(Yes, he knows the lyrics “don’t make sense at all” in a baseball context.) The song became his 2020 walk-on, then his personal anthem, and it eventually caught on with the team. “The beat of it, the flow of it, puts you in a good mood,” Plawecki told the Times. Andrew Benintendi, who now plays for the Kansas City Royals, introduced the song to Red Sox catcher Kevin Plawecki, who became an immediate fan. Per a New York Times story on the team’s new anthem, the love stemmed from a few players living together at the beginning of the 2020 season. The team has been using a Tiësto remix of the Calum Scott cover as its signature celebration song throughout its playoff run. Unless you’re the 2021 Boston Red Sox, that is. Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” has a pretty specific use as one of the best crying-in-the-club anthems of this century. And yes, dancing to it alone will fill that space in your soul.Photo: Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images Vincent also re-released a track from the album, “Slow Disco,” remixing and rebranding it to be a gay dance floor anthem. Similarly, tracks like “Smoking Section” and “Young Lover” that examine both sides of life and death are tied up in the enthralling k-hole that is this queer-as-fuck record.įor Pride month, St. Songs like “Pills” are appropriate accompaniments to modern-day existence, and there’s a sense of rebellion when one takes their medication to it.
With Masseduction, Clark examined the spectrum of sexuality, power and vulnerability in losing yourself to love and to life is such an intensely - but not exclusively - queer experience.Ĭlark herself has spoken of *Masseduction’ being the most personal album she’s ever done, and while each in the past have been from a different internal storyteller, it’s with this album that her overall vision comes to light. Vincent) is one of the better known artists on the list, but I’d feel strange not including a record like Masseduction - not when the “dominatrix in a mental institution” narration is so fucking relatable. They provide an alternative to “gay icons” who are far from that and an oasis of medicine for the most lost of souls.Īnnie Clark (aka St. These 10 records - and it was hard as hell to limit it to only that - are just a piece of a soundtrack for the queer kids who’ve always felt slightly off-kilter, those of us who see name, face and lyrics we can’t recognize in ourselves. These queer albums are a testament to the vast spectrum of being just that: of being queer, openly or quietly, from inside of the closet of a recording booth, or a stage swathed in silk and glitter and sequins that never come off. Unsurprisingly, before the rise of mainstream pop artists like Hayley Kiyoko, Years & Years and Sam Smith, there was a whole queer subculture whose music defined and continues to define many a queer youth. To respond to the attempted shaming, he stepped out with a video for “Outside,” flipping the narrative while adding another classic queer tune for pre-Pride repertoires.Īs much as I love Robyn - “Dancing On My Own” will make it onto any number of my Pride-related playlists - there’s a gray area in the world carved out for alternative artists: In the late ’90s, the media attempted to shame George Michael for a decision he (and thousands of others) made: publicly coming out.