In 1975, K.C. and the Sunshine Band released their first two #1 hits — "Get Down Tonight" and "That's the Way (I Like It)."
And I hoped — in vain — that the disco craze would be over soon. Alas, it was not.
On this day in 1976, the group released what would become their third #1 hit — "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" — and, whether the events were related or not, disco remained with us for a few more years.
I always felt that "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" represented everything that was wrong with disco.
The music captured the essence of what it was like to be young, but the lyrics were so idiotic that it was impossible for the songs to have any real relevance to people as they went through life's stages.
The priorities of disco music were reversed. That's why the songs had no staying power.
I can listen to most of the music that has been popular in different periods of my life, and the very best songs — the ones that last — always have good lyrics in common. The music is usually pretty good, too, but, in most cases, outstanding lyrics can more than make up for less–than–outstanding music.
But, by and large, the lyrics for disco songs were insipid — even the lyrics of the songs by the performers who were considered disco's best (a list that included the likes of the Bee Gees, Donna Summer and K.C. and the Sunshine Band).
And that's saying something when you consider some of the songs — disco and otherwise — that were being written and recorded in the 1970s.
