As June comes to a close, I just want to take a moment to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining me on this journey through music, memory, and celebration. This year’s Pride Month on Burning the Ground has been one of the most special yet — a vibrant mix of anthems, deep cuts, camp classics, and unexpected gems that have moved us, united us, and made us dance.
Together, we paid tribute to pioneers like Divine, Malcolm McLaren, Pete Burns, and k.d. lang… we turned the volume up on forgotten 12″ remixes, glittering club anthems, and powerful messages of love, identity, and freedom. Whether it was a synth-pop banger or a disco confession, each post was a small act of celebration and remembrance — for the voices we’ve lost, the lives we’ve lived, and the joy we continue to share.
Now, I’m signing off for a short vacation and will be taking a much-needed break until July 9. During this time, there won’t be any new posts, but feel free to explore the archives and revisit some favorites — there’s always something worth rediscovering.
To everyone who has commented, shared a memory, or simply stopped by to listen — thank you. Your presence here keeps the music alive.
Stay safe, stay proud, and I’ll see you back here in July with more vinyl treasures and sonic surprises.
Today’s Pride Month feature transports us straight to a fantasy realm of disco lights, roller skates, and synth-drenched euphoria—“Xanadu” by Olivia Newton-John & Electric Light Orchestra, the unforgettable title track from the 1980 cult musical film Xanadu.
I’m spotlighting the European 12” single, which includes the album version of “Xanadu” backed with “Fool Country,” a track featured in the film but not included on the official soundtrack. As a special treat, I’ve also added a bonus remix: the “Re-Glittered Mix” by Steve Anderson of DMC fame—a Pride-ready version that’s pure sparkle and spectacle.
🪩 Chart Success
“Xanadu” became a massive international hit. In the UK, it soared to #1 on the Singles Chart—making it ELO’s only UK #1 hit. In the U.S., it peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning both Olivia and ELO another top 10 pop smash. The song’s jubilant fusion of Jeff Lynne’s symphonic rock production with Olivia’s airy, crystalline vocals captured the hearts of both disco and pop fans alike.
🎶 Soundtrack Anniversary
Here’s something special: the Xanadu soundtrack turns 45 years old today! Released in the U.S. June 1980, the album has become a cult classic—featuring side A by Olivia Newton-John and side B by ELO. While the film itself polarized critics, the music became a beloved part of pop culture, especially within LGBTQ+ communities who embraced its theatricality, glam, and fantasy.
🌈 A Legendary Mardi Gras Performance
Another magical Pride moment: In 2008, Olivia performed “Xanadu” live at Sydney’s Mardi Gras, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the event. Wearing a dazzling disco sequin kimono, she took the stage at 4AM at the Royal Hall Of Industries before a crowd of over 18,000 fans—serving vocals, glam, and sheer joy. The remix she performed to? Yes, the very same Steve Anderson Re-Glittered Mix included here. The audience, as you’d expect, went wild.
Why “Xanadu” for Pride Month?
Because it’s joyful. It’s camp. It’s fantasy. And it’s a radiant reminder that escapism, glamour, and individuality are powerful tools of self-expression. Olivia Newton-John has always been a beloved icon in the LGBTQ+ community, and Xanadu is one of the glittering jewels in her crown.
This track is an open invitation to dream—to step out of the gray and into the neon. And during Pride, what could be more fitting?
🎶 “Now that I’m here, now that you’re near… in Xanadu.” 🎶
“Out, out tonight — feel like going out in the night…”
Today’s Pride Month feature cranks the glitter to eleven with a high-energy, high-attitude anthem from one of the most iconic figures in drag and queer music history: Divine. Released in 1984, “I’m So Beautiful” is more than a Hi-NRG dancefloor stomper—it’s a declaration of radical self-love, delivered with all the camp, charisma, and defiance only Divine could muster.
Produced by Mike Stock and Matt Aitken before their rise as part of the Stock Aitken Waterman powerhouse, the track is pure mid-‘80s disco magic. Pulsing synths, fierce basslines, and Divine’s unmistakable, commanding vocals all collide to form a club anthem that oozes confidence from every beat.
✨ Lyrically Loud and Proud
From the moment Divine struts onto the track, she sets the tone:
“Out, out tonight / Feel like going out in the night I’m gonna walk the street, walk the street I wanna feel the heat, feel the heat There ain’t nobody better than me / Can’t you see? Look at me!”
It’s a celebration of showing up, showing off, and not giving a damn what anyone thinks. It’s about seizing the spotlight, whether you’re dancing in a club or just walking down the street like it’s your runway.
And the chorus? It’s an eternal mood:
“I’m so beautiful / You’ve gotta believe that I am beautiful I’m so beautiful, can’t you see? Look at me!”
This isn’t just camp. It’s empowerment. It’s freedom. It’s a disco-soaked act of self-affirmation at a time when drag queens and queer people were rarely seen—let alone celebrated.
👑 A Pride Anthem for the Ages
Divine was never just a performer—she was a force. A pioneer of gender rebellion, a star of John Waters’ underground cinema, and a drag icon who brought punk edge to disco elegance. “I’m So Beautiful” exemplifies everything that made her a legend: humor, heart, and a refusal to play by anyone else’s rules.
This song is a mirrorball manifesto, telling every outsider, every queer kid, every fabulous misfit: You are beautiful. Own it. Live it. Shine.
💖 So Turn It Up… “Everybody’s welcome to this point of view / We’re all beautiful, can’t you see?”
Happy Pride, and remember: beauty isn’t just in the eye of the beholder—it’s in the boldness to be exactly who you are.
Today’s Pride Month post dives into one of the boldest pre-mainstream celebrations of ballroom culture: Deep in Vogue by Malcolm McLaren and the House of McLaren. Released in 1989—before Madonna brought voguing to the masses—this track was a cultural time capsule and a tribute to the underground scene that shaped a generation of queer identity, dance, and fashion.
Malcolm McLaren, best known as the former manager of the Sex Pistols, was no stranger to subculture. With Deep in Vogue, he turned his fascination to New York’s ballroom scene—specifically the voguing houses that thrived in Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ communities. Collaborating with Mark Moore (of S’Express) and William Orbit, McLaren sampled raw audio from Paris Is Burning (prior to its theatrical release), as well as original beats, house grooves, and runway-ready attitude.
This wasn’t just music—it was documentation.
The single features the fierce chant: “Strike a pose! Strike a pose!” long before those words became iconic. It features contributions from members of the House of McLaren, and it’s steeped in the language, style, and pageantry of ballroom culture. Unlike the glossy pop of Madonna’s “Vogue” the following year, this record feels gritty, real, and reverent—a beat-driven love letter to the creativity and resilience of LGBTQ+ communities who carved out safe spaces in a hostile world.
This 12″ helped usher voguing into the mainstream without stripping away its defiance. It’s a celebration from the underground rather than about it. A song that not only embraces Pride, but helps define it through self-expression, movement, and the refusal to apologize.
For anyone passionate about queer history, dancefloor evolution, or the intersections of activism and art, Deep in Vogue remains essential listening. It’s more than a house track—it’s a mirrorball manifesto.
The song’s music video features none other than Willie Ninja, the legendary godfather of voguing, whose style, grace, and competitive fire helped define an era. His presence in this video is not just fierce—it’s foundational. Willie helped bring ballroom to the world stage, and his legacy continues to inspire dancers, artists, and activists today.
Tragically, like so many icons from this period, Willie Ninja was lost to AIDS-related complications in 2006. His story, and that of countless other queer talents of color, is a heartbreaking reminder of how the HIV/AIDS epidemic devastated an entire generation of artists, thinkers, and performers. Deep in Vogue doesn’t just celebrate a culture—it preserves it, and the people who made it unforgettable.
💿✨ Celebrate Pride. Celebrate expression. Celebrate the ballroom.
