Pride is Forever: Love Songs for Every Color of the Rainbow

Although Pride month was in June, the LGBTQ+ community did not cease to exist for the next 11 months.

To keep the rainbow spirit flowing, here is a list of 10 gay love songs and what color they feel like. There is no logic behind each color’s assignment. The only reason behind their placement is how they make my synesthetic heart feel. We hope you enjoy the list and pick up a new favorite for your playlist along the way. 

Purple

“Born This Way” by Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has undeniably cemented her gay icon status through her activism, acceptance, style, and (yes) music. Once could pinpoint the start of the rise to the title at 2009’s “Born This Way.” 

The single was a song of victory and pride for all who were downcast, marginalized or abused. Although it touched on many different sub-groups, the LGBTQ+ community strongly identified with the song due to the lines 

“No matter gay, straight, or bi’, lesbian, transgender life

I’m on the right track, baby, I was born to survive”

“Born This Way” is an anthem of triumph in the face of opposition. And for that reason, it presents itself into the color of royalty and victory in my mind. 

Blue

“In This Shirt” by The Irrepressibles

The Irrepressible is an English project by Jamie Irrepressible. It is dramatic and experiential. Sometimes the music is baked with an orchestra, and sometimes it feels like you’ve been dropped in the center of a Swedish nightclub. 

In “In This Shirt,” the narrator laments the loss of a lover. It is not clear if it was due to a breakup or a death. What is clear is the intense sense of loss and devastation throughout the song. Years after its original 2010 release, the song saw a boom in listeners during the 2020 pandemic when it was used in a plethora of Tik Tok. 

The echoing vocals, the mournful words, and the high orchestrals chill you to the bone. Have you ever spent a night awake, pacing in sadness? Remember the intense chill that comes right before the break of dawn?

Green 

“Take Me to Church” by Hozier 

Although Hozier has never declared himself gay, marginalized fans have always claimed him as a ‘safe’ artist, many going as far as to call him ‘their favorite lesbian’ in online spaces. This is due to his respect and empathy towards members of the LGBTQ+ community and women alike in a world where disrespect towards the two groups in the music industry is often common, even celebrated. 

When Hozier wrote ‘Take Me to Church,’ he insisted on the love story portrayed in its musical being of a same-sex couple, and that it complements the song in mirroring the violence and discrimination playing out in society in 2013, specifically the discrimination seen in the Catholic Church. 

Hozier’s voice invokes nature; moss and bark and brown streams. Combine this with the color of ordinary time robes in a Catholic church and the scent of its incense, and “Take Me To Church” feels green. 

Yellow

“She Keeps Me Warm” by Mary Lambert 

Think of love. Imagine how it invokes warm and gentle heat, like sunbeams. 

Mary Lambert’s “She Keeps Me Warm” is soft and warm. It’s safe. The protection love offers feels like a cage made of sunbeams. For this reason, and the safety offer, “She Keeps Me Warm” feels like yellow. 

Orange 

“Bad at Love” by Halsey

In “Bad at Love,” Halsey laments a series of break-ups. Although very good at starting relationships with both men and women, she just can’t quite seem to keep them. 

This isn’t necessarily a red flag, as she’d already won half the battle when she manages to ensnare a new partner. However, I would call it an orange flag. In nature, dangerous vegetation is colored yellow if lethal, so why not orange for something that may just need to be handled with a little bit of caution? 

Red

“Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” by Lil Nas X

Sure, you may think this one is a bit of a cop-out. The music video for Montero (Call Me By Your Name) is ladden with devilish imagery and a full-scale hellish, but my theory is more than that. 

Montero’s low, baritone pre-chorus and overtly sexual implications feel deep red, almost burgundy. They are passionate, yes, but not a red-hot flame, more like a steady, heavy burn.

 

Brown 

“Talia” by King Princess

In “Talia,” King Princess mourns the loss of a lover who passes away. The lyrics allude to a difficult relationship. Despite all that, the loss is strong. 

Upon listening to “Talia,” it is warm and low. Mellow. Lesbians stereotypically are excellent plant caretakers, often filling their apartment with a new vegetative friend. In sadness, when someone is depressed and neglecting their routines, one of the first things to get tossed to the wayside is watering one’s plants. 

“Talia” feels like the bottom of a dying forest, a place where green, vibrant life once flourished, now replaced by brown death. 

Grey

“Bang the Doldrums” by Fall Out Boy

The origins of this song allegedly go back to what fans like to call ‘The Summer of Like,” referring to the summer when My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy toured on the same Warped Tour. One thing lead to another, and Pete Wentz and Mikey Way (allegedly) ended up having a bit of a summer fling. 

As in most FWB situations, one person (ahem, Pete) ended up catching feelings, leading to the creation of “Bang The Doldrums”… and MANY other songs. Or did it? 

The reason why “Bang The Doldrums” does so well in grey is that although fans can speculate based on the timing, the photos, the direct quotes references in the song, the romantic LiveJournal entries that literally name-drop ‘Mikey from My Chemical Romance,’ Pete still hold on to a cause for deniability. 

White

“She” by Dodie

Unrequited love, one of the most revisited themes in music. What keeps so many going back so someone that does not return their affections is the hope that one day, perhaps, they will. Hope is dangerous. In “She,” Dodie adds another layer to this trope by revealing that the woman she is in love with not only lacks feelings of attraction for her, but for her entire gender. Whoops. 

The song was written about a crush when Dodie was a teenager. The lover is pure, fresh and sweet, liker linen, like a spring morning when the warmth just barely covers up the chill. In is white. The color of purity in some cultures, the color of mourning in others.