Bob Dylan, Kesha honour LGBT couples with song recreations

Singers Kesha and Bob Dylan have joined forces with a slew of other artistes to honour LGBT community by reworking some classic love songs with gender flips.

They changed the pronouns on such songs as "She's funny that way" and "I need a man to love me" in hopes that the new versions could be used by same-sex couples at their weddings, reports aceshowbiz.com.

The six-song album, "Universal Love", was released on April 4.

It features Kesha's "I need a woman to love me", a spin-off to Janis Joplin's "I need a man to love me".

"I've always been an advocate for equal rights. It's an issue that is so close to my heart. It is something that is part of my family, part of my friends and is a part of me," she said in a video interview released with the album.

"When I was approached for this project, I instantly said yes. It was a no brainer, and I fought my entire life and my whole career for equality, and I will continue to do so forever," she added.

Dylan reimagined "She's funny that way" into "He's funny that way". St. Vincent reworked The Crystals' "Then he kissed me" to "Then she kissed me".

St. Vincent said: "I think if you look at the history of music, it's always been about changing the culture. If you are a musician, if you are a writer or a storyteller, you get to tell the stories that people see themselves in. The great thing about music is that transcends all the barriers, and it goes right to people's heart, and everyone has a heart."

Valerie June re-recorded "Mad about the boy" and changed it into "Mad about the girl".

Tom Murphy, a co-producer of "Universal love", said: "If definitions of love and marriage are changing and becoming more inclusive, maybe it's time love songs caught up." He also tells New York Times, "If we view music as something that brings people together, shouldn't these popular songs be open to everyone?"

--IANS

dc/rb/mr