A Queer Pop Retrospective: The Drag Race Diaries Vol. 2

Back by semi-popular demand I'm here to break down ten classic queer pop songs this time diving into Drag Race's second season and the first where the show came into its own as a campy, delightful reality show as opposed to a simple America's Next Top Model spoof. While the first season is a dated yet enjoyable watch, this is the first season that I really fell in love with, and sports on the most iconic casts of all time. With talent like Raven, Pandora, Jessica, Tatianna, Kylie and my personal favorite Jujubee, it couldn't be less than fantastic, and every single lip sync this season is one for the books. This season was bigger, longer and more fun than ever before, gifting us ten classic Lip Sync for Your Life-s and more for me to gush over, so let's dive right in!

SPOILERS AHEAD for RuPaul's Drag Race US Season 2

Cover Girl (Put the Bass in Your Walk) by RuPaul (2009)

Now we've seen this one before, haven't we? Yes, the lip sync for the crown was repuroposed into this season's first LSFYL, which thankfully didn't become tradition because this song, while a great runway strutter really isn't a fantastic lip sync number cause there's no emotional levels. Since I've written at length about this one already, I'd like to dedicate the rest of this segment to the absolutely batshit lip sync between Shangela and Sahara Davenport (RIP), who throw down in one of the season's most unhinged and chaotic performances. Shoes fly, accessories are strewen across the stage, so many jump splits and death drops. By all means it's a hot damn mess, but it's absolutely a delight to watch as Shangela completely comes undone in her corn-centric costume. The fact that this is only the second most violent lip sync Shangela would compete in on the show is insanity.

My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It) by En Vogue (1992)

Now this one, this is a classic. En Vogue were a volatile 90s R&B girl group led by the notoriously hot and cold Dawn Robinson, a fantastic talent who did not play well with others, which is a remarkable allegory for the season's notorious winner, Tyra Sanchez, who dominated the competition but made enemies out of the entire cast (and has since been widely cancelled for many of her post-show controverises). Tyra doesn't lip sync here, instead we get a virtuoso performance from the season's runner-up and fan favorite, Raven, who embodies the song's holier than thou attitude, slaying the iconic breakdown by pointing to each one of her safe competitors saying that they'll never get the crown, and she was right (except for Tyra). The song itself is some classic 90s New Jack swing with a low-slung bass groove over which the ladies of En Vogue deliver smooth harmonies and a doo-wop meets hip-hop influenced breakdown that defines the song. Dawn's lead vocal performance is the exact amount of "I am the shit and I know I am the shit" that makes it perfect for a drag artist, embodying the sheer un-fuck-with-ability of the track. Raven sure did, and it took her all the way to the end. And as a sidenote, Nicole Paige Brooks from Atlanta Georgia did not in fact bring sexy back with this one.

I Hear You Knockin' by Wynonna Judd (2009)

Now this one is a curious choice, but it fits due to the episode's overwhelming country theme in both the campy commercial challenge and the runway theme, but because it's not a Tanya Tucker song (she was the week's guest judge). This Wynonna Judd song is a serviceable track which gave us a solid performance from Raven against the season's big girl Mystique Summers Madison. The song is given some fun subtext in Raven's performance where she delivers some cheeky double entendre, but as for queer subtext I don't glean a ton other than that the song is by a glamorous country diva. Sometimes that's all you need.

Two of Hearts by Stacey Q (1986)

Now this one is just pure 80s cheese and for that I love it. The track is the epitome of an empty-headed dance floor filler, performed by one-hitter Stacey Q who was better known for her modeling career than her vocals, but the song's breathy sexuality makes it perfect for a drag performance. The track is a pleading, hot and heavy dance club track with a stuttering drum line and clattering synths, with Q's voice front and center, cooing in a proto-Britney manner, all tease and no bite. The performances from both early favorite Morgan McMichaels and the series' first transgender icon Kylie Sonique Love is mind-blowing, with the former delivering a stunningly perfect lip sync, nailing every one of the rapid fire lyrics while the latter gives us some fantastic acrobatics, flipping across the stage and radiating pure sexuality when she strips down to her tiger striped bra and panty combo. Now this is what a lip sync for your life is all about!

Carry On by Martha Walsh (1992)

This was declared by Ru on the main-stage to be one of, if not her all-time favorite song, resonating with her around the time that her mother passed away and finding solace in the pure, fiery gospel voice of Martha Walsh who delivers this piece of stellar diva-house. This track is one of my favorite discoveries from the show, having never heard it before, but it truly is an empowerment anthem with Walsh wailing with her fierce vocals over the piano grooves and dance production, providing the perfect intersection of worship and club music. The song isn't purely gospel as it is so much more about self-reliance than any higher power, with Martha dusting herself off after every defeat and walking on with pride and ferocity. And if that isn't a drag queen's anthem I don't know what is. Defiance in the face of struggle defines the queer experience and it gave us two fantastic performances from the late Sahara Davenport and Morgan McMichaels, with the former in particular excelling with her ballet-inspired interpretation pf the song, rising to her feet on point with her face full of emotion. This is the closest Ru ever got to crying over a performance and I can see why, because the song resonates so deeply for the marginalized communities of the world, and as a black queer person, Ru sees herself in every word. This is made all the more powerful by Sahara's own tragic passing due to an overdose, as she herself was striving to overcome her addiction during her tenure on the show. A new day dawns, and despire the world around us, we carry on. Thank you Martha Walsh, for an anthem.

Black Velvet by Alannah Myles (1989)

This song is sex. Pure and simple. The epitome of sex, drugs and rock and roll with its alluring sensuality. Alannah's vocals are as sultry as you can get, her growling lower register contrasting with her smooth, sexy alto which fits the song's story, about Elvis and his love-em and leave-em life style. The song is steeped in southern heat, sounding like sweat and passion. That's exactly what Jujubee did in her performance, channeled the song's pleading energy and turning out a generational performance, dripping in longing and sexuality, while Sahara's dancer-ly performance didn't hit quite as hard. Black Velvet is how many described Elvis's own voice, but I'd argue it is even more accurate to Alannah's vocals which are as supple and powerful as anything, providing the perfect counterbalance to the smoky rock backdrop of the instrumental. A new religion that'll bring you to your knees, it could mean anything, but here it's all about sexuality and Juju delivers that in spades. A damn near perfect song and a truly perfect performance of it. And she did it while she was wasted out of her mind too!

He's the Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge (1979)

Now this is some Grade-A classic disco here, and it's the ideal song to get down and boogie to whether its the late 70s or today! There's something so excellent about a Nile Rodgers song and this is no exception, it is a perfect distillation of the well-orchestrated disco sound, with a gorgeous string section, nasty four on the floor rhythm section groove and some crispy Nile Rodgers guitar licks while Sister Sledge deliver a soft, fun vocal performance, but this song lives and dies on its groove. This groove is potent, you can't help but dance to it, which might be why it's a dance song about dancing. While many would peg Sister Sledge's other, more iconic hit single "We Are Family", a joyous celebration of sisterhood, to be a more typical drag classic, I think this one fits the format a little better cause a lip sync for your life is inherently cutthroat, it's a mano a mano duel, togetherness is the last thing on your mind. The song's underlying current of lust and infatuation is brought into the fore with Tatianna's incredibly sultry performance, channeling the pleading sensuality of the track whereas Jessica Wild takes the song literally, dancing up a damn storm with her high energy moves and hair flips. In the end it's Tati's subdued approach that won the day, but whenever I hear the song I can't help but bust a move as wildly as Jessica does. That guitar lick is just buttery, like all Nile Rodgers work is. Also how can you not love this one, it gave us "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" for goodness' sake!

Shake Your Love by Debbie Gibson (1987)

80s cheese round two: electric boogaloo. Instead of Stacey Q's unabashed sexuality here we've got everyone's favorite clean-cut teeny bopper Debbie Gibson giving us the season's least sexy song, instead living in the world of pure pop fun. It's a candy-floss track underpinned by a delightfully campy piano lick which Jujubee makes a meal of. Is there much in the way of queer subversive subtext, not reallly? It's just a flirty teen love song about falling all over the cutest guy in school, which works perfectly for the campiness of Jujubee and wholesome vibes of Pandora Boxx. This one isn't much to write home about, but sometimes a kitschy teen pop song doesn't need to be anything else.

Something He Can Feel by Aretha Franklin (1976)

Now this one is hard to top, it's six minutes of pure unadulterated gospel soul stylings from the incomparable Aretha Franklin, who delivers a masterclass in vocal chops on this soft, sultry soulful ballad all about pleasing your man. This track would eventually be covered by En Vogue, who we talked about earlier on, but Aretha's version is definitive due to the way she commands the room with her effortlessly powerful voice, delivering all sorts of histrionics and riff-age but it never feels gratuitous, it just feels right. As Tati says in the episode, this one is near impossible to lip sync to, because of all of Aretha's runs and wild vocalizations, which makes Juju's pitch perfect performance all the more impressive, delivering some damn good mouth (as the guest judge puts it). Juju is a world class lip sync performer and this season shows you why. There's no song she can't absolutely slay, and this one is a masterclass in that you don't need splits, dips and flips to make a song memorable. Sometimes it's all about slowing it down and teaching the children. All hail Miss Aretha and Miss Juju!

Jealous of My Boogie by RuPaul (2009)

Now comes the time in the program where we enjoy whatever song Ru is hawking that season, and this one is one of the best (at least in my opinion) cause as opposed to just another "Werk Diva!" runway bop, this is a real song, an autotuned piece of disco revival with a solid dance-floor groove underpinning the proceedings. This thing is drowning in synths, but the ease at which you can bust it down to this is always welcome. You can't help but groove to the excellent chorus breakdowns. Ru delivers some of her best lyrics, all about how people might gawk at her, but that just means they're jealous of how great she is. She's unique and unapologetic and that's the best kind of energy. The lyrics are all about being the shit and knowing you're the shit, which seems to be the season's overall theme when it comes to music. These queens know they're hot and we eat it up. The song gives us a final showdown between the two most confident queens of the season, Tyra and Raven, both of whom deliver iconic, masterful performances with Raven delivering sex and Tyra eating it up with dance moves and a lethal face card. In the end it went Tyra's way, but Raven will always be my personal winner of the season, cause she made the biggest impression on the season and especially afterwards.

Thanks for taking this sickening journey with me for the second time! I'll be back with Season 3 soon.

And remember, if you can't love yourself how in the hell are you gonna love any of these campy queer pop songs!

Can I get an amen?