4 Songs From the 1970s That Made You Wish You Were at the Disco

Disco (as a trend) might have died in the 1970s, but disco (as a feeling) will live forever, thanks to the incredible music that helped define this period in pop culture history. A time when platforms were high, collars were wide, and dresses were made of polyester and lamé. From the fashion to the dance moves to the music that soundtracked the entire experience, the disco era was an especially fun, catchy, and infectious musical age.

Don’t believe us? Just try listening to these four songs from the 1970s without wishing you were getting down to the boogie at the disco.

“September” by Earth, Wind & Fire

Earth, Wind & Fire’s entire discography is worthy of an entry on this list of 1970s disco anthems. But for the sake of brevity, we’ll stick with “September”, which came out in November 1978. The straightforward disco jam is also an undeniable earworm, thanks to the “ba-dee-ya” refrain in the chorus. It’s impossible to hear this song and not want to wiggle at least a little bit. And the global population seemed to agree—the song was a Top 20 hit worldwide.

“Superstition” by Stevie Wonder

Never has a clavinet sounded quite as funky as when Stevie Wonder played the Hohner Clavinet on his 1972 track “Superstition”. Disco was still a burgeoning cultural movement in the early 1970s. But a groove like that has a way of fitting into any musical era, even ones that seem as late 70s-specific as disco. This funky, semi-spooky hit continued to gain ubiquity throughout the latter half of the decade, fueling dance floors at discos around the world.

“Blame It On The Boogie” by The Jacksons

Despite the shared last name, there’s no relation between “Blame It On The Boogie” songwriter Mick Jackson and The Jacksons, the family pop group in which Michael Jackson got his start. The Jacksons’ 1978 version of this catchy, grooving disco number peaked at No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although this was a relatively modest placement, “Blame It On The Boogie” continues to be a mainstay on oldies radio to this day—the kind of song that instantly transports you to a bumping disco dance floor in the 1970s.

“Rumpofsteelskin” by Parliament

Finally, Parliament is another 1970s group whose entire discography would qualify for this list of disco hits. Once again, we’ll stick with one song: “Rumpofsteelskin” from the 1978 album Motor Booty Affair. Though not their best-known song, it’s hard not to wish you were at the disco when hearing this ultra-1970s groove. Indeed, there’s truly no better place to be while you’re “livin’ and jivin’ and diggin’ the skin you’re in.”

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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