Tim: This was suggested by our reader Sophie; it’s from 2013, and is a song with a message to deliver.
Tim: And it’s a fair message.
Tom: Bluntly delivered.
Tim: We could debate for a long time how relevant it still is, and certainly about how times are changing – one of the guys from Union J came out while they were still on The X Factor and it didn’t hurt their placing; Olly Alexander’s one of the most vocal gay pop stars out there and his career’s going strong, even if he did recently admit to fancying Jeremy Corbyn. On the other hand, the fact that the only ones that come to mind straight away are those two and Joe McElderry probably does speak volumes.
Tom: Well, Adam Lambert, Sam Smith, Tegan and Sara, and a few others come to mind immediately.
Tim: Oh, yes – man, how did I forget the only openly gay man to ever win an Oscar? Hopefully it won’t, like the song suggests, be that way forever; in the meantime, though, it’s an enjoyable song.
Tom: It is, and it’s well-written, but here’s my problem with it: it’s occupying a weird middle ground between pop song and comedy song. The lyrics in that first verse set me up for something in the style of Tim Minchin, so I was expecting something… not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, but at least a bit clever. Instead, it never went anywhere: hence my saying it’s bluntly delivered.
Tim: Hmm, good point – I must say I did laugh at the end of the first verse when he cut out before saying that outright, as I didn’t realise where it was going.
Tom: That might well be what they’re going for: but, you know, at least change the final chorus around or something like that.