SAN JOSE, Calif. — DJ Rotten Robbie is one of my go-to sources for all things music related. Thus, I asked him if he’d help us celebrate Pride 50 with a list of the top 25 Pride anthems of all time.
And he enthusiastically agreed, delivering a great list (with comments).
“As a DJ at many LGBTQ+ Pride events in S.F., Napa, Sonoma, Yolo, and Solano counties, I have seen how joyful a dance floor at a Pride event can be,” he says. “The collective experience of being with your community, singing these songs at the top of your lungs, brings everyone together in celebration.”
Here are DJ Rotten Robbie’s Top 25 anthems (listed in no particular order).
1. “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),” Sylvester (1978)
“San Francisco’s own Sylvester sings an early anthem for the ’70s gay rights movement about feeling like your real and true self. ”
2. “Pride (A Deeper Love),” Aretha Franklin (1994)
“Aretha’s take on a previous C&C Music Factory track. Written and produced by Robert Clivilles and David Cole, both gay men, it went on to become a Pride anthem in the ’90s.”