An American transgender singer and activist has drawn flak for spreading “divisive nonsense” after reworking the 1982 disco hit ‘It’s Raining Men’ by The Weather Girls in a new cover that uses “more inclusive” pronouns and lyrics.
The New York-based artist Mila Jam released the updated version – called ‘It’s Raining Them’ – on Friday apparently to mark World Pride month. One of the karaoke staple’s original songwriters, the musician Paul Shaffer, was said to have given his approval.
Apart from amending the chorus to “It’s raining them! Hallelujah! It’s raining them! Amen!”, it replaces the lines “Tall, blonde, dark and lean/Rough and tough and strong and mean” with “Cool, bold, strong and keen/Proud and loud and here and seen”.
A reference to “mother nature” being a “single woman” has been changed to “they’re a single person” while the line “So that each and every woman could find her perfect guy” has become “So that each and every person could find their perfect type”.
Noting that it was “an honor to perform” the song, Jam dedicated it to “all artists in the LGBTQ+ community” and said that she “[believes] the future is ours, it’s now, and we must shine”.
To make sure the new lyrics were “packed full of inclusive pronouns and updated adjectives”, the song producers reportedly worked alongside British trans rights charity Gendered Intelligence, which raises awareness of gender identity and aims to improve trans people’s quality of life.
The song is part of streaming service Deezer’s ‘Queer Culture’ channel. The platform will reportedly donate the first year of proceeds from the track to Gendered Intelligence.
“Raising awareness of non-binary identities is so important. More and more people are recognizing how vital it is to respect other people’s pronouns, including those who use ‘they/them’,” said Jay Stewart, the charity’s chief executive.
Noting that it was important for pop culture to “encompass gender diversity” and “make everyone feel included and seen,” Stewart called it an “anthemic track” that will be played “loud and proud”.
However, the majority of social media users criticized the cover, with one person denouncing it as “peak bonkers from the wokerati”. Another person said it was more “woke US obsequious divisive nonsense”.
Several commenters tried their hand at giving other classic hits a ‘woke makeover’ with examples such as Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman, No Cry’ turning into ‘No Non Binary, No Cry’. Former Member of the European Parliament Martin Daubney quipped, “Wait until they get to ‘Dude (Looks Like A Lady)’”, referring to the Aerosmith song.
Other people noted that the woke crowd was “turning on themselves” by “complaining about a song that gets played in the gay bars”. Several users said that the song was a “gay anthem” with one person wondering “why they think this helps the LGBTQ movement”.
But others claimed that the controversy was more “faux outrage” and “pretend anger” since it was just a cover version of a “silly song” and “not sacrosanct”.
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