Monday Music: Born This Way
Back in the day, La Springfield actually married one of her lovers. It didn't last, but she went the extra step in her private life anyway. When she revived her career via The Pet Shop Boys this little ditty was considered her coming out song! We used to post this regularly for NY Gay Pride. Well, here it is the day after to keep the pride moving!
This Dusty Springfield single was released on June 25, 1990 in the United Kingdom one day prior to the 21st anniversary of Stonewall. It was during her Pet Shop Boys phase and about four years before she was to have another rebirth via Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction's use of "Son of A Preacher Man." By this time, it was well known that the British pop star and perennial blue eyed soul favourite was a daughter of Sappho. She has been featured often in the posts of this web log . Dusty is one of those gay personalities that has entered the movement's martyrology not because she was by any means an activist, but because she struggled with her sexuality for most of her adult life. Still she made no attempt to have a merkin and was not once remotely publicly connected to a man. She was also well known for her gay male following and because of their presence at her Royal Albert Hall concert in 1979, she declared, "Glad to see that the royalty wasn't confined to the box," referring to the royal box where Princess Margaret was seated. (Dusty had to apologize.) Dusty wasn't perfect, but she related to her sexuality much the same way many gay people do--beneath the weight of her cultural upbringing. This song puts a lot of what she (and others) went through into perspective. Homosexuality is a fact of life.
Also, noteworthy about this recording is Dan Hartman's vocal along with Dusty's. Dan died from a brain tumor that was caused by complications from AIDS in 1994 the same year Dusty was diagnosed with breast cancer which eventually took her life in 1999. Hartman's homosexuality was not revealed until his death, but he, too, has a musical legacy. With OUT magazine's recent revelation of people living in the glass closet, it is remembered that La Springfield resided there for decades. As another Stonewall anniversary approaches, it is good to shed a light on the closet door, glass and otherwise, with the hope that it opens wide.
Some people know what they wanna be
Some people see what they wanna see
Everyday needs some kind of dream
But the complexities of life escape to an ideal scene, yeah
People try to tell you how to live your life
Let the blind lead the blind
Well, that’s all right
So make up your mind
The fool or the wise
There are things in this life
Which you can’t compromise
Break away
And take the time to know your mind
And leave it all behind you
And say
That’s the way I am
Yeah - I was born this way
Can’t you see it in my eyes
Yeah, yeah, yeah
(written by geoffrey williams and simon stirling)
This Dusty Springfield single was released on June 25, 1990 in the United Kingdom one day prior to the 21st anniversary of Stonewall. It was during her Pet Shop Boys phase and about four years before she was to have another rebirth via Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction's use of "Son of A Preacher Man." By this time, it was well known that the British pop star and perennial blue eyed soul favourite was a daughter of Sappho. She has been featured often in the posts of this web log . Dusty is one of those gay personalities that has entered the movement's martyrology not because she was by any means an activist, but because she struggled with her sexuality for most of her adult life. Still she made no attempt to have a merkin and was not once remotely publicly connected to a man. She was also well known for her gay male following and because of their presence at her Royal Albert Hall concert in 1979, she declared, "Glad to see that the royalty wasn't confined to the box," referring to the royal box where Princess Margaret was seated. (Dusty had to apologize.) Dusty wasn't perfect, but she related to her sexuality much the same way many gay people do--beneath the weight of her cultural upbringing. This song puts a lot of what she (and others) went through into perspective. Homosexuality is a fact of life.
Also, noteworthy about this recording is Dan Hartman's vocal along with Dusty's. Dan died from a brain tumor that was caused by complications from AIDS in 1994 the same year Dusty was diagnosed with breast cancer which eventually took her life in 1999. Hartman's homosexuality was not revealed until his death, but he, too, has a musical legacy. With OUT magazine's recent revelation of people living in the glass closet, it is remembered that La Springfield resided there for decades. As another Stonewall anniversary approaches, it is good to shed a light on the closet door, glass and otherwise, with the hope that it opens wide.
Some people know what they wanna be
Some people see what they wanna see
Everyday needs some kind of dream
But the complexities of life escape to an ideal scene, yeah
People try to tell you how to live your life
Let the blind lead the blind
Well, that’s all right
So make up your mind
The fool or the wise
There are things in this life
Which you can’t compromise
Break away
And take the time to know your mind
And leave it all behind you
And say
That’s the way I am
Yeah - I was born this way
Can’t you see it in my eyes
Yeah, yeah, yeah
(written by geoffrey williams and simon stirling)
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