Tom Robinson Band : Glad to be Gay
In February of 1978 Tom Robinson Band released the Rising Free EP, featuring the single "Glad To Be Gay", which Robinson had written for a London Gay Pride event two years earlier. The song would peak at U.K. #18 and become the unofficial U.K. gay anthem despite BBC 1's refusal to play the song. Instead, they played another Rising Free track, "Don't Take No For An Answer".
Among the lyrics:
The British Police are the best in the world
I don't believe one of these stories I've heard
'Bout them raiding our pubs for no reason at all
Lining the customers up by the wall
Picking out people and knocking them down
Resisting arrest as they're kicked on the ground
Searching their houses and calling them queer
I don't believe that sort of thing happens here
Sing if you're glad to be gay
Sing if you're happy that way
Sing if you're glad to be gay
Sing if you're happy that way...
So sit back and watch as they close all our clubs
Arrest us for meeting and raid all our pubs
Make sure your boyfriend's at least 21
So only your friends and your brothers get done
Lie to your workmates, lie to your folks
Put down the queens and tell anti-queer jokes
Gay Lib's ridiculous, join their laughter
'The buggers are legal now, what more are they after?'
TR in 1976 |
I remember how controversial this was at the time.
ReplyDeleteNowadays thankfully most folk would hardly raise an eyebrow