Music legend Nile Rodgers’ first hit for a big star was inspired by one of his “wild nights” out in NYC.
“When I wrote, ‘I’m Coming Out,’ Diana Ross was the first big star I ever worked with [and] we
overcompensated,” he said at Carolyn Dailey’s “The Creative Entrepreneur” book launch party at the new San Vicente West Village in Manhattan.
“We sat down, and we interviewed Diana for two days, and we said, ‘This album is going to be all about you,’ and she said, ‘Wow, no one has ever written about me before,’” he said the star exclaimed at the time.
But Rodgers recalled how a bathroom full of Diana Ross drag queen impersonators actually led to the Motown diva’s solo breakout hit.
The producer found himself partying at a gay club one night, and, “I go to the bathroom, and on both sides of me — seven to ten deep on either side — are all Diana Rosses,” he recalled.
“I get overly excited… I call my partner, and tell him to write this down: ‘I’m coming out,’” he continued.
Rodgers told the stories to guests at Dailey’s party including Spike Lee, Ann Dexter-Jones, Meredith Marks, Fern Mallis, and Jeremy Kost, among others.
The music genius revealed how he giddily explained the situation at the time to his fellow producer and Chic bandmate Bernard Edwards: “I am in a bathroom, filled with Diana Rosses. This is amazing! Just think about it!”
But he’d already told Ross the album would be all about her, he explained.
With the Ross fans on the mind, he convinced the star that she would be, “giving a love letter back to your audience – there is a significant part of your audience that is gonna relate to this, and this is going to be like James Brown saying, ‘Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud,’ and it all turned out great,” he said.
The rest is history. The song was released in 1980 on Ross’ album, “Diana,” hitting No. 5 on the Billboard charts, and it’s usually Ross’ opening tune at her concerts.