BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1982
“Johnny Are You Queer?” is a 1980s pop song that was written by Bobby and Larson Paine. The song was first performed live by the Go-Go’s and was later performed by Josie Cotton, who released the song as a single in 1981 and 1982, and as part of her 1982 album Convertible Music. The song was also featured on the Valley Girl soundtrack.
The song was the subject of controversy upon its release. Cotton was accused by multiple conservative groups as promoting homosexuality and one network claimed that “there was no Josie Cotton and that she was actually a gay man who was trying to convert unsuspecting straight men into a homosexual lifestyle.” The Village Voice and The Advocate were both highly critical of “Johnny, Are You Queer?” and The Advocate demonized the work in an article entitled “Josie, Are You A Bitch?”
Years later AllMusic reviewed the song and noted that “In retrospect, the song sounds rather tame, and throughout, the joke is on the petulant girl, not Johnny: “he’s not interested in her that way, so clearly he must not like girls” is (deliberately) a laughably arrogant premise.”
Cotton has stated that since the song’s release she has been contacted by several people who thanked her for the song, as it helped them come to terms with their own homosexuality.
In 1982, the song reached #38 on the U.S. Billboard Club Play Singles chart.
SIDE A:
Johnny Are You Queer? 2:46
SIDE B:
(Let’s Do) The Blackout 2:57
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Johnny Are You Queer? | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #38 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Elektra – AS-11538
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Power Pop
CREDITS:
Bass, Guitar – Bobby Paine
Drums – Richard Adelman
Drums [Additional] – Don Heffington
Engineer – Geza X, Glenn Feit, Ray Blair
Piano – Jimmy Ehinger
Producer, Written-By – Bobby Paine, Larson Paine
Synthesizer – J.B. Frank*
NOTES:
“Johnny Are You Queer?” from the LP “Convertible Music”.
Find the 12″ on DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
