Gay anthem ‘I Am What I Am’ musically illustrates that Ted Lasso scene between Colin and Isaac
The third season of Ted Lasso is still surprising viewers with interesting music choices on its soundtrack — including ‘I Am What I Am‘ (From La Cage Aux Folles) by Donald Pippin and George Hearn.
A song that showed up on Ted Lasso today as Isaac arrives at Colin’s house to accuse him of lying to him because Colin didn’t tell him he was gay.
As you know now, everything worked out for the two men, as they end up hanging out playing games and talking about how Colin handles being around naked men in the club shower.
Sure, if you know anything about the gay community, the track was a clumsy too obvious choice for that scene in Ted Lasso, Season 3, Episode 9, “La Locker Room Aux Folles“, because it is so obviously a gay song about accepting yourself.
But I suppose the now eternally “woke” Ted Lasso music supervisors could have chosen something worse, eh?
Where is Donald Pippin and George Hearn’s ‘‘I Am What I Am‘ from?
Donald Pippin and George Hearn’s ‘‘I Am What I Am‘ was first heard as part of the soundtrack of the hit gay-themed musical La Cage Aux Folles, which is a play about two gay men — Georges, the manager of a drag-focused nightclub and Albin, his lover and club drag star.
The song was sung by Albin at the end of the first act.
It went on to become a huge hit with the gay community, and a major ‘gay anthem’ for decades after the play’s first Broadway performance in 1983.
In the play, the song was first performed by actor George Hearn who was playing the character Albin at the time.
‘I Am What I Am‘ became an even bigger hit when disco track superstar Gloria Gaynor released the track as a single the same year.
Yes, it is a cool song and it has a lovely premise behind it. I just think the Ted Lasso music supervisors could have chosen a song that was a little less ‘obvious’.
Then again, so much of what has been going on in the badly-written third season of Ted Lasso is so damned obvious, I find myself fast-forwarding through most of it.
Listen to Donald Pippin and George Hearn’s ‘‘I Am What I Am‘ as heard on Ted Lasso this week in the video and on the Spotify thingymajiggy below.
And yep, I am glad Colin no longer has to lie about who he is. Aren’t you?
You can hear more songs from all three seasons of Ted Lasso here on Leo Sigh.