HEAVEN, HOME & ANGELS

I love music... I love, love, love, music.. ALL kinds, any time. There is a song for every emotion and situation. Are you like me?

Something I noticed about myself is.. I like just about ANY song that has the words "Heaven" or "Home" or "Angel" in the title. To me, songs with one of these words in the title or chorus are
guaranteed to speak to me in a deep way. It something I noticed for a long time and recently decided that I will make 3 CDs, each dedicated to songs about each topic. (its a good idea, you should try it)

I asked the masterminds at "NubianNewYorkers" (The Yahoo Group). The 24,000 plus members have vast knowledge on all sorts of things. 


So to collect the songs I need for the
CDs, I asked for some titles by writing to NubianNewYorkers@YahooGroups.com
And just like always, the brilliant members stepped up. Here's the list they've given me so far....
(hope these titles, provided by these "Angels" will help to create some "Heaven" in your "Home"
like they did for me...)

arjd9972 wrote:

1. You Are My Heaven by Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack.

2. Heaven On The Earth by Lalah Hathaway.

3. Heaven by Rude Boys.

4. Heaven On the Place Called Earth by Belinda Carlisle(Go-Go's).

5. Angel by Anita Baker.

6. Angel by Rene & Angela.

7. Angel by Aretha Franklin. Loved the hell outta this song.
8. You're An Angel by Madonna. It's a pop song.

9. Home by Stephanie Mills. She was at BB Kings in NYC this week.

10. Take Me Home by Phil Collins. I like this guy.

11. Homeward Bound by Simon & Garfunkel(60's group)

12. Perfect Angel by Minnie Ripperton

13.Heaven Help Us All by Stevie Wonder

chuckie7161 wrote:
1. Heaven's Girl by Ron Isley, R. Kelly, Aaron Halland Charlie Wilson

2. Heaven Knows by Donna Summer & Joe Esposito

3. Heaven by John Legend

4. Heaven Bound by Chaka Khan & Rufus

5. When You've Been Blessed(Feel Like Heaven)by PattiLaBelle

6. Heavenly Love by Angela Bofill


7. Heaven's Just A Whisper Away by Donna Summer alsoby Regina Belle

ANGEL songs..

1. Angel by Chaka Khan(from her new CD "Funk This")
2. Angel of Mine by Monica

3. Perfect Angel by Minnie Riperton

4. Angel by Ne-Yo

HOME songs..

1. A House Is Not A Home by Luther Vandross originallydone by Dionne Warwick

2. Home by Carl Thomas

3. Coming Home by John Legend

4. Love Will Be Waiting at Home by For Real from the Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack

5. Got You Home by Luther Vandross

6. Love Shoulda Brought You Home by Toni Braxton

7. Hurry Home by Patti Austin

8. Come Home To Me by Miki Howard

"NYCblackbrotha" wrote:
Off the top of my head here are mine. Can't wait to see what others put down:

Heaven - The Chimes
Heaven in Your Arms - Rj's Latest Arrival

You Are My Heaven - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway

My Piece of Heaven - Ten City

Angel- Angela Winbush

Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel - Tavares (You get two for one here)

Angel Of The Morning - Merrilee Rush

Angel - Madonna

Angel In My Pocket - Change

Home - Stephanie Mills

As Long As He Takes Care of Home - Candi Staton (This is my song, check this out and listen to the words)

Daddy's Home - Jermaine Jackson

Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd (not sure if that's spelled right)

Home At Last - Steely Dan

KEVINETAYLOR.com wrote:
HEAVEN IS WITH YOU - Natalie Cole
A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN - Natalie Cole
HEAVEN'S HANDS - Nancy Wilson
HEAVEN I NEED A HUG - R. Kelly
HEAVEN KNOWS - Donna Summer
HEAVEN - Joan Armatrading (black folk singer)
HEAVEN - Avant
TEARS FROM HEAVEN - Eric Clapton
HEAVEN - Mary Mary
HEAVEN HELP US ALL - Stevie Wonder
HEAVEN SENT - Keyshia Cole
(Patti Labelle's WHEN YOU'VE BEEN BLESSED has "HEAVEN!" as the hook, so in case you are also looking for the word)
CAN'T REMEMBER THE ARTIST, but the lyrics said:

HEAVEN SENT FROM ABOVE
HEAVEN SENT ME YOUR LOVE
HEAVEN SENT
(maybe 1980s)

ANGEL - Anita Baker
ANGEL - Aretha Franklin
ANGEL OF THE MORNING - Juice Newton
EARTH ANGEL (The Cleftones - doo woop era)
ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER - Natalie Cole
LET ME BE YOUR ANGEL - Stacy Lattisaw
ANGEL OF THE NIGHT - Angela Boffill
PERFECT ANGEL - Minnie Riperton
SOON AS I GET HOME - Faith Evans
EVERYTHING I MISS AT HOME - Cherrelle
DAVE HOLLISTER - Take Care of Home
THIS MUST BE HEAVEN - Brainstorm
TAKE ME HOME - CherMAKE YOURS A HAPPY HOME (Soundtrack of CLAUDINE - Gladys and the Pips)
IF I THINK OF ANYMORE, I WILL HIT YOU UP...HOPE THIS HELPED! This kind of thing is my blood, so it was a pleasure!

tippindascalez2 wrote:
Two that I love with Heaven in the title are "Heaven Sent" by Keyshia Cole and "Heaven" by BeBe & CeCe Winans.


Angel in the title - "Angel Of Mine" by Monica

neutralshine2000 wrote:
Heaven by Mary Mary

paynestalker wrote: 1. heaven in your arms- rj lastest arrivals
2. heaven knows- faith evans and donna summer
3. heaven by john legend
4. angel of the night- angela bofill
5. angel- angela winbush
6. angel- aretha franklin
7. heaven must be like this by ohio players and d'angelo
8. how can a angel break my heart- toni braxton
9. heaven by lalah hathaway
10. when did you leave heaven- nancy wilson and little jimmy scott

nivla 99 wrote:
1. Angel--Anita Baker
2. A House Is Not A Home--L uther Vandross
3. Heaven Must Be Like This--Earth,Wind & Fire


"betcamus" wrote:
Sitting By Heaven's Door- En Vogue
Heaven Hasn't Been The Same- En Vogue
Heaven Knows- Layla Hathaway
Angel- Angela Winbush
Home- Stephanie Mills
Love Shoulda Brought You Home Last Night- Toni Braxton

THANKS GUYS
--------
IF ANYONE ELSE HAS SOME TITLES WE MISSED.. PLEASE
HIT "COMMENTS" BELOW AND POST THEM OR SIMPLY EMAIL

NUBIANNEWYORKERS@YAHOGROUPS.COM & HARMONIZE WITH US !!

 

Drinking from the cup of knowledge..

"If I want to stock the bar in my apartment with enough liquor to cover anything guests at a small dinner party might need, what exactly do I need besides Vodka and Rum?" was the question I posted in the Yahoo Group "NubianNewYorkers" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NubianNewYorkers/ .

For years I have watched as the 22,000 plus members gave expert advice to each other on all kinds of topics and I am happy to say I found the answers I got to be very very informative...

withinme_1 (Rusty) wrote:

now you're talking my language.

well lets see,?!?

exactly which vodka and rum do you have? because any self respecting party giver should know, that at the minimum the rum is bacardi, and the vodka is smirnoff. that triple distilled is no play play. but i do remember a fierce headache after. so play it safe and get the absolute. or if your really g fab then you might do kettle one or vox. the gin is seagrams. tangarey gives you a little something else, i dont know exactly what that taste is, it's distinct. not like the other gins. but it does go well with grapefruit juice. seagrams goes with just about anything.

there should be a big bottle of brandy. folks usually like that. try the paul masson brandy vs or the vsop. that went over well at my last get together. they preferred it to the henney. and you know there has got to be some henney.

but back to brandy. you could stick to E&J, or christian brothers, have any of you tried the white E&J? that dark one turned me. then you should have some johnny walker red, or black, or dewars. if you like scotch, and you know we like some scotch, especially at some one elses expense. matter of fact, leave that under the counter, and give it to the ones that ask for scotch specifically. you can leave the dewars on the shelf.

bourbon, jack daniels. am i forgetting something? oh beer, plenty or beer. the hot ones are coors lite, heinieken corona or good old BUD. any rate, that sounds like a nice starters kit. and dont be ashamed to tell your friends to bring a libation with them. to add to the pot. if you have them friends with the good home training, then you wont have to ask them at all. they come correct. like mama taught em.

tell us all about the party. i know it will be a smash.

Paynestalker (ELC) wrote:

you can try some tequila

some wine and cognac and brandy plus henny and remy, also keep sodas around like pepsi and coke plus spirte and 7-up or sierra mist or vault which is good.

and juices the best to get them at is costco or sam's club as you can get the big ones for 2 at 5 dollars a bottle.

and don't neglect gin.

Gregmac04 wrote:

You don't really need a fully stocked bar for a small dinner party. Unless that is the par - tay! I think you should have beer & a Red and White wine to compliment the food you plan to serve. I would make a "specialty drink" with the rum or vodka and have something non alcoholic: like an equally satisfying "mocktail"- fruit juice and club soda w/ lime just in case someone decides to be the designated driver for the evening. Enjoy!

-----------

THANKS GUYS, I CAN REALLY USE YOUR ADVICE!!

--------

IF ANYONE ELSE HAS SOME ADVICE, OR DRINK RECIPES.. PLEASE

HIT "COMMENTS" BELOW AND POST THEM OR SIMPLY EMAIL

NUBIANNEWYORKERS@YAHOGROUPS.COM & INTOXICATE US

WITH YOUR KNOWLDEGE!!

REV THEM ENGINES

TRIVIA- CAN YOU NAME WHO DROVE THESE CARS?

WHO DROVE THESE CARS? CAN YOU GUESS THEM ALL?

Can you name them all? Just hit "comments" after this post and number and list your answers.. or let us know by emailing NubianNewYorkers@YahooGroups.com

THE DOG LET THE CAT OUT THE BAG!

DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER'S RACIST RANT -- CAUGHT ON TAPE!

Dog Chapman has been captured spewing foul-mouthed racist slurs on a tape obtained exclusively by The NATIONAL ENQUIRER.

And now a civil rights leader is calling for Dog's TV show to be removed from the airwaves.

In a shocking world exclusive The ENQUIRER has obtained tapes of two revolting phone conversations in which Duane "Dog" Chapman unleashes a filthy bigoted attack, littered with the N-word and other disgusting racial insults.

The star of the A&E reality show Dog, The Bounty Hunter directed his racist hatred at his son Tucker's girlfriend Monique Shinnery, who is black.

"Dog Chapman should not have a show. That show should be taken off the air!"

That's the opinion of prominent civil rights leader Roy Innis, who has served as the chairman of the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) since 1968. Innis was shocked and outraged when The ENQUIRER played Dog Chapman's racist telephone conversations for him.

"This man should not be held up as a role model for children," Innis told The ENQUIRER. "He has venom deep in his soul. This is a picture of his heart — a revelation of his true nature.

Innis believes that cable network A&E needs to take swift action in response to Dog's vicious outburst.

"He needs to answer for his behavior," says Innis.

"When someone gets the opportunity to use the airwaves, he becomes a role model, whether he likes it or not. Dog Chapman should not be in that position, posing as a good guy.

"His comments show that he certainly is not a good guy."

Full details are in the new issue of the NATIONAL ENQUIRER.

Update: In response to this story, A&E network has released a statement saying: "A&E has just learned of the story released by the National Enquirer concerning Duane Dog Chapman. We take this matter very seriously. Pending an investigation, we have suspended production on the series. When the inquiry is concluded we will take appropriate action."

Listen to the audio tape:
Warning: Contains racist and offensive language.
http://www.nationalenquirer.com/2007/popup/full-wmv.html

NNY random review- Seinfeld's "Bee Movie TV Junior" Ads

Jerry Seinfeld has produced mini commercials for his upcoming Dreamworks animated feature "Bee Movie". The live action comedy skits appear during primetime on NBC and are "brought to you" by Ford.

Its good to see Jerry on TV again and I think the ads are funny.. but why is he
producing live action adult comedy skits to promote a childrens cartoon? ...Why ARE they paid for by Ford? Are there REAL cars in this cartoon movie? Why are the ads only on NBC? Is the movie for children who like adult comedy, on NBC ...and American cars??


I dont know WHAT is going on..LOL.. but the "Bee movie TV Juniors" are funny. If you've never seen one, check out a sample below and ALL of them at http://www.nbc.com/beemovie/

FOR YOUR EYES AND EARS.. POST 2

FOR YOUR EYES AND EARS.. POST 1

LIFE LESSON- Never Give up!!

“Press on.

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not: Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not: Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education alone will not: The world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

THOSE WHO DO NOT LEARN FROM HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT

THE ENEMY ISNT JUST 245 YEARS OF SLAVERY, THE ENEMY ARE THE THOUGHTS THAT ALLOWED IT


THE ENEMY ISNT JUST GAY BASHING AND HOMOPHOBIA, THE ENEMY ARE THE THOUGHTS THAT ALLOW IT

THE ENEMY ISNT JUST SEGREGATION, THE ENEMY ARE THE THOUGHTS THAT ALLOWED IT

THE ENEMY ISNT JUST SIGNS THAT SAID "NO DOGS ARE JEWS ALLOWED", THE ENEMY ARE THOUGHTS THAT ALLOWED IT

THE ENEMY ISNT JUST JAPANESE INTERMENT CAMPS, THE ENEMY IS THE THOUGHTS THAT ALLOWED IT


IF YOU LISTEN TO TALK RADIO OR LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE HIJACKED THE NAME "CONSERVATIVE"
THEY ARE THE BREEDING GROUND FOR THE SAME THOUGHTS THAT ALLOWED MAN TO TREAT MAN INHUMANELY THROUGHOUT HISTORY.

THEY CLAIM TO BE CHRISTIAN BUT THEY USE THE DEVILS TACTICS... CHRIST WAS ABOUT LOVE

ALL IT TAKES FOR EVIL TO WIN IS FOR GOOD PEOPLE TO DO NOTHING...

YOU ARE WATCHING IT ALL BEGIN TO HAPPEN AGAIN..

PAY ATTENTION TO THE NEWS, KNOW YOUR HISTORY,

AND DONT LET THEM USE HATE AND FEAR TO VICTIMIZE YOU, OR ANYONE EVER AGAIN.





Columnist Ann Coulter Shocks Cable TV Show, Declaring 'Jews Need to Be Perfected by Becoming Christians'

Slash-and-burn columnist Ann Coulter shocked a cable TV talk-show audience Monday when she declared that Jews need to be "perfected" by becoming Christians, and that America would be better off if everyone were Christian.
Coulter made the remarkable statements during an often heated appearance to promote her new book on advertising guru Donny Deutsch's CNBC show "The Big Idea."

In response to a question from Deutsch asking Coulter if "it would be better if we were all Christian," the controversial columnist responded: "Yes."

"We should all be Christian?" Deutsch repeated.

"Yes," Coulter responded, asking Deutsch, who is Jewish, if he would like to "come to church with me."

Deutsch, pressing Coulter further, asked, "We should just throw Judaism away and we should all be Christians?" She responded: "Yeah."

Coulter deflected Deutsch's assertion that her comments were anti-Semitic, matter-of-factly telling the show's obviously upset host, "That is what Christians consider themselves: perfected Jews."


NUBIANNEWYORKER

PLEASE READ http://wonkette.com/politics/oh-shut-the-fuck-up/ann-coulter-will-annihilate-the-jews-309859.php

AND YOU CAN VISIT ME AT http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NubianNewYorkers/

now THATS a cover that will get attention

I have to admit, I never heard of RADAR Magazine.. But I will be checking it out now.
Any Mag ballsy enough to have a cover like this deserves a look.

You can check them out by buying the Mag or reading the website RadarMagazine.com

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ... AS USUAL YOU CAN FIND ME AND 22,000 OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS AT http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NubianNewYorkers/

PEACE

SNL - Really!?! with Seth & Amy: Senator Craig

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES IGNORE BLACKS

4 Top G.O.P. Candidates Skip Debate With Minority Focus
absence of the four leading Republican presidential candidates at a forum at a historically black university prompted a debate among Republicans about whether their party is attentive enough to minority voters.

By MICHAEL COOPER
Published: September 28, 2007
The moderator and the panel of well-known journalists were there. A large live audience was there, too, along with the public television cameras that carried the forum to television sets across the nation. But where the four leading Republican presidential candidates were to have stood and debated, four empty, silent lecterns sat on the stage.

That was because the four all cited scheduling conflicts and did not participate last night in the long-planned debate, where they were to be quizzed by black and Hispanic journalists about issues important to minority voters. And their conspicuous absence prompted a debate among Republicans about whether their party is attentive enough to black and Hispanic voters.
If the top Republican candidates were physically absent from the forum, held at Morgan State University, a historically black university in Baltimore, they were very much on the minds of those who came.

“Let me take a moment right here and now to say hello to those of you viewers from home: Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Senator John McCain, Gov. Mitt Romney and Senator Fred Thompson,” Tom Joyner, the syndicated radio host, said in his opening remarks, to knowing laughter from the audience.

And several candidates who did show up wasted little time in criticizing the no-shows.
“I’m embarrassed for our party, and I’m embarrassed for those who did not come,” said Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas. “Because there’s long been a divide in this country. And it doesn’t get better when we don’t show up.”

Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas began by saying: “I think this is a disgrace that they’re not here. I think it’s a disgrace for our country, I think it’s bad for our party, and I don’t think it’s good for our future.”

“You know,” he said, “you grow political parties by expanding your base, by reaching out to people and getting more people. What they’re doing is sending a message of narrowing the base.” Representative Duncan Hunter of California said, “When we have family reunions, and some of the family members don’t show up, we do talk about them — but I’m not going to do that.”

Alan Keyes, the conservative former diplomat who recently entered the race, defended the absentees.
“I think it is a little unfair to assume that they didn’t show up tonight because they were sending some message of a negative kind to the black community,” said Mr. Keyes, who is black. He noted that they also skipped a recent debate that was held to address issues important to conservatives.

The debate comes shortly after Univision, a Spanish-language network, canceled a Republican debate only Mr. McCain agreed to participate. All the leading Democratic candidates participated in a Univision debate this month, and all appeared at the first All-American Presidential Forum, which was held in June at Howard University in Washington.

Tavis Smiley, the television host who moderated both PBS forums, said at the outset: “Some of the campaigns who declined our invitations to join us tonight have suggested publicly that this audience would be hostile and unreceptive. Since we are live on PBS right now, I can’t tell you what I really think of these kinds of comments.”

Without the front-runners, some of the candidates who have been overshadowed in past debates got a chance to be heard on a variety of issues, among them the crisis in Darfur, capital punishment and concerns about the racial discrimination in the justice system.
Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado noted that he was the only Republican candidate who showed up this summer at a forum held by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Representative Ron Paul of Texas was cheered for his calls to bring the troops back home and end the war on drugs.

Candidates in both parties have shunned debates that fell outside their comfort zones. The leading Democratic candidates did not attend a debate on Fox News after liberal online groups urged them to boycott Fox over what they said was its conservative bias.

A number of prominent Republicans have complained that the decision by the top candidates to skip the debate could endanger the party’s recent efforts to reach out to black and Hispanic voters, and warned that it could turn off independents and swing voters in the general election.
Even Mr. McCain, who defended his decision to skip the debate at a breakfast speech in New York City, voiced concerns.

“I think we have work to do in the African-American community,” he said, adding that he is concerned that Republicans are also failing to reach out to Hispanic voters. “I think that we have to remind ourselves, as well as our constituents, that we are the party of Abraham Lincoln.”

see also http://www.myleftwing.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=9623

NBC to Offer Downloads of Its Shows

By BILL CARTER
Published: September 20, 2007

NBC Universal said yesterday that it would soon permit consumers to download many of NBC's most popular programs free to personal computers and other devices for one week immediately after their broadcasts.

The service, which is set to start in November after a test period in October, comes less than three weeks after NBC Universal said it was pulling its programs out of the highly successful iTunes service of Apple Inc. That partnership fell apart because of a dispute over Apple's iTunes pricing policies and what NBC executives said were concerns about lack of piracy protection.
NBC's move comes as companies throughout the television business search for new economic models in the face of enormous changes in the business. Networks continue to lose audience share, and viewers — especially many of the highly prized viewers under 30 years old — are increasingly demanding control of their program choices, insisting on being able to watch shows when, where and how they want.

At the same time viewers are finding more and more ways, like TiVo machines, to avoid watching the commercials that have long provided the bulk of television revenue.
Jeff Gaspin, the president of the NBC Universal Television Group, said, "The shift from programmer to consumer controlling program choices is the biggest change in the media business in the past 25 or 30 years."

NBC makes many of its popular shows available online in streaming media, which means that fans can watch episodes on their computers. Under the new NBC service, called NBC Direct, consumers will be able to download, for no fee, NBC programs like "Heroes," "The Office" and "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on the night that they are broadcast and keep them for seven days. They would also be able to subscribe to shows, guaranteeing delivery each week.
But the files, which would be downloaded overnight to home computers, would contain commercials that viewers would not be able to skip through. And the file would not be transferable to a disk or to another computer.

The files would degrade after the seven-day period and be unwatchable. "Kind of like 'Mission: Impossible,' only I don't think there would be any explosion and smoke," Mr. Gaspin said.
The programs will initially be downloadable only to PCs with the Windows operating system, but NBC said it planned to make the service available to Mac computers and iPods later.
In a second phase of the NBC rollout, customers would pay a fee for downloads of episodes that they would then own, and the files would be transferable to other devices. NBC hopes to offer this service by mid-2008, depending on how quickly the company can put in place the secure software necessary to allow payment by credit card.

The latter system is what is already available through iTunes.
Chris Crotty, an analyst for iSuppli, an independent firm that specializes in analysis of new electronic media, said of the NBC move, "I think it's a stretch." He argued that consumers have shown they are extremely happy with the iTunes service and that it would not be attractive to consumers to have to range far and wide over a number of services to find the programs they want to download.

"It's not just a shift from a supermarket to a mom-and-pop story, it's a shift to one store that only sells bread, another store that only sells dairy products. The consumers have decided they want to get their content from iTunes."
Mr. Crotty said NBC had come across to consumers as "highly greedy" in its dispute with Apple. Apple reported that NBC was insisting it raise the price of some downloads on NBC shows to $4.99 from the $1.99 iTunes charges for all programs.
NBC hotly denied that, saying that the disagreement was over what Mr. Gaspin termed the wholesale price that Apple was charging, not the retail price. NBC wanted a better wholesale price for its heavily downloaded shows, like "The Office," the biggest seller on iTunes.
But, Mr. Gaspin said, "piracy was and is our No. 1 priority." He said that the music industry had been devastated by the free exchange of music, much of it facilitated by iTunes.
Apple representatives did not respond to requests for comment last night.

Mr. Gaspin said that one important attraction of the NBC service was the option it would offer consumers to receive programs on a temporary basis free, but including commercials, as well as the choice to pay a fee for episodes without commercials and own the programs.
NBC hopes to extract significant revenue both ways, though it is not estimating what kind of money the service may generate. Nor did NBC Universal project what the service would cost.
Mr. Gaspin noted that none of this meant that NBC was moving away from its traditional model of a nightly schedule of programs supported by advertising. He pointed to sales of television sets, driven by high-definition equipment, which are soaring to levels, he said, that surpass those of the biggest booms in color set sales.

"Our research shows that 83 per cent of the viewers would still rather watch on a TV than a PC," Mr. Gaspin said. But he acknowledged that the numbers were different for younger viewers, a trend stirring much of the concern about the business's future.
"What we don't know is if habits will change when people get to their 40s," Mr. Gaspin said.
But he added, "I don't think anyone would argue with the idea that the customer is going to be in control."

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The REAL Gay Anthem!! "I Was Born This Way!"

THE REAL GAY ANTHEM

I remember the first time I heard "I Was Born This Way" by Carl Bean. It was years ago

at a club, and everyone in the place went crazy.. Everybody was dancing in joy, dancing out frustration, dancing in a unity of spirit.. because we were all feeling the lyrics ...And NOBODY has ever created a song like it since.. Nobody has summed up the experience of what it feels like to be happy and gay.

Carl Bean - I Was Born This Way

I'm walking through life in nature's disguise

You laugh at me and you criticize

Just because I'm happy, I'm carefree

And I'm gay, yes, I'm gay

T'ain't a fault tis a factI was born this way

You call me strange cause you don't understand

God's roll for me in life's overall plan

Oh yes, I'm happy, I'm carefree

And I'm gay, yes, I'm gay

T'ain't a fault tis a fact, I was born this way

Now I won't judge you and you don't judge me

We're all the way nature meant us to be

Just human beings -- born to be free

I can't be you and you can't be me

T'ain't a fault tis a fact, t'ain't a fault tis a fact

I was born this way

I've learned to hold my head up high

Not in scorn nor disgrace

Doing my thing individually

Entwined with the human race

Grooving in time -- playing in space

Oh, yes, I'm happy, I'm carefree

And I'm gay, yes, I'm gay

It'ain't a fault tis a fact

Yes, I was born this way

So be happy, be carefree

Yeah, ain't nothing wrong with being a little gay

T'ain't a fault tis a fact

I was really really born this way

I'm happy, I'm carefree

Yeah, I'm gay

If you never heard how he sings the song,

Listen to the remix here..(assume nothing about the sexuality of anyone in the pics,

they're just something nice to look at while listening to the song)

ABOUT CARL BEAN..

Carl Bean gave up a promising entertainment career to pursue his vocation as a clergyman. He felt the call to found a church to minister to the particular needs of glbtq Christians of color, and thus the Unity Fellowship Church was born. The Reverend Bean and his denomination have shown a strong commitment to caring for people with AIDS.

Bean realized from a very early age that he was attracted to men but "somehow knew not to talk to anyone about it" at first. When at the age of twelve he did acknowledge to his foster parents that he was gay, they sought pastoral counseling for him. The session left him feeling so rejected and despondent that he attempted suicide by taking all the medicines that he could find in the house.

Bean subsequently returned to his birth mother, whose greater acceptance of his sexual orientation made his next years happier.

Despite the emotionally wrenching meeting with the

homophobic minister, Bean never wavered in his devotion to the church. Throughout his younger years he attended the Baptist World Youth Seminars, where he always excelled.

Bean left his Baltimore home at the age of sixteen to become a gospel singer. His decision to use his musical gifts to spread the word of God led him first to New York. For several years in the early 1960s he lived and performed in Harlem, appearing at such prestigious venues as the Apollo Theater.

He next went to Chicago, which was home to a number of prominent black gospel performers. Bean sang with the Gospel Chimes and the Gospel Wonders, then joined the Alex Bradford Singers.

With the Bradford group he appeared in Langston Hughes's Black Nativity. More stage roles followed. Bean performed in productions including Bradford and Micki Grant's Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. He left the stage in 1972, however, after appearing in Grant's Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope on Broadway.

Bean moved to Los Angeles, where he was working in a department store when a recording opportunity came his way. Producers at Motown, who had heard him sing on the gospel album Gotta Be Some Change (Carl Bean and Universal Love, ABC Records, 1974), asked him to record "I Was Born This Way" by Bunny Jones in 1977. The disk reached number 14 on the Billboard disco chart.

With its lyrics including such sentiments as "I've learned to hold my head up high / Not in scorn or disgrace" and "We're all the way nature meant us to be," as well as its chorus proclaiming "I'm happy, I'm carefree, I'm gay. / I was born this way," the song became something of a gay anthem.

Given this success, Motown wanted Bean to do additional records--but to sing more commercially viable love songs about women. Bean declined and asked to be released from his contract. He thus ended his career as a recording artist and decided to pursue his vocation as a minister.

Bean had become a member of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) soon after his arrival in California. He recalls that, overcome by a sense of joy and community, he began to cry when he first entered the ramshackle building where MCC founder Troy Perry and his flock celebrated the love of God for all people.

Bean enrolled at MCC's Samaritan College in 1978 and was ordained as a minister four years later. He felt that his special calling was to serve the black community, and so he began his work in south-central Los Angeles.

Bean's Unity Fellowship Church (UFC) began as a weekly Bible study group in 1985. Initial meetings were held at the home of a black lesbian, but steadily increasing attendance soon necessitated a move.

The UFC, which officially organized and received non-profit status later in 1985, held services at the Ebony Showcase Theater for most of the next three years before acquiring its own site. The congregation bought an old warehouse in 1988 and converted it into the denomination's Mother Church.

At the same time that Bean was founding the church, he initiated the Minority AIDS Project (MAP). Moved by the suffering of AIDS patients and distressed that the black community was too often dismissing the disease as "a white gay thing," Bean set off on an educational mission. An interview on a black radio station, KJLH, led to a Los Angeles Times piece, and soon Bean was flooded with inquiries.

MAP got off to a decidedly modest start with a rummage sale fund-raiser. Bean called on Maxine Waters, then an Assemblywoman, for help, and with her assistance was able to secure some seed money for the project. Waters, now a United States Representative, remains a strong supporter of MAP.

Financial difficulties, however, plagued MAP. A 1988 benefit gospel concert starring Dionne Warwick helped keep the enterprise afloat. Three years later, when MAP was again in dire circumstances, Bean undertook a fast to publicize its plight and to appeal for donations. Later, in 1998, he organized the non-profit L.I.F.E. Records company and produced a CD, Right Now, the proceeds from which were given to the cause. Bean wrote all the songs himself and performed them with the Unity Fellowship Church National Mass Choir.

From the beginning MAP has primarily served the African-American community, but some 20 percent of its clients are Hispanic. The organization offers a wide range of programs, including HIV testing and counseling, AIDS prevention education, and the provision of food, clothing, and transportation to patients.

Bean was executive director of MAP until 1989, when he gave up the post to devote more time to the needs of his growing church. In 1990 UFC became the Unity Fellowship Church Movement when new congregations began forming. The denomination now has some four thousand members in fifteen cities around the United States.

Bean espouses liberation theology and stresses that his church is committed to defending the rights of historically oppressed groups, including women, persons of color, and glbtq people.

Bean has received numerous awards from both religious and secular organizations for his work in providing a spiritual home for glbtq Christians, combating AIDS, and continuously striving to improve the lives of those in the minority community.

Among these honors are an NAACP Image Award (1987) for his work on AIDS, a Prophetic Witness Award (1993) from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and a Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Liberty Award (1994). In addition, the AIDS Health Foundation has recognized his dedication to helping people with AIDS by naming one of its residential care facilities the Carl Bean House.

Bean is proud to shepherd a church that nurtures Christians faced with oppression because of both their sexual orientation and their ethnicity, but he emphasizes that the UFC welcomes all people. He points out that heterosexuals and indeed whole families are members. This is consistent with the motto that Bean has given his church, "God is Love and Love is for Everyone."

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