Okay so I know what you’re thinking. Duh of course High School Musical is gay, it’s a musical. Well let’s not be so assuming and shallow, shall we. However there is a character within the series, Ryan Evans
Elton John Jr?
, that Disney has pretty much made a gay character without actually saying anything, because Disney wouldn’t want to ruin the family safe image. Well it hit me the other day while I was listening to the music from the second movie and walking my dog. He’re below you are the lyrics to the song and if you really think about, could possibly be saying more than most people take it as. Comments will be italicized.
I DON’T DANCE
Chad and team: Hey.. oh.. play ball.
Chad: Ooo.. ooo… ooo… (cooing?)
Chad and team: Hey, Hey, oh
Ryan and team: Hey batter batter, hey batter batter, swing.
Chad: I’ve got to just do my thing.
Ryan and team: Hey batter batter, hey batter batter swing. (Nothing too bad so far)
Ryan: I’ll show you that it’s one and the same, baseball, dancing same game. It’s easy, step up to the plate, start swingin’ (perhaps Ryan showing Chad that being gay really isn’t all the different)
Chad: I wanna play ball now that’s all this is what I do. It ain’t no dance that you can show me, (Chad is not convinced of “dancing”)
Team: Hey, hey hey
Chad: Yeah.
Girls in stands: You’ll never know.
Chad: Oh I know.
Girls: If you never try. (Have you tried dudes? Than how do you know you don’t like them?)
Chad: There’s just one little thing that stops me every time, yeah. (sounds like Chad is having some repressed thoughts)
Ryan: C’mon!
Chad: I don’t dance.
Ryan and girls: I know you can.
Chad: Not a chance, no.
Ryan: If I could do this, well, you could do that. (Hey if I can come out so can you)
Chad: But I don’t dance. (still hesitant)
Ryan: Hit it out of the park! (take that for what you will)
Chad: I don’t dance.
Ryan: I say you can.
Chad: There’s not a chance.
Ryan and girls: Slide home, you score, swingin’ on the dance floor. (home plate…well we all know what that means)
Chad: I don’t dance, no.
Ryan and team: Hey batter batter, hey batter batter, swing. (Chad could swing Ryan’s way)
Chad: I’ve got to just do my thing.
Ryan and team: Hey batter batter, hey batter batter swing.
Chad: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ryan: Two steppin’ now you’re up to bat. Bases loaded do your dance it’s easy, take your best shot, just hit it! (the bases are loaded, just give it your best shot, and hit that!)
Chad: I’ve got what it takes playin’ my game, So you better spin that pitch you’re gonna throw me. I’ll show you how I swing! (Chad’s got the looks, sounds like Chad is the catcher in this relationship, “I’ll show you how I swing”…enough said)
Girls in stands: You’ll never know.
Chad: Oh I know.
Girls: If you never try. (More coaxing. Come on Chad, haven’t you heard of the down low?)
Chad: There’s just one little thing that stops me every time, yeah. (flamers…probably)
Ryan: C’mon!
Chad: I don’t dance.
Ryan and girls: I know you can.
Chad: Not a chance, no.
Ryan: If I could do this well you could do that. (Ryan is clearly pointing out changing teams is not as hard as it sounds…especially mid-game.)
Chad: But I don’t dance.
Ryan: Hit it out of the park!
Chad: I don’t dance.
Ryan: I say you can.
Chad: There’s not a chance.
Ryan and girls: Slide home, you score, swingin’ on the dance floor. (the hags chime in once more singing the siren’s song)
Chad: I don’t dance, no.
RAP SECTION
Ryan and team: Lean back, tuck it in, take a chance. Swing it out, spin around, do the dance. (…no comment)
Chad: I wanna play ball, not dance hall. I’m makin’ a triple not a curtain call. (flamers and fem guys are certainly not for him)
Ryan: I can prove it to you till you know it’s true. ‘Cause I can swing it, I can bring it to the diamond too. (Ryan is going to show him the ropes, plus not all gays are feminine)
Chad: You’re talkin’ alot, show me what you got, Stop. (Chad caves in, lets see if Ryan’s bark is as worse as his bite)
All: Swiiiing!
SWING SECTION
Team: Hey, swing it like this.
Chad: Yeah..oh..
Ryan: Swing..
Chad: Oooh…
Ryan: Jitterbug.
Team: Just like that, oh. (haha, it’s even better reading it)
Ryan: That’s what I mean, that’s how you swing.
Chad: You make a good pitch but I don’t believe. (sounds like Chad isn’t totally sold on being the bottom)
Ryan: I say you can.
Chad: I know I can’t! I don’t
Both: Daaaaaaaaaaaaaance!
CHAD STOMP SECTION
Ryan: team, girls: You can do it.
Chad: I don’t dance, no.
Ryan, team, girls: Nothin’ to it. Atta boy, atta boy, yeah.
Chad and team: Hey batter batter, hey batter batter what.
Ryan: 1, 2, 3, 4, everybody swing. C’mon!
Chad: I don’t dance.
Ryan and girls: I know you can.
Chad: Not a chance, no.
Ryan: If I could do this well you could do that.
Chad: But I don’t dance.
Ryan: Hit it out of the park!
Chad: I don’t dance.
Ryan: I say you can.
Chad: There’s not a chance.
Ryan and girls: Slide home, you score, swingin’ on the dance floor.
Chad: I don’t dance, no.
Perhaps Chad is not totally sold at the very end after all. I mean we can’t have homosexuals in a Disney movie. So Chad will end up with the other black member…because an interracial couple is probably pushing the envelope a little too far too…you know because we haven’t quite got the equality thing down yet. But by God we are trying.
So I might have gone a little over the top with what the song really means. Do I think the creators really meant the song to mean that…probably not, but you know what they say “The best place to hide something is in plain site)
