Media and Music: How “But I’m a Cheerleader” Uses Music to Make Conversion Therapy Camp
The cult classic movie, “But I’m a Cheerleader,” is an amusing take on a dark topic. The soundtrack is full of teen angst and punk sensibilities that takes a topic so horrifying, and makes it comically camp.
In Media and Music, our writers take a deep dive into how movies use scores and songs to engage viewers, give new meaning and tone to some of our favorite scenes, and establish themes. It almost goes without saying, but there are spoilers abound.
Written by Adam Cherian
Photos courtesy of LionsGate Films
Conversion therapy is an inherently evil institution that remains prevalent in America. Queer people who have undergone conversion therapy are twice as likely to die by suicide. There is no evidence that conversion therapy actually does anything but harm kids, and it is still legal in a large amount of states. With such a dark institution used as the subject of a comedy film, how does one make it funny? The 2000 movie “But I’m a Cheerleader” does the impossible by making such a horrifying process ludicrously hilarious. The movie features the talents of a young Natasha Lyonne in the starring role, Donte Basco as Lyonne’s flamboyant fellow camper, and even RuPaul playing a reformed homosexual counselor. With such an unforgettable cast, the movie was met with mixed reviews, yet exists as a sort of hidden gem. But the true treasure of this movie lies in its soundtrack.
The movie follows high school cheerleader Megan, played by Lyonne, whose loved ones send her to a conversion therapy camp called True Direction, with the hopes that she confronts her burgeoning attraction to other girls. There, she meets many other queer individuals who are forced to condemn their homosexuality as wrong and work towards a life of “normalcy.” Here, she meets tomboy Graham, played by Clea DuVall, an unapologetic lesbian whose parents force her to go to True Direction. Megan and Graham have an enemies-to-lovers arc where they accept that they are each others’ polar opposites, and the movie ends with them escaping the camp to live together happily-ever-after with a group of other escapees. Throughout the movie, many characters face challenges resulting in their homosexuality. It is implied, or sometimes outright stated, that if they do not change their ways, they will be thrown on the street and abandoned by their families. Throughout all this, many are turned away as they cannot simply shake off the way they were born.
The soundtrack to “But I’m a Cheerleader” achieves its campy teenage energy through various influences, ranging from upbeat club anthems to ‘60s inspired music. The female-fronted four-piece band Dressy Bessy, is a recurring name on the tracklist, with its pop-rock driven songs “Just Like Henry,” and “If You Should Try to Kiss Her,” perfectly encapsulating the movie’s animated atmosphere. Both tracks appear at the beginning of the film, ironically sung from the perspective of a girl wanting a guy to fall in love with her.
For example, “If You Should Try to Kiss Her” is told through an omniscient perspective of a girl who is trying to tell her crush to fall in love with her. She explicitly tells him what she wants him to do in lines like, “Open the door, walk in behind her / Draw back your bow, let it remind her.” The track can be mistaken as a girl spilling her feelings for another girl, making it a clever use of the song for a movie about lesbian love. Its lyrics mirror the actions of Megan throughout the film, as she tries to convince herself that she is attracted to men, when in actuality her feelings are towards women.
The obscure and short-lived ‘90s group Go Sailor is also prominently featured on the soundtrack, as its song “Together Forever In Love” was chosen to be the ending credits song. The group members’ twee-pop sound is a perfect fit for this movie, as it adds to the ‘60s aesthetic of the film. Their songs are used in the same way as Dressy Bessy; the lead singer is singing about the man she loves, but in the context of the movie, it seems she is singing about a woman.
Other songs, like “Chick Habit,” performed by April March, and “Trailer Song” by Sissy Bar, fall into the indie-rock vibe that the movie gives off. They all add to the ‘60s era that “But I’m a Cheerleader'' is stylistically inspired by. The soundtrack is so bubbly, it is comical. “Chick Habit,” for example, is a playful song where the singer implies that she has an addiction to women. It is used comically in the opening scene of the movie, foreshadowing Megan’s same tendencies as she stares slack-jawed at her fellow cheerleaders. Most of the other songs on the soundtrack are also cheerful and bright, which stands in contrast to the dark nature of the movie’s subject matter.
Take the song “Funnel of Love” by Wanda Jackson. It is a saccharine love song warning the audience that one cannot depart from their true feelings.
I tried and I tried, to run and hide,
I even tried to run away,
You just can't run from the funnel of love,
It's gonna get you someday.
This bluesy song is featured in a sequence where Megan is trying to push down her feelings for Graham. It adds a playful tone, almost like the audience is watching a high school crush. It makes the audience forget the actual situation; Megan has feelings for someone in a dangerous setting where she will most certainly be thrown out on the streets and abandoned by her family if it were found out.
The soundtrack of “But I’m a Cheerleader” perfectly encapsulates queer teen angst using a humorous lens. The songs turn a dark satire into a campy romantic comedy. Though the subject matter is grim, it is a nice escape from the horrors that queer youth have to experience, even 20 years after its release. The movie has gained a cult following over the last two decades and with its addition to YouTube Movies free to watch and talks of a musical adaptation in the works, a whole new generation of kids are getting to experience this film and all of the significance it holds within the queer community.