Anyone else in the mood to boogie? Well, here are some of my favorite disco songs, and I bet you’ve never heard of them.
1. “I Thought It Was You” – Herbie Hancock
I’ve been dying to post this song for weeks now because it always gets stuck in my head. It’s one of the best disco songs ever recorded, which is exactly what I would expect from a music legend with the status of Herbie Hancock. It manages to remain entertaining for its whole nine-minute run-time, and I wish more people knew about it.
2. “Aranjuez (Mon Amour)” – Herb Alpert
Woah. This is such an amazing version of the classical piece “Concerto de Aranjuez” that it wows me every time. To get a piece like “Aranjuez” to be so fun and “groovy” while still keeping it artistic and classy is no small feat, but I would expect no less from Herb Alpert. While it’s hard for me to narrow down what my favorite songs are, I think this would have to be in the top 20. It’s a fantastic track from one of the best albums of all time.
3. “Night and Day” – Johnny Mathis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqSO1lkVcAE
Okay, so we all know the song. It’s a jazz standard, and I think it’s brilliantly written. That being said, I’ve never found a version that sounds like the way I would most want to hear it, which would be far more intense and dramatic. This cover, however, is the best I’ve heard so far… but I can’t buy it. It’s not available anywhere as a digital download, so I have to go on a little expedition to find it on CD. Eventually, I will be very proud to be one of the few people with this track in the music collection.
4. “Fallen Angel” – The Bee Gees
In the early ’90s, the Bee Gees were having a hard time getting onto the charts. This song, sitting at the back of their overlooked Size Isn’t Everything album, attracted me a few years ago, and I can’t put my finger on why. It’s very much a return to the fun feel of their late ’70s disco tunes, but it clearly relies on technology and stylistic choices that only became options by the end of the ’80s. I’ve honestly never paid much attention to what the lyrics are about, but I’ve certainly enjoyed the infectious beat and fun synth riffs.
5. “Knights in White Satin” – Giorgio Moroder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk_A2MSmpIY
I freely admit that this track is creepy. It’s almost terrifying, but I think that’s what I like about it. It has this off-putting, eerie feeling that perfectly captures the feeling of miserably longing for someone. It keeps the drama of the original Moody Blues classic, but adds the “I love you” section to the chorus, which I can never get out of my head no matter which version of the song I’m listening to at the time. (I suppose I should mention that the particular version I’ve posted here is the whole first side of an album, and it happens to include an original song in the middle of it before getting back to the 1967 classic, which I find rather clever.) Perhaps I like it because of how cinematic it is, creating the perfectly uneasy scene to suggest that something is awry… but at the same time it’s fun for dancing. Still, something tells me I’m the only one who likes this track, so I’ll just go hide myself in shame now.