Disco Lady

"Disco Lady" is a 1976 single for American singer Johnnie Taylor that went on to become his biggest hit. It spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and six weeks on the Billboard R&B chart in the U.S. It was also the first single to be certified platinum by the RIAA;[1] ultimately it sold over 2.5 million copies.[2] Billboard ranked it as the No. 3 song for 1976.[3]

"Disco Lady"
Single by Johnnie Taylor
from the album Eargasm
B-side"You're the Best Girl in the World"
ReleasedJanuary 1976
Recorded1975
GenreDisco · soul
Length4:26
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Harvey Scales, Albert Vance, Don Davis
Producer(s)Don Davis

The single was Taylor's first for Columbia Records, where he signed after his long-time label, Stax Records, went bankrupt. The song was produced by Taylor's long-time producer, Don Davis.[4] Among the guests on the song were four members of Parliament-Funkadelic: bassist Bootsy Collins, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, guitarist Glenn Goins, drummer Tiki Fulwood, and background vocals by BRANDYE (Cynthia Douglas, Donna Davis, Pamela Vincent).

"Disco Lady" was the first Hot 100 No. 1 hit with the word "disco" in its title, though there had been several disco songs that had already reached No. 1. The single also reached No. 25 on the UK Singles Chart.[5]

It earned Taylor his second Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

In 1998, a remake of the song "Disco Lady 2000" (along with a "radio slam" remix) can be heard in the album Taylored to Please released by Malaco Records.

Usage in Media

A cover of "Disco Lady" sung by Paul Lynde and Pinky Tuscadero was seen in the 1976 special called The Paul Lynde Halloween Special re-titled "Disco Baby".

During the 1980s, "Disco Lady" was spoofed in a popular PSA for the American Cancer Society in a promotion called "Draggin' Lady." The "Draggin' Lady" in the commercial was played by a teen-aged Robin Givens, who turned off all of her peers by her excessive smoking.

The song is featured in a first-season episode of That '70s Show called "First Date" from 1999 and later Eric repeatedly sings the chorus to appease a drunken Donna.

Chart history

References
  1. "History Of The Awards". RIAA.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  2. George, Nelson (1988). The Death of Rhythm & Blues. New York, NY: Pantheon Books. p. 150. ISBN 0142004081. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
  3. Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1976
  4. Disco Lady song review, Allmusic.com
  5. "Official Charts - Johnnie Taylor". officialcharts.com. Official Charts Company. 1976-04-24. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
  6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 305. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1976-06-12. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  8. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1976-04-24. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  9. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  10. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  11. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, April 17, 1976
  12. "Top Singles – Volume 26, No. 14 & 15, January 08 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  13. Musicoutfitters.com
  14. Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1976
  15. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.



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