"I am What I am" Sung by a Woman

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 3:00pm

I recently came across recordings of Linda Eder and Leslie Uggums (I am big fans of both) singing "I am What I am". My question is, do you think some of the power and point of the song are lost when sung by a straight woman. Would it work from the point of view of a lesbian? I've always thought of this song as one of my anthem's, but something leaves me cold when a female does the song.

[morosco]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 3:04pm

The lyrics to the song do not reference sexuality. Out of the context of the show it can be an anthem of strength for anyone.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 3:07pm

We used to dance to it all the time in the 80's. Gloria Gaynor made it a big club hit.

[morosco]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 3:08pm

I guess I take back some of what I said as I just read the lyrics and find references to feathers and spangles (drag, but that's not necessarily gay) and "the closet".

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 3:09pm

Taken generically, the song is about not apologizing for being yourself. Having said that, I am not a fan of Eder's version of the song.

Tidbit: I believe I've heard a live recording of Liza where she uses a snippet of 'I Am...' as part of her opening.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 3:10pm

The disco version by Gloria Gaynor is as thrilling as the version in any production of the show, including the original.

When my friends and I danced to it in the 80s, it didn't matter that it was being sung by a woman. Gloria was singing for US, and we were dancing for our lives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWSobRjebkk

[morosco]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 3:11pm

Shirley Bassey sings the sh#t out of it.
Shirley

[morosco]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 3:12pm

"Taken generically, the song is about not apologizing for being yourself."

That's a really good description of what the song means. Much better than my description.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 3:30pm

So right PalJoey. It was an anthem.

Updated On: 12/18/07 at 03:30 PM

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 3:48pm

My two cents are that this song can be applied to anyone that is different from the 'norm' of society. It's a wonderfully uplifting song...thanks for the Gaynor version PJ!

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 3:54pm

Odd complaint, considering how many songs written as straight women's anthems have been adopted by gay men.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 4:21pm

Why do the straighties steal everything from us?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 4:35pm

Bobby--have you LISTENED to the Gloria Gaynor?

Have you listened with your arms in the air and no one around?

Because until you do...

[nealb1]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 5:30pm

What makes the lyrics of "I Am What I Am," so strong and clear, is that it can pertain to a man or a woman. Sure, it was written specifically for a male character........hence, the feather and spangle lyric.....by changing a noun here and there in the lyrics, the song can pertain to anyone. Anyway who wants to tell the world...I Am What I Am.

It's such an anthem........this is me.....I'm not going to change, etc....

I've seen Linda Eder sing this song live many, many times in concert and she blows the roof of the place, that she's playing in. She's a fantastic vocalist. She's one of the few vocalists that you can count on 1 hand that you have to experience.....live. The cd recording just can't capture....the voice.




Updated On: 12/18/07 at 05:30 PM

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 5:44pm

PJ-I love the Gloria Gaynor version. She counts as a gay man in my book though for her years of support.

I'm more talking about Eder, etc. and the notion that just anyone can sing the song and make it mean what they want.

Not true. It is a song about a gay man coming out. Period. Gaynor singing it, as you noted, feels more like she's singng TO us. Eder, Uggums, etc, not so much.

[nealb1]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 6:01pm

Bobby, you're right, it's written for a gay male character. I wouldn't say that his character is coming out....he's way beyond that. Ha, ha... He's so frustrated, shocked and ashamed that his his son and partner would want to banish him from the prospective in-laws.

My point being, the a little changing of some nouns, it can be sung by a man or a woman.

[philly03]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 6:09pm

I agree with nealb1...and for the record LINDA EDER's THE BEST! And also for the record, she sings the Chess song "Anthem" really great too! And that's for a guy to sing as well..?

[Sandy in Sable]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 6:12pm

The "feather" and "spangle" part makes "I Am What I Am" particularly fitting for Shirley Bassey who usually closes with this song (or another gay anthem, "This Is My Life"). Given Bassey's fan base, and Gaynor's disco version, the gay element is inherent... they're singing as themselves and for their gay fans (and everyone else I suppose) at the same time.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 8:49am

There used to be a video of Pia Zadora doing a rather decent (if Vegas-y) rendition of it on yt, but it's not there anymore.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 8:58am

While you're at it... You should hear Sammy Davis Jr.'s HIT recording of "As Long As She Needs Me."

[Broadway_Bound_Star]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 10:11am

I think a woman can easily pull off this song. It doesn't specifically say anything about gender or anything like that.
And i'd have to say that Shirley Bassey does the song justice.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 1:21pm

I don't think BobbyBubby's problem is with the fact that this is a man's song being performed by female vocalists like linda Eder (who leaves me cold regardless of what she's singing). The way I am seeing it--and I may be wrong--is that he feels that this is a very powerful gay anthem that was written as a very specific emotional outburst from a gay man. I actually hate it when people try to "universalize" a song, a play, etc. Sometimes things are not "about everyone who has felt different" but about a very particular experience from very particular kinds of people. Let the song belong to gay men. To me it's the equivalent of changing the sex of Belize or Louis Ironson in ANGELS IN AMERICA.
Thanks for the Gloria Gaynor version, PJ.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 3:16pm

Back in the 90’s, during the whole ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ fiasco, I was putting together the big closing show for the Main Stage at the Orange County Gay Pride Festival.

The finale started off with Gloria’s “I Am What I am”, and went into The Pet Shop Boys singing, “What Makes A Man A Man” (and not that horrible French version where you can’t understand the words) and then we went into “The Day After That” from ‘Kiss Of The Spider Woman’, where all of the queens came out as different branches of the Military and the final pose was us raising the Gay pride flag ala’ “The Raising Of The Flag At Iwo Gima’ . This was right BEFORE Liza decided to record “The Day After That’ has an anthem for AIDS.

It was one of those moments that was so powerful that we had service men in the audience in tears.

That song ROCKS!

Updated On: 12/30/07 at 03:16 PM

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 4/27/08 at 6:24pm

Pia Zadora's version

[jondouglas]

Posted: 4/28/08 at 12:04am

Totally agree with nealb1. Doesn't matter who sings it - a man or a woman. The point of the song is telling everyone THIS IS ME....not if they are gay or str8.