Today marks the divine Miss Diana Ross' 71st birthday. And we all know what that means: It's time to boogie to a tune from the badass queen of Motown.
There are so many songs to select from Diana's expansive repertoire that it's hard to know where to begin. But because the best get-down jams come with a progressive and feminist backstory, we're going to recommend "I'm Coming Out." The unbelievably catchy tune (which should now be in your head ALL DAY; #sorrynotsorry), came about after record producer Bernard Edwards saw several drag queens dressed as Ross in a New York club. Recognizing Diana's increasing stature as a gay icon, he got the idea to craft the song as an empowering gay anthem—which is exactly what it's become.
But there's more to the story than this; the song was also, for Diana, a declaration of independence. At the time, Diana was leaving the Motown hit machine to carve out a solo career, and was breaking from Berry Gordy, the notoriously controlling founder of Motown Records who she dated and had a son with.
In this way, the song is not just a gay anthem, but a distinctly feminist one as well. And, yes, a damn catchy one at that.
Happy birthday, Diana!
