Sounds for Stylish Men: Disco Days
Music makes the world go ‘round. It puts rhythm in our feet and inspires us to dance, love and reflect. The comforting sounds of favorite songs and artists help us through tough times and remind us of great moments of joy. Through these experiences and sonic associations, we develop our own taste in music.
So what does a man of style listen to? Some swing to Sinatra while some bounce to hip-hop. Others groove to both (myself included), and the true mark of a stylish man is a pair of open ears.
Lately I’ve found myself drawn to disco - not the dreck of the Bee Gees (who I had a soft spot for once upon a time) or the pitiful second-rate one-hit wonders that circulated AM radio once upon a time. Rather, I approach disco with a crate digger’s mindset, finding a lot of obscure tunes through researching samples from hip-hop tracks or by paying attention to the playlists of online radio shows dedicated to old school R&B and soul (the British podcast Six Millions Steps is my favorite of these and has introduced me to countless songs and artists I would not have come across otherwise). Disco’s sensuous pulsations have introduced it to a new generation of listeners who more apt to associate it with the glitz of classic dance halls like Studio 54 than with the cheesy connotations once applied to the genre. Here are four disco tracks - old and new - I’ve been getting up to the downstroke with recently.
“Miss You (Dance Version)” - The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger, 1978 (Photo: Nancy Ellison)
The radio edit of the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You” teeters between glorious debauchery and heartfelt expressions of absent love for its 4:49 duration. The dance version tacks on an additional three minutes of Mick Jagger’s ramblings and the song’s best beats to an already successful formula. One of the Stones’ few forays into disco, the dance version of “Miss You” is proof that the rebellious British renegades mastered every genre they tackled. Thanks to Jagger’s pontifications set against a mysterious and sexy melody, they didn’t need to record another disco track after it to cement their place in its canon.
“Everybody Needs Somebody Sometimes” - Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret (Photo: Norman Parkinson)
Yes, this 1980 track is by the same Ann-Margret who was a pop sensation and Elvis co-star in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Her mature and breathy vocals detail a dancefloor seduction, and it’s easy to imagine everybody at Studio 54 getting down to “Everybody” at last call while sealing the deal with a prospective lover. While there are several edits of this song - one which lasts three minutes, one spanning almost seven minutes and another topping out at ten minutes - all three are marked by the refrain “Everybody needs somebody sometimes, boy, I need someone like you.” The introduction of the hook marks the point where Ann-Margret takes control of the dancefloor dalliance: Even if the man is leading, she signals that she’ll eschew Mr. Right in favor of Mr. Right Now and her straightforwardness amplifies the song’s hot and heavy vibes.
“Risin’ to the Top” - Keni Burke
Keni Burke, in the most '80s look possible.
Keni Burke’s first time on the musical chart was with the Five Stairsteps’ “Ooh Child” in 1970. The song featured Burke and his brothers singing a catchy, optimistic pop-soul melody that stressed the importance of keeping one’s head up amid strife. Burke’s crown jewel, however, is arguably his 1982 sensation “Risin’ to the Top.” While it didn’t chart as well as “Ooh Child,” the song’s disco-inspired funk backbeat - and Burke’s whispers of “Wake up your body and move it around” that punctuate the space separating each verse - make it a perfect workout tune. While disco’s reign was over by the early ‘80s, its influence lived on in tracks like “Risin’ to the Top,” providing an upbeat template for the soul music of the decade.
“Give Life Back to Music” - Daft Punk
Nile Rodgers, 2013 (Photo: Mikael Jansson)
No band keeps the sound of disco alive as well as Daft Punk, so it makes sense that they collaborated with legendary Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers on their 2013 album Random Access Memories. The most Chic-like track (which Rodgers lends his chops to) is the album’s opener, “Give Life Back to Music.” The title says it all, and Rodgers and crew add syncopation, soul and groove to 21st century music that’s frequently lacking in all three. Though almost no modern group would label the music they make “disco,” Rodgers’ indelible influence on pop production and Daft Punk’s exploration of the genre’s complex sounds signal that disco isn’t dead after all.