonna binge yesterday after listening to Madame a couple of times, which is a positive sign.  I'll save my opinions on the album for later, but in the meantime here's one of the singles from it, probably one of the most Madonnaesque tunes there.  Check out I Rise... 

Flashback Friday Song of the Day - Living For Love - Madonna

Today is a big day for Madonna fans as Madame X, the icon's 14th studio album of her career, comes out.  Because it's Flashback Friday, we're going to save a new track for tomorrow, but we've still got to celebrate somehow, and that's with Living For Love, the debut single off of her last record, 2015's Rebel Heart.  Check it out...

Pride Month Song of the Day - Shut Up - Greyson Chance

I first posted talented young LGBT singer/songwriter Greyson Chance back in April with the third single, Yours, from his latest Portraits record.  Well I've recently been turned onto the first single, which is a little more introspective, but equally as impressive.  Check out Shut Up...     

Dance Rap Song of the Day - I Know You Want Me - Pitbull

Continuing on with dance/rap songs (mixed in with Pride), we've got Pitbull and Calle 8.  Sing it with me now, one two three four, uno dos tres cuatro...

Song of the Day - Magnets - Sam Feldt, feat. Sophie Simmons

Here's a happy little pocketful of sunshine for your Tuesday.  It's Dutch deejay/producer Sam Feldt from his new EP of the same name, featuring Sophie Simmons on vocals.  Check out Magnets...

Song of the Day - Tough Love - Avicii, feat. Agnes, Vargas & Lagola

I'm never really sure how I feel about posthumous records.  On one hand, I can't help but think of the term greed, but on the other, I understand wanting to hear something that was begun and sadly never finished...a story for another time perhaps.  That being said, a posthumous album by late deejay/producer extraordinaire Avicii was just released on Friday.  The record is called TIM, after the star's real name, Tim Bergling.  This, the second single off that album is an  Avicii creation, no doubt, with a dramatic score set to equally beautiful vocals that are catchy.  Check out Tough Love...  

Pride Month Song of the Day - To Noise Making (Sing) - Hozier

Irish singer/songwriter Hozier is back with a brand new album and a brand new song.  It's the 29 year-old singer's first material since 2014's Take Me to Church and it's pretty darned good.  Check out To Noise Making (Sing)...

Pride Month Song of the Day - True Colors - Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper's True Colors is the perfect song for Pride, and I think we all need to think about that today.  You see, yesterday a story broke out of England where these two lesbians, girlfriends, were savagely attacked and beaten by four young guys on a public bus, and guess why?  Melania Geymonat posted a picture of herself and her girlfriend Chris after the attack, and it's the kind of photo that makes what happened all the more real.  Sometimes true colors are not so pretty, but then again...

The gay community has come so far since I was younger, but as we can see from this story, it's far from perfect today.  Melania and Chris were being themselves on that fateful night in May, and there's no reason for them not to have been.  Yet hopefully their story will embolden even more LGBT people to show their true colors in defiance, to be out and to be proud.  It's how we got here and it is how we will someday get to where we need to be.  Here's Cyndi Lauper...

Flashback Friday Song of the Day - Milkshake - Kelis

Good morning and Happy Friday!  Here's an iconic flashback classic all the way from 2003 and Kelis.  Oh, she's been bringing boys to the yard for sixteen years!  Here's Milkshake...

Dance Rap Song of the Day - Tambourine - Eve

One of my favorite dance rap songs of all time always gets me going.  Circa 2008, here's Eve and Tambourine...

Pride Month Song of the Day - Nightmare - Halsey

Openly bisexual singer Halsey's star continues to rise with this angst-filled anthem.  Check out the new Nightmare... 

Song of the Day - Doin Time - Lana Del Ray

We take this break from rap dance and Pride Month to bring you this sublime cover of Sublime's 1996 song Doin Time, by Lana Del Ray.  Perfection!  Check it out...

Dance Rap Song of the Day - C'mon Ride the Train - Quad City DJ's

Classic!  Happy Monday!

Pride Month Song of the Day - Absolutely Not - Deborah Cox

Canadian singer Deborah Cox is somewhat of a gay icon.  With a string of dance hits from the late 90's and beyond, her songs reside in many a gay playlist.  This hit from 2002 appeared on the Queer As Folk, Season 2 soundtrack and for good reason.  The power beats, sassy lyrics and strong vocals were typical sounds heard at the mystical Club Babylon.  Here's a live performance of Absolutely Not...

Pride Month Song of the Day - Proud - Heather Small

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Happy Pride Month!  Today is the first day in a month that celebrates people everywhere, living their lives who they were meant to be, and regardless of what anyone else thinks.  The event has become so mainstreamed these past couple of years because more and more people in this world don't really give a damn whether another person is gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or whatever, and that's an awesome thing.  Yet the struggle is not over!  Still, there are those out there who feel we are an "abomination," and have no right to even exist.  For that, we still need this month.

I first came out to my mother when I was around 20 years old, and I was lucky.  During that first conversation, she reassured me that although she knew very little about things gay, she loved me above all else and she's never shown me otherwise.  Others are not so lucky.  Many children are ostracized by their own parents, kicked to the curb for being who they are, leaving them with no place to turn.  LGBTQ youth have the highest rates of suicide of any other group.  For this, we still need this month.

Public leaders still work to prevent LGBT people from being viewed as full citizens, looking to turn the clock backward to strip away all sorts of rights that everyone is given.  Gay parents are being prevented from adopting children in all but thirteen states.  Transgender people have been banned from military service.  Even bakers who refuse to bake a cake for a gay wedding are backed by the law.  All of these things need to change, and this is why we still need this month.

Today's song is the perfect opener for Pride Month.  It's all about owning who you are and being proud of it.  No one has the right to judge who you are, except maybe whatever higher power you believe in.  So please click play below and check out an awesome tune, both musically and lyrically.  And stay tuned for more songs throughout the month celebrating LGBT pride, as well as more dance rap tunes and whatever else I find worthy enough to share.  In the meantime, here's Proud...