Nile Rodgers penned Diana Ross’ classic I’m Coming Out to celebrate the diva’s LGBTQ+ fanbase.
The disco legend collaborated with The Supremes singer on her 1980 hit from her 11th album ‘Diana’.
Speaking to ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus on his ‘Björn from ABBA and Friends’ radio show on Apple Music Hits, Nile opened up on how the track came to be.
“I’m Coming Out. I promise you when I came up with that idea, I walked into a bar, there were a lot of transvestites and Diana Ross impersonators, I guess they were having some contest that night,” he shared.
“Diana Ross was the very first big star I ever worked with. And all of a sudden I walk in and I see the life of one aspect of Diana Ross’s life – that the gay community really looks up to Diana Ross as a real icon.
“And I was like, ‘Oh, my God, how do I translate that into a song without saying obviously what I’m feeling?’ And it just popped into my head, like ‘I’m coming out’. Yeah, honestly, and I thought that it was a life changing moment.”
He continued: “I remember calling my partner and I said, ‘James Brown in the Black community seems apolitical because he’s hanging out with Richard Nixon and blah, blah, blah. But all he had to do was write one song, say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud.’
“And I said to my partner, ‘By Diana Ross going, ‘I’m Coming Out’, that’s all she’s got to say.’ What we now have is a woman, a black woman, who is an icon who my partner said the very first time we saw her, we saw her at one of our shows.
“She came to see Chic playing live. And my partner turned around while we were jamming. And he said, ‘Damn, that’s like a queen coming to see us. So she’s like our queen.’ And I remembered him saying that.
“So when I was doing the arrangement, I wrote a fanfare. So we go, ‘I’m coming out.’ And I go [sings fanfare]. A fanfare for a queen. A person who’s revered by the gay community.
“She’s acknowledging that alliance. And it’s also going to hopefully make you go to the dance floor.”
I’m Coming Out was the second single from ‘Diana’ – following lead track Upside Down – and was a chart-topping disco hit in the US.
In the UK, the single peaked inside the Top 20 and remains a fan-favourite from the music legend’s discography.
‘Björn from ABBA and Friends’ is a four-part series, which features conversations with friends, collaborators, and artists about all things ABBA.
The inaugural episode features Nile, who shares stories and discusses songwriting secrets, ABBA’s enduring influence, and the keys to their success and undeniable catalogue.
Additional guests include playwright Catherine Johnson, who penned the book of the stage musical and first film adaptation ‘Mama Mia!’, and creative director for the forthcoming ABBA Voyage concerts, Johan Renck.
