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Gay Song Four – Rolling Stones

AC Benus

Entry posted by AC Benus

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Gay Song Four – Rolling Stones

 

Note: for this series of postings, the term 'Gay Song' refers to music written to/for/by or about Gay men or women. A second category also deals with music identified as Gay because it speaks to the heart of the Gay Experience.

 

So to make this easier, I will call them Gay in the 1st Degree (to/for/by/about), or Gay in the 2nd Degree (like Judy Garland singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow).

 

---

 

"I'm a lonesome schoolboy, and I just came into town" is how Mick Jagger's Gay Song in the 1st Degree begins. What follows is an x-rated, explicit night of cruising in London. Funny lines follow about going to Leicester Square, and then later "leaning on Nelson's Column" while coming on to a young cop.

 

C*cks*cker Blues appeared in 1970 and was a surprising hit for the Rolling Stones, but that's probably due to the fact that the song is very good. We tend to forget, or are told to ignore, how the end of the hippy age ushered in a new respect for Bisexuality as a cultural element. No place more so than in rock-n-roll were men seeking out love and sex with other guys seen as so cool and desirable.

 

Mick Jagger's fey mannerisms and effete speaking voice was the perfect camp image of a superstar who 'swung both ways.' His one-time lover, David Bowie, was cast in the same performance mould.

 

Keith Stern, in his wonderful book, Queers in History,[1] has the following information about Jagger:

 

"Though his many affairs and marriages with women have attracted more of his (and our) attention, Jagger's longing for same-sex love was not limited to his art. He reportedly conducted affairs with David Bowie, Helmut Berger, and Rudolph Nureyev."

 

 

So, what do you think?

 

--------------------------------------------

 

[1] 2009 Dallas, p.238

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AC Benus

AC Benus 36,635

Posted

Let me know if that link does not work for you, and I will try and find another :)

  • Like 1
Mikiesboy

Mikiesboy 143,937

Posted

Oh that worked for me.. can't ya just see those lips.... hmmm. Another great song, AC!!

  • Like 2
AC Benus

AC Benus 36,635

Posted

Oh that worked for me.. can't ya just see those lips.... hmmm. Another great song, AC!!

Yeah, Tim...the band's logo was not a mistake ;) More an advertisement...? hehe

  • Like 2
Aditus

Aditus 28,928

Posted

That song totally bypassed me! Wow! Thanks!

 

On another thought: Helmut Berger back in the days... :blush: OMG!  

  • Like 4
AC Benus

AC Benus 36,635

Posted

That song totally bypassed me! Wow! Thanks!

 

On another thought: Helmut Berger back in the days... :blush: OMG!  

Thanks, Adi. I looked him up and see Helmut is the beautiful King Ludwig from the movie. Yes, manly perfection back in the day

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Mikiesboy

Mikiesboy 143,937

Posted

On 3/20/2016 at 1:35 PM, AC Benus said:

Yeah, Tim...the band's logo was not a mistake ;) More an advertisement...? hehe

mmm yeah i'd say so ..

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Defiance19

Defiance19 28,486

Posted

This one I know. I have to say though when I first listened to it I was not thinking “oh crap, it’s a gay song.”  It was just a really good song. We expected rock to be like this, push the limits. And for my group of girlfriends at least, singing the lyrics out loud was as much about us being cool and rebellious...cause none of us would dare sing that in front of our parents. 

 

Of of course the penny dropped when I got older. 

 

I have got got to get my hands on Queers in History. It’s come up before when we talked a little about Bowie. 

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AC Benus

AC Benus 36,635

Posted

49 minutes ago, Defiance19 said:

This one I know. I have to say though when I first listened to it I was not thinking “oh crap, it’s a gay song.”  It was just a really good song. We expected rock to be like this, push the limits. And for my group of girlfriends at least, singing the lyrics out loud was as much about us being cool and rebellious...cause none of us would dare sing that in front of our parents. 

 

Of of course the penny dropped when I got older. 

 

I have got got to get my hands on Queers in History. It’s come up before when we talked a little about Bowie. 

Wow, what an image! Teen girls bopping around, singing these X-rated lyrics...  😬😱😬 hehe.   

 

As for Keith Stern's book, go for it! I like how each entry is followed by a "Further Reading" section listing sources or other books to lean more about the person. His work is well cited. But do be warned: every time I go to it thinking I'll look up so-and-so, I get terribly distracted by other people. Lots and lots of us out there 😎

 

Thanks again for the comments, Def.

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