What was the first top 40 song to reference homosexuality?

And if you want to read too far into lyrics (as I love doing) then the answer is "Jailhouse Rock": "Number 47 said to Number 3 / You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see."

There's also a case to be made for Elton John's "Your Song" if one takes the "boy" literally in the line "I don't have much money / But, boy, if I did ..."

Strangers in the night exchanging glances
Wond’ring in the night
What were the chances we’d be sharing love
Before the night was through.

Something in your eyes was so inviting,
Something in you smile was so exciting,
Something in my heart,
Told me I must have you.

Strangers in the night, two lonely people
We were strangers in the night
Up to the moment
When we said our first hello.
Little did we know
Love was just a glance away,
A warm embracing dance away and -

Ever since that night we’ve been together.
Lovers at first sight, in love forever.
It turned out so right,
For strangers in the night.

I've heard arguments that it was written about cruising in Central Park after sundown, but it very well might be gay folklore and I can't be arsed to see who actually authored it, since my initial Google Search isn't turning up much beyond Frankie's name

I assume the first Top 40 hit to mention the word "gay" was Prince's "Controversy."

that doesn't require reading very far into the lyrics. that's right there on the surface.

surely there are examples from the '20s and '30s or from whenever there started being a top 40 in the first place. it's a fairly common theme in popular music, isn't it?

the lyrics are here :

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/r/rod-stewart/117098.html

sensitive and touching (for the time) or naff and sentimental?
i can't remember. it went on a bit i seem to recall.

wha?? explain please.

The line above misquotes the song. I believe the proper end to that line is "I'm glad I'm a man, and so's my Lola." Now, does that mean that Lola's also glad the protagonist is a man or that Lola's also a man?

This is very true. Original lyrics: "Tutti Frutti/good booty/if it don't fit/don't force it/you can grease it/make it easy". this might be urban legend, but i've seen it documented in at least 3 fairly well-respected publications.

And if I wanted to be argumentative, I'd point out that the "Tutti Frutti" lyrics only address anal sex, which is a theoretically sexuality-neutral concept. :)

"controversy" peaked at #77 in the u.s.

fair call.

I was wrong above, but in context the actual lyrics are pretty straight(sic)forward:

Well I'd left home just a week before
And I'd never ever kissed a woman before
But Lola smiled and took me by the hand
And said "Little boy, I'm going to make you a man."
Well, I'm not the world's most masculine man
But I know who I am and I'm glad I'm a man
And so's Lola

But let me suggest the following as an earlier top 40 song referencing homosexuality:

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!

Hard to believe that Paul Anka and Ol' Blue Eyes didn't at least giggle a bit over that.

I like this other misunderstanding...

"In bed I'm a man and so is Lola"

:-)

John

(Spoiler: the faggot dies. In both. For 1970s representations of homosexuality, that was the law.)

Alba, I've wondered about the exact same lyric.. either this is a mixed-sex prison or there's something interesting going on.

And this is the point where I remind people how convinced I am that Andy Kim's "Rock Me Gently" is about a man experiencing anal sex for the first time. "Take it easy, don't you know / That I have never been loved like this before."

Re: the Rubettes. I burnt an MP3 from my vinyl copy a while ago, with a view to posting it on my blog. I'll stick something on this thread when I get round to loading it up... won't be for a week or so though, as I need the web space for some other stuff.

I disagree with the characterization of "straight(sic)forward". In context it is *not* straightforward. It was quite specifically written to be ambiguous. It is impossible, by common language usage, to tell from that context whether Lola is also a man or is also glad the singer is a man.

While much of the narrative *implies*, the indeterminency of this ending keeps the whole thing mysterious (note lines explicitly referencing gender switching seem to argue *against*; when the main character sings "Girls will be boys and boys will be girls, It's a mixed up muddled up shook up world except for Lola" he can be taken as saying that Lola is not part of the world of that type of confusion).

Again, I don't think there is any part of that song where it unambiguously indicates one way or the other. And that is by (very clever) design.

"Lord, I woke up this mornin' with my pork grlndin' business in my hand.
Says I woke up this morning with my pork grlndin' business in my hand.
Lord, if you can't send me no woman, please send me some slssy man."