66 THE QUEENS COURIER • DANCE • AUGUST 31, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
dance
BY RONDA ADDY
I am not afraid to admit that I liked
disco. Th ere was just something about it.
It doesn’t matter if you loved or hated it,
disco had an impact on our culture. If it
didn’t, why are all those Web sites dedicated
to it?
Disco is derived from the French word,
“discotheque,” which means record
library. During WWII, the Nazis banned
jazz in occupied Paris, so to listen to
music, people had to go to illicit cellars.
Th ere discotheque records were played.
With the beginning of disco came
dance-based popular music. Discos were
clubs that played nothing but music for
dancing. In the beginning, most of the discos
were gay clubs whose DJs played soul
and funk music that had a strong, heavy
groove. Soon these records began getting
radio play, and before long, producers
were making records especially for discos.
In the early 1970s, discos began including
a wide variety of musical and visual
props. Chief among them was the mirror
ball, which fragmented a white spotlight
into a million rotating dots. Th e
appearance of smoke machines and dry
ice marked the use of the pin sot light,
which could stab through a cloud of
smoke to cast an illuminated shaft across
a dark room.
Th e fi rst year of disco is considered to
be 1974, with radio stations all over the
country rushing to give disco air time. By
December 1978, there were 200 disco only
formats airing across the country, and six
months later, there were 50 more. In 1974,
Gloria Gaynor became the fi rst disco diva
with her hit, “Never Can Say Goodbye.”
Th at same year, Donna Summer recorded
her fi rst disco album, while Emerson’s
Steakhouses installed discos in 27 of their
locations.
In 1975, Donna Summer secured her
place as a disco diva with the release of
“Love to Love You Baby.” Also that year
was the fi rst big disco hit, Van McCoy’s
“Th e Hustle,” which was based on a popular
dance of the time. Other big disco
hits that year include “Kung Fu Fighting”
by Carl Douglas, “Fly Robin Fly” by the
Silver Convention and “Th at’s the Way I
Like It” by K.C. and the Sunshine Band.
In 1976, disco became newsworthy
when Newsweek ran the cover story, “Get
Up and Boogie,” and estimated there were
10,000 discos in the United States. It also
marked the year Holiday Inn began putting
discos in their hotels. Motown also
got into the act when Diana Ross sang,
“Love Hangover.” Th e Ritchie Family
with “Th e Best Disco in Town,” along
with First Choice and their recording of
“Doctor Love,” became the fi rst disco
girl groups to have successful records.
Rick Dees released, “Disco Duck,” Th elma
Houston released, “Don’t Leave Me Th is
Way” and Abba had its fi rst number one
hit in the United States with “Dancing
Queen.”
Th e year 1977 marked a milestone in
disco history. Saturday Night Fever with
John Travolta as a working class youth
who rules the fl oor at the local dance club
cemented its place in music history. Th e
double album for the fi lm became the
largest-selling soundtrack and produced
10 single hits from the 17 tracks. Th e Bee
Gees became the ultimate disco group
with hits, like “Stayin Alive,” “Night
Fever” and “How Deep Is Your Love.” Th e
picture of John Travolta in his three-piece
white suit with his fi nger raised to the sky
became the ultimate symbol for the disco
era. Th at same year marked the opening
of Studio 54 in New York. Also that year
“Disco Inferno” by the Trammps made
it to the charts and even Grace Jones,
the fi rst black model, launched a singing
career with “La Vie en Rose.”
Attempting to recreate the furor created
by Saturday Night Fever, Th ank God
It’s Friday was released in 1978. Donna
Summer became a big disco star with the
release of “Last Dance” from the TGIF
soundtrack. Th e Village People climbed
up the charts with “Macho Man” and
“Y.M.C.A.” Blondie went disco with
“Heart of Glass.” Th e 1978 Grammy for
Best New Artist went to A Taste of Honey
for “Boogie Oogie Oogie.” Gloria Gaynor
and her recording, “I Will Survive,”
became one of the biggest disco hits of
all time.
By 1979, even Rod Stewart and the
Rolling Stones had hopped on the disco
bandwagon. A string of one hit wonders—
Charo’s “Dance a Little Closer,”
Alicia Bridges’ “I Love the Nightlife” and
Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell”—began to
mark the beginning of the end for disco.
Th ere were some memorable hits that
year, however—Donna Summer and
Barbra Streisand with the duet “No More
Tears (enough is enough),” Sister Sledge
with “We Are Family” and Lipps, Inc.
with “Funkytown.” Th ere were also some
important milestones in disco history that
year. Studio 54 was closed aft er a raid by
the IRS, and aft er 13,000 people attended
a disco event, the Guinness Book of
World Records named it the largest disco
event of all time.
Th e year 1980 saw the movie Fame with
Irene Cara singing the title song. Olivia
Newton-John attempted to recapture her
Grease phenomenon with Xanadu, which
also starred Gene Kelly. Kool & Th e Gang
had their hit, “Celebration,” and Diana
Ross had two hits with “Upside Down”
and “I’m Coming Out.”
By 1981, disco began to be replaced by
new age. Still Olivia Newton-John had
one of her biggest hits with “Physical” and
Kool & Th e Gang had “Get Down on It”
and “Good Time Tonight.”
By 1982, disco was on the way out.
Th ere were not many hits that year with
the possible exception of the Weather
Girls’ “It’s Raining Men” and Donna
Summer’s “Love Is in Control.”
Th ere are those that say disco is dead,
while others say disco has just evolved
into a diff erent form. Who knows for
sure? In its heyday, though, disco turned
out some memorable music.
Having a (disco) ball