(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
Johnnie Taylor - "Disco Lady"
Hit Number 1: April 3, 1976
Stay at Number 1: 4 Weeks
Stax Records, one of the more historic record companies ever, went bankrupt in 1975. This was catastrophic for a lot of artists like Isaac Hayes and the Staple Singers, because suddenly they weren't signed to any record company, and it's not necessarily that easy to just re-sign with a new label. Especially in a time like '75, where big record companies were content, and not looking for any more big deals. Stax Records was a company in Memphis, and had seen some pretty important music released from there in its first go-around of operation. (It would be re-founded, if that's even the correct terminology, in 2006) Booker T. and the M.G.'s released one of the most influential instrumentals of all time from Stax, "Green Onions," which made it to #3 in 1962. (It's a 10) As well as Otis Redding releasing his song "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," a #1 hit from 1968, from Stax. But one artist that flew under the radar at Stax was Johnnie Taylor, a soul singer from West Memphis, Arkansas.
Taylor had been with Stax since 1966, and got into the top ten in 1968 with "Who's Making Love," peaking at #5. (It's a 6) "Who's Making Love" would prove to be Taylor's biggest hit while at Stax, but he still hung around on the charts, finding himself in the top half of the charts a couple more times before Stax folded. Taylor was successful while at Stax, but again, he wasn't necessarily one of their premier artists. So when Stax was no more, it could have been a pretty bad situation for someone like Taylor. However, he signed a new deal with Columbia Records, and remained with Don Davis, the main record producer that helped Taylor out at Stax. It didn't take long for Taylor to find success at Columbia, and this was the kind of success that Taylor never even found at Stax. The same year he signed with Columbia, he recorded what would become his first #1 hit: "Disco Lady."
"Disco Lady" was written by Davis, Harvey Scales and Albert Vance, with most of the work being done by Davis. Davis was inspired to write the song after watching an African dancer in Spain. According to Davis, when this woman would start dancing, she'd get all the attention from those around. He used an Impressions song called "Gypsy Woman" as inspiration too, eventually coming up with "Disco Lady." The Impressions had a gypsy woman, and Taylor would eventually have himself a disco lady. The song's lyrical content is pretty similar to what Davis was describing with this dancer he saw. Taylor sings about the way this dancer moves. He thinks she "ought to be on Soul Train" and she's got him "hypnotized, soul mesmerized." It's clearly not a song of deep thought. The narrator (Taylor) is simply in awe of the way this disco lady moves. That's all the song's about.
"Disco Lady" is the first #1 song to have the word "disco" in the title, but what's funny is that the song isn't even disco. I think it's more R&B, or funk. Taylor brings a healthy amount of charm to the track, along with a backing female choir that sings the main hook of the song. It's not an upbeat song, rather it's a little more mellow, trying to capture that feeling of "tenderness" I guess you could say. This dancer is unintentionally seducing the narrator, and I think the song does a good job of giving that feeling of seduction too. Even though "Disco Lady" has the word disco in the title, it's not a song to dance to. This is one of those songs to listen to on one of those nights. I don't think I need to go more in depth here, you should know exactly what I'm talking about.
For me, "Disco Lady" is a perfectly fine song, but not one that I get all that excited about. For me, it's simple easy-listening. Taylor's got some smooth, soulful singing chops, and the keyboard twinkles behind him don't add much, but they support his voice. The hook that the choir sings doesn't jump out at me, but it's memorable. It's one of those songs that I think had a great place in 1976, but in 2022, it's evaporated. Taylor never hit #1 again, so "Disco Lady" remains as his biggest hit. There are worse ways of getting to #1, and I don't think singing a song about being turned on by the way a woman moves is necessarily a bad way of getting there. Especially since that mood is reflected in the song's music. So with that, I'll give some props to Taylor for helping to create a perfectly fine song and move on with my life.
GRADE: 6/10
10 ALERT!!!:
Aerosmith's dramatic, other-worldly power ballad "Dream On" peaked at #6 behind "Disco Lady." It sings for the laughter and sings for the tear. It's a 10.
IN POP CULTURE:
It's only in a small part of this clip, but "Disco Lady" is sung by Eric (Topher Grace) in That '70's Show after a drunk Donna (Laura Prepon) pressures him into singing her a song. Here's that clip:
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