Britney’s bold new image, a rumored affair & more: Your weekly bop rewind

Welcome to the weekend, readers! Get comfortable, we have some bops to share.

What pheromones were wafting through the air this week? Folsom Street Fair found itself back with a bang (and lots of them), Tom Daley went full bulge, and a certain trying guy tried a bit too much.

Likewise, this week in queer music history was pretty physical. Lots of gyration and bare midriffs, with just a sprinkling of whispers of torrid affairs. Average gay week, really.

From rocking hips to Rocky Horror lips, here’s your weekly bop rewind:

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The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Some 47 years ago, this defining cult classic hit the U.S. and theatre kids across the nation were never the same. Even with its low performance at release, something about the camp, the overt sluttiness, and Tim Curry belting in fishnets has captivated the girls in the decades since. Is the language in “Sweet Transvestite” a little outdated? Perhaps. Does it still absolutely slam? We think so.

“Physical” by Olivia Newton-John

The singular devotion in parts of this video to the straight female/gay male gaze was the definition of allyship. Late Aussie star Olivia Newton-John saw plenty of successes throughout her career, but few quite as high as this energetic hit that spent almost three months straight at number one. As casually rocking as this track is, there’s something about the baseline and the kick that really make you want to make your body talk.

“No Ordinary Love” by Sade

Sade’s discography is the classic R&B gay’s reference text, and “No Ordinary Love” stands as the crème de la crème. With their trademark silky vocals and an almost ambient sound that’s at once light and bassy, this track is one you can live in. While not publicly queer herself, lead singer Sade Adu is a strong ally, especially to her trans son, Izaak. As an aside, this music video could’ve fully worked as a proof of concept for the new Little Mermaid.

“I’m a Slave 4 U” by Britney Spears

Britney told everyone the year before that she was not that innocent, but apparently they didn’t hear her. Some folks were truly shocked and scandalized at the adult turn of this club hit, despite her being 20 years old at the time. There was a full epidemic of pearl-clutching at her being a “bad influence” on young girls. You know who she was a great influence for? Young gays. Draping something across the back of your neck like Banana Thee Snake was a national pastime for little fruits everywhere. That’s impact.

“Shallow” performed by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper

“Shallow” ushered folks into the A Star is Born remake era with a hit. The tender, charismatic vocals of Gaga and Cooper played well together — so well, in fact, that some began to suspect a tryst between the two, despite Gaga’s engagement to Christian Carino at the time. This stunningly intimate Oscars performance certainly didn’t help quell rumors, but by all accounts, the gossip is just that. This single earned Gaga her first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper in the better part of a decade following the more moderate successes of Artpop and Joanne. “Shallow” proves that there can be one hundred songs in a discography since your last hit and 99 of them don’t reach the top, but it only takes that one.

Join us back here next week for another Bop After Bop!