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Village People

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Village People is an American disco group, conceived by the French producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo. After a series of hits in Europe, they went to New York in 1977 to conquer the American market. Morali, who played no instrument himself, wrote dance songs and found a singer in Victor Willis. The debut album Village People was aimed at the large gay audience of disco; the name referred to Greenwich Village, a well-known gay neighbourhood in New York. When the album caught on and there was demand for live shows, a group was put together around Willis, partly through an advertisement for macho, moustachioed types who could dance.

Music and breakthrough

From 1978 the regular line-up consisted of six character types: a police officer, a Native American, a soldier, a motorcyclist in leather, a construction worker and a cowboy. With Macho Man, Y.M.C.A. (1978), In the Navy and Go West the group became world famous. Willis wrote the lyrics of the biggest hits. He left in 1979, and the film Can't Stop the Music (1980) was a flop. After that the group tried other singers and styles, without great success.

Influence

The music was cheerful disco with singalong choruses, played by a studio band under the direction of arranger Horace Ott. The costumes and the double-entendre lyrics played with images of American masculinity and gay fantasies. In this way Village People brought the gay culture of disco to a mass audience. In 2020 the Library of Congress added Y.M.C.A. to the National Recording Registry of culturally significant sound recordings.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Y.M.C.A. and notice how the chorus is built for shouting along: short, separate letters that everyone can sing straight away. Also hear how the horns and the continuous disco beat drive the song forward.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: ArtistsDisco