Harris Glenn Milstead, better known as Divine, was a singer, actor, and drag queen from the mid-1960s until his death in 1988, churning out hits like the above song "You Think You're a Man."
He was also the inspiration for Ursula in the 1989 Disney movie "The Little Mermaid," and his role as Edna Turnblad in "Hairspray" is the reason the character is usually portrayed by male actors.
Divine had a successful career working with filmmaker John Waters, who suggested the name Divine after reading the controversial book "Our Lady of the Flowers," but I think Divine's musical work can stand on its own.
Take for example the song above, "I'm So Beautiful." I'm not one much for dancing, but I wanted to sing and dance along from the moment I first heard the song, which is filled with positive affirmations and attitude.
If the first part of the song doesn't hook you, the chorus will with its repetition of: "I'm so beautiful / You've gotta believe that I am beautiful / I'm so beautiful, can't you see? Look at me! / I said, I'm so beautiful / Well everybody's welcome to this point of view / We're all beautiful, can't you see?"
The quality of Divine's singing makes me wish he had the chance to sing a cover of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" before passing. Who knows? Maybe one of the good things to come out of the rise of AI song covers will be someone simulating what that would sound like.
Either way, Divine's impact on pop culture is fascinating.
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