Gay-themed music videos are not a new phenomenon. From The Village People to Queen, music artists have been “camping” up their clips for decades. What has changed though is the meaning behind the songs behind the videos which are now using the platform to promote social change, recount stories of same-sex relationships and encourage self-love. While it would be easy to compile a list consisting of Katy Perry, Madonna, Kylie Minogue or Lady Gaga, here is The Top 5 Modern Gay Videos as compiled by The Modern Gay:
5. Christina Aguilera – Beautiful
The year was 2004, Carson Kressley was the best looking gay on television and I was a teenager who had never seen two men passionately kiss on commercial television. That is until Christina Aguilera released her power ballad “Beautiful” which caused a stir with its accompanying music video that depicted two young men kissing on a bench.
4. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – Same Love
Rap music is not traditionally known for its support of gay issues which is why Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ summer hit “Same Love” turned the genre on its head. The political protest was a Top 10 hit and beautifully demonstrated how music can reflect social issues of the time.
3. Eli Lieb – Young Love
While other good looking gay artists with guitars have recently released songs about their same-sex attraction, Eli Lieb has managed to create a music video that keeps it sweet and innocent, creating an honest video for a beautiful song that doesn’t come across as shameless self-promotion.
2. Ivri Lider – Bo (Let’s)
Openly gay Israeli singer Ivri Lider released his version of Rita’s “Bo (Let’s)” as the title track for the 2002 gay-themed movie “Yossi and Jagger”. The music video is a montage of scenes from the Hebrew language movie that follows the relationship of two gay soldiers posted on the Israel-Lebanon border.
1. Cosmo Jarvis – Gay Pirates
Although straight, UK singer Cosmo Jarvis’ 2010 single “Gay Pirates” is about two pirates who happen to be in love with each other. In the music video, which Jarvis directed and starred in, the pirates are tortured by their fellow crewmen and finally sentenced to death. When asked in an interview by AfterElton where a straight man comes up with the idea of a song about gay pirates, Jarvis responded
“So if one in ten guys today is gay, then one in ten guys back then must have been gay, so I was just thinking there must have been gay pirates, although pirates were very tolerant toward homosexuals for the most part. But if you did end up on a boat in the middle of the ocean and you can’t run anywhere and everybody is totally against the idea of you having a partner on the boat, I felt that it was the worst thing that could happen to somebody who was gay”.
And here’s an extra video just for the fun of it…
J-Pee – I’m Not Gay
If you have any suggestions for songs that were not on the list, make sure to post a link in the Comments section.
THE MODERN GAY GUIDE TO LIFE 