In 2016 the singer Sam Smith made a gaffe that became a huge international incident. Accepting an Oscar for Writing’s on the Wall, a Bond theme tune from the previous year, Smith suggested that the win was a first for an openly gay creative, before dedicating the gong to “the LBGT community around the world”. Smith was factually incorrect – there had been previous out winners – and the singer spent time on Twitter humbly backpedalling.
Fast-forward to 2023 and two sample-filled parentheses on the artist’s fourth album, Gloria, testify to Smith having done their LGBTQIA+ history homework. One, Hurting Interlude, attests to the double agony of losing love and not being able to discuss your pain openly with others. The sampled TV news interview dates from the 1970 New York Gay Pride march.
