"I'm Coming Out" | ||||||||||||
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One of cover arts for German vinyl singles
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Single by Diana Ross | ||||||||||||
from the album Diana | ||||||||||||
B-side |
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Released | August 22, 1980 | |||||||||||
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Recorded | 1979 | |||||||||||
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Length |
5:24 (album version) 3:59 (single edit) |
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Label | Motown | |||||||||||
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Producer(s) |
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Diana Ross singles chronology | ||||||||||||
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"Mein Coming Out" | |
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Single by Hella von Sinnen | |
Released | 1997 |
Recorded | 1996 |
Genre | Pop, comedy |
Length | 5:26 |
Writer(s) | Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers, Hella von Sinnen, Cornelia Scheel |
"I'm Coming Out" | ||||||||
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Single by Amerie | ||||||||
from the album Maid in Manhattan: Music from the Motion Picture | ||||||||
B-side | "Talkin' to Me" | |||||||
Released | May 20, 2003 (Australia) July 17, 2003 (UK) |
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Format | CD single | |||||||
Recorded | 2002 | |||||||
Genre | Soul, funk, Motown | |||||||
Length | 3:32 | |||||||
Label | Columbia | |||||||
Writer(s) | Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers | |||||||
Producer(s) | Cory Rooney, Loren Dawson | |||||||
Amerie singles chronology | ||||||||
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5:24 (album version)
"I'm Coming Out" is a song made popular by American singer Diana Ross. It was written and produced by Chic members Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, and released on August 22, 1980, as the second single from Ross' self-titled tenth studio album Diana (1980).
In 1979, Ross commissioned Chic founders Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards to create material for a new album after taking her daughters to see the band in concert, following the success of Ross's final Ashford & Simpson-composed and produced LP, The Boss. Rodgers got the idea for "I'm Coming Out" after noticing three different drag queens dressed as Diana Ross at a New York club called the GG Barnum Room. The lyrics hold an additional meaning to Ross, as she was leaving Motown Records and "coming out" from under Berry Gordy's thumb.
The song was a hit, peaking at number five on the U.S. Pop Singles chart. It is also notable for being the first song usually performed at Ross' performances and concerts since 1980. The song has also been identified as an unofficial gay-pride anthem.
“I’m Coming Out” has been regarded as an anthem for the LGBT community. The phrase "coming out" to describe one's self-disclosure of sexual orientation or gender identity had been present in the gay subculture in the early 20th century, analogous to a débutante's coming-out party or celebration of her formal presentation to society. It has also been understood as "coming out of the closet" or coming out from hiding. The song is thus interpreted as a celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer identity and the encouragement of self-disclosure.