00:00It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
00:03It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:09And today we're counting down our picks for the songs that define the classic disco era and still have us
00:15dancing today.
00:16And as we come to the end of our show, you are family too.
00:19Please sing along.
00:21Number 10, La Freque, Chic.
00:23Have you heard about the new dance play?
00:27Listen to us, I'm sure you'll be amazed.
00:31As originally written, the funky dance track was actually meant to be a response to the band's being denied entry
00:36to the exclusive dance club Studio 54.
00:39Chic scored a major hit by tapping into the growing fad of losing life's troubles amid the glittering lights and
00:44body heat of the discotheque.
00:46Find the spot, out on the floor.
00:49La Freque out, La Freque, say Chic.
00:53La Freque was undeniable.
00:54There are a lot of disco songs about the euphoria of dancing to a great song.
00:59La Freque endures because of its technical greatness.
01:01The beat and Chic founder Bernard Edwards' incredible bass line have made it a prime choice for producers to rework
01:08and sample.
01:09Fill the river, shed the rhyme.
01:12Come on along and have a real good time.
01:16Number 9, Got to be real, Cheryl Lynn.
01:19It's a good one, I promise.
01:21I promise, okay?
01:36This track has been a mainstay on movie soundtracks, commercials, and the dance floor ever since its 1978 release.
01:43Got to be real is one of those songs you recognize from that very first distinctive and ear-catching riff.
01:53A showcase for singer Cheryl Lynn's impressive range, it was a chart-topper on the U.S. soul charts in
01:59its initial release, and it's easy to see why.
02:01Anthemic and as empowering as it is danceable, there's a reason it has endured over the decades.
02:07This platinum-selling single will likely be around for decades more.
02:10No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
02:15no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
02:15I got to have it, baby!
02:17Number 8, Dancing Queen, ABBA.
02:20Friday night and the lights are low, looking out for a place to go.
02:27Long before it was bringing down Broadway houses, this ode to youth, joy, and dancing was delighting audiences around the
02:34world.
02:34The Swedish pop makers created a massive hit that reached number one on numerous charts.
02:48ABBA's signature song will never go out of style.
02:50Yes, some people find it corny, but even they can't help but want to join in.
02:55Yes, you can dance. You can jive.
02:57Dancing Queen has a polished, flamboyant production,
03:00a beat that makes you dance,
03:02and enough hooks to make it stick in your brain for the rest of your life.
03:12Number 7. Disco Inferno. The Tramps.
03:22Hilariously, the songwriters dreamed up this song
03:24after seeing the 1974 disaster movie The Towering Inferno.
03:28They took its literal story about a deadly fire breaking out in a skyscraper
03:32and turned it into a full-fledged classic.
03:40Disco Inferno's full, almost immersive soundscape
03:43is the result of a production error in the noise reduction settings.
03:47But there's an urgency to it from the moment it starts
03:49that almost pulls you out onto the dance floor.
03:52A decent hit upon release in late 1976,
03:55the track found further reach when it was included
03:57on the record-breaking Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in 1977.
04:07Number 6. Don't Leave Me This Way. Thelma Houston.
04:11Don't leave me this way. I can't survive.
04:18Originally recorded by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes in 1975,
04:22the 1976 disco cover by Thelma Houston exploded onto the charts.
04:27Aside from its pleading, desperate lyrics and the powerhouse Grammy-winning vocals,
04:32Don't Leave Me This Way is important because it encapsulates what made disco great.
04:42The genre thrived on the artistry of its producers.
04:46Hitmaker Hal Davis oversaw a series of evocative and innovative distortion effects
04:50added to the track that gave it a more dynamic, if electronic, sound.
04:54It was a hit in the disco clubs all over the world
04:57and frequently appears on lists of the greatest disco songs of all time.
05:08Number 5. I Feel Love. Donna Summer.
05:18Few genres produced as many one-hit wonders as disco.
05:21But if there's one artist who could not miss during the disco era,
05:25it was Donna Summer.
05:26We could populate an entire list with just cuts from the Queen of Disco.
05:30But I Feel Love, with its highly electronic sound effects
05:33and Summer's ethereal voice, is disco at its best.
05:44Legendary producer Giorgio Moroder creates an echoing, surreal,
05:47almost heavenly soundscape that feels like it goes on forever.
05:51It received renewed attention due to a cover by Sam Smith
05:54and its use as a sample on Beyoncé's Summer Renaissance.
06:04Number 4. You Make Me Feel Mighty Real.
06:07Sylvester.
06:15Despite being a major player in the disco era,
06:17Sylvester is still massively underrated by mainstream modern audiences.
06:21But even if you don't know him,
06:23you've heard his distinctive falsetto on You Make Me Feel Mighty Real.
06:26You Make Me Feel Mighty Real.
06:32Originally conceived as a gospel song,
06:35the potential for a dance hit led producers
06:37to create an energetic remix full of explosive beats
06:39and electronic instrumentation that was still very new at the time.
06:43The result is one of the most impactful dance hits of the era.
06:47If Sylvester's legacy with the general public
06:49is contained in just this one song,
06:51it is a worthy crowning achievement.
07:00Number 3. We Are Family.
07:02Sister Sledge.
07:08One of the most successful songs on this list,
07:12We Are Family clearly strikes a chord with millions of people.
07:15Despite the song's universality,
07:17the title is actually more literal than you would think.
07:19The members of Sister Sledge were actually sisters,
07:22but the joyful track took on new life
07:24as an anthem of togetherness and solidarity,
07:27be it on the dance floor or anywhere else.
07:37Interestingly, as time has passed,
07:40We Are Family has gotten back to its original meaning.
07:42What was once a dance hit in wild and hazy discotheques
07:46has since become a theme song for any kind of family get-together.
07:49As long as weddings, birthdays, bar mitzvahs,
07:51and cookouts stay in style,
07:53We Are Family isn't going anywhere.
08:03Number 2. Stayin' Alive.
08:05The Bee Gees.
08:18The 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever
08:21cemented disco in pop culture forever.
08:23As one of the biggest hits on its highly successful soundtrack album,
08:27Stayin' Alive became synonymous with disco and the 1970s as a whole.
08:31It's basically the disco Rosetta Stone
08:33from millions of people who never set foot in a real discotheque.
08:37The song's influence isn't just felt in pop culture.
08:47It has also been used in the training of CPR,
08:50as its tempo is actually useful in establishing an accurate rhythm for chest compressions.
08:55So, if anyone ever tells you the Bee Gees saved lives,
08:58it might actually be true.
09:13Before we continue, check out this single from Sound Mojo's Adia,
09:17Songs from Iran,
09:19reimagining Persian melodies as modern rock, metal, and pop songs.
09:23Check out the full track and album below.
09:25Where are you, my love zone here?
09:27Say the word and I'll appear.
09:29I wrote this song just for you
09:31to tell you what I always knew.
09:39Number 1. I Will Survive.
09:41Gloria Gaynor.
09:42I think I crumbled.
09:44I think I lay down and died.
09:46Oh no, not I.
09:48I will survive.
09:49A good beat is only the first step to an essential disco song.
09:53Great dance hits become immortal when they come to represent something more.
09:57I Will Survive is not just a diva track about surviving heartbreak.
10:01It's about finding defiance, strength, and joy in the face of hardship.
10:05It tells us hard times are temporary,
10:07a message that resonated with the LGBTQIA plus community and many others.
10:34I Will Survive is a testament to the fact that disco didn't die.
10:38It's influence is still felt in popular music decades later.
10:43What are you doing?
10:49Stop dancing, you big ballerina.
10:52What disco tracks would you want in a top 20?
10:54Let us know in the comments.
Comments