First of all, I don't want to turn this into a religious or homophobic debate. What I would like to do is to invite opinions re the following:
1) The composer's intentions of having a few rather catchy refrains including the repeated use of amen and the tittle of the song that sort of give an impression that it is very much akin to a gospel song, while in fact, it is totally the opposite (against religious oppression of gay's and lesbians, i.e. per implication anti-religious and pro-gay). Also read http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=32921. The use of these phrases seem therefore to be satirical in nature.
2) Given the fact that it has done exceptionally well on the iTunes charts in a number of countries, incl traditionally religious countries (currently at no 2 in SA), I cannot help to wonder if:
a) this is a reflection of the ignorance of the masses when it comes to the actual meaning of the songs, i.e. are religious people aware of the meaning of the song (don't they read the lyrics or watch the rather graphic video), or
b) are we witnessing a real change in the way that people feel about these things (based on the demographics within SA this would be somewhat surprising), or
c) are music lovers/listeners/buyers just more open-minded when it comes to the expression of social commentary via music?
1) The composer's intentions of having a few rather catchy refrains including the repeated use of amen and the tittle of the song that sort of give an impression that it is very much akin to a gospel song, while in fact, it is totally the opposite (against religious oppression of gay's and lesbians, i.e. per implication anti-religious and pro-gay). Also read http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=32921. The use of these phrases seem therefore to be satirical in nature.
2) Given the fact that it has done exceptionally well on the iTunes charts in a number of countries, incl traditionally religious countries (currently at no 2 in SA), I cannot help to wonder if:
a) this is a reflection of the ignorance of the masses when it comes to the actual meaning of the songs, i.e. are religious people aware of the meaning of the song (don't they read the lyrics or watch the rather graphic video), or
b) are we witnessing a real change in the way that people feel about these things (based on the demographics within SA this would be somewhat surprising), or
c) are music lovers/listeners/buyers just more open-minded when it comes to the expression of social commentary via music?
