(one of) Six Songs

“Reach Up for the Sunrise”  Duran Duran 

My buddy Brian and I have a longstanding joke about this song that involves Duran Duran, having just signed a deal for a new record, sitting across the table from a few studio execs, talking about plans for the new album. The head boss at the studio says, “You guys have done it all with your recent work, but we want something just a little bit different for this one: we are looking for a major gay anthem. Like, a majorly catchy tune that will play in every gay club in the world. What do you think?”

And the members of Duran Duran look at each other, smile, and the main one says, “Uh, yeah, I think we got something.” 

Honestly, I’m not sure why this song isn’t a bigger gay anthem (I mean, have you heard it?). But it has inspired me: one of the charities that I will create after I’ve won the lottery will be Reach Up for the Sunrise, an organization that aims to “promote the contributions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals to art and culture, to support the advancement of new GLBT artists, and to spend a lot of time dancing around like a gay, like with twirls and sparkles and everything.”

Cheers, Duran Duran. Keep on reaching up for the sunrise.