Pride season approaches, and before you decide what to wear (we’re already working on our wardrobe), do yourself a favor and load up some gay anthems on your playlist. For years the community has compiled a discography of music which–unofficially, anyway–speaks to the pleasure, the pain and the pride of living out loud.

Granted, the hymns of the gay church are not limited to the songs listed here, and music gods willing, artists will continue to grace the world with tunes that speak to the LGBT.

Before hitting up the festivals, the brunches, the parades and the parties, cue up these ditties for some rainbow rocking out…