Late in 1979, disco was in its final death throes. But some artists, and perhaps their producers, weren’t quite ready to surrender the flag just yet. Some disco divas were able to slip their dance hits onto the pop waves. One such diva was the supreme Diana Ross. Everyone alive knows this song. I’m Coming Out. How would I have known, hiding so far back in the corner of my closet that I practically smelled like cedar chips, that this was a gay coming-out song which would eventually reach anthem status? It’s a great song with infectious beats and, naturally, the tangible sound that is the voice of Miss Ross. It tops my playlist of songs from that favorite era of music as I can clearly remember Casey Kasem counting down to this monster hit.
From the historical writing archive. Original date: December 8, 2017. Recovered from local source material; editorial review is still in progress.