[30 Day Song Challenge] Day 7: A Song That Reminds Me of a Certain Event
I can’t remember which of the first two out gay men I ever met put the Communards version of “Don’t Leave Me This Way” on a mix tape for me. I’ve lost both tapes, which is a shame, because they were both awesome mixes. I think it may have been one of the gay boys from Indiana who participated in the rousing renditions of “Express Yourself,” but it could have been the first man I went on a date with, a college student who was perfectly nice but whose entire existence scared the bejeezus out of me. Whoever it was, the song became my go-to singalong favorite of 1992, the year I came out. I think the Thelma Houston version is better in all ways and the Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes version is stellar, but none of those musicians is a fabulously, awesomely queer gay man like Jimmy Somerville is. His version is my coming out song. Every time I hear it, I’m thrilled by the possibilities of the universe. Also, the video is bitchin’.
At a recent outing to a mixed dance club in Portrero Hill, I was struck at how the girls of today are not only embracing the fashions of the 80’s but making a distinct effort to look like Fran Drescher. So when “Don’t Leave Me This Way” came on, I kind of assumed there would be a packed dance floor. Instead it cleared out, leaving mostly gay men happily bouncing around and singing together. The song brings back many memories for me too of a jammed packed dance floor at the old Pavillion in the Pines.