1 June 1981
On 12 June 1979, some 50,000 people descended on Comiskey Park (in Chicago, Illinois) to collectively and symbolically kill disco. Spurred on by enterprising radio disc jockey Steve Dahl, the event was a disturbing repudiation of the mainstream ascension of the dominant dance music genre (which was originated and popularized within the Black, Latino, and gay communities, among other marginalized groups). Thus, Disco Demolition Night was sort of the culminating act of countless music fans who saw the omnipotence of disco in pop culture as a cheapening of music in general.
The debate regarding the authenticity of
disco (a largely producer-driven genre) versus the authenticity of
Village People
Village People is an American disco group well known for their on-stage costumes depicting American masculine cultural stereotypes as well as their catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics. Originally created by Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo to target disco s gay audience by featuring popular gay fantasy personae, the band quickly became popular and moved into the mainstream. The group scored several disco and dance hits internationally, including three hits in the US, Macho Man, In the Navy , and their biggest hit, Y.M.C.A. .
The Worst Version of the Song Y.M.C.A.
Hands down, the worst version of the YMCA was performed live on a television show in Finland in 1979.
Y.M.C.A., released in 1978 by the American disco group Village People, was written by Jacques Morali and Victor Willis. It reached No. 2 in the US but topped the charts in the UK.
Y.M.C.A. as hokey as it sounds is one of the few singles to sell over 10 million copies worldwide. It is still being played on the radio, wedding receptions and is one of the most popular karaoke songs.
That Trump sendoff song is really about gay sexual freedom
âY.M.C.A.,â a party anthem and gay disco staple of the 1970s, bizarrely found new life among a crowd cheering a president who wasnât known for his support of LGBTQ rights
By Christopher Muther Globe Staff,Updated January 20, 2021, 1:13 p.m.
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The Village People performed at Kowloon in June 2016.Ben Stas for The Boston Globe/file
Rabid consumers of pop music and disco, particularly those of the LGBTQ variety, are well aware of the subtext of the Village Peopleâs 1979 hit âY.M.C.A.â Before it was the official song of weddings, bar mitzvahs, stadium sing-alongs, and Donald Trump rallies, it was a cheeky wink to the gay goings-on in dark corners at the Young Menâs Christian Association in the 1970s.
These days, with more and more public figures coming forward about their sexuality, it was only a matter of time that we here at TheBacklot.com put together a list of the most influential and intriguing openly gay and bisexual male musicians of the past century. Compiling a list like this was no small feat.
While we’ve limited this to only 50 musicians, the number of openly gay artists far surpasses that number, and we’re sure you will likely spot an artist near and dear to your heart that we left out. Trust us that it was not done in malice. We simply tried to assemble a list of those artists we feel have been both successful in their careers while also raising awareness toward gay rights issues and giving back to the community in which they belong.