Kesha, St. Vincent + More Reimagine Classic Love Songs for Same-Sex Couples
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In the world of love, "I now pronounce you husband and wife" has become a total antiquity, and Kesha, St. Vincent and more contemporary artists are putting a brand new sound to the recognition of same-sex matrimony.
As part of a new EP called Universal Love: Wedding Songs Reimagined, the two pop stars have joined others like Bob Dylan and Valerie June to take existing love songs like "I Need a Man to Love" and "My Girl" and reinterpret them for gay couples. Because ultimately, all newly married duos deserve the first dance of their dreams.
In the EP, Kesha fashions Janis Joplin hit "I Need a Man to Love" into “I Need a Woman to Love”; St. Vincent puts an electro-rock twist on “And Then He Kissed Me” and makes it “And Then She Kissed Me”; Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard turns “And I Love Her" into “And I Love Him"; Kele Okereke takes “My Girl” and makes it “My Guy" and Valerie June delivers a big-band version of “Mad About the Boy”...except now, of course, it's "Mad About the Girl."
Executive Producer Rob Kaplan told The New York Times that Dylan, for one, was eager to take part in the project. “[It] wasn’t just ‘yes, I’ll do this,’ It was ‘hey, I have an idea for a song,'" he said.
And co-producer Tom Murphy insisted the project was long overdue.
“If you look at the history of pop music, love songs have predominantly come from one heterosexual perspective,” he said. “If we view music as something that brings people together, shouldn’t these popular songs be open to everyone?”
Stars Who Bravely Came Out: