Disco music's most hated lyrics

[Marcio**]

:o I'm afraid of...



Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl
with yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there
she would merengue and do the cha-cha
and while she tried to be a star
Tony always tended bar
across the crowded floor, they worked from 8 til 4
they were young and they had each other
who could ask for more?

CHORUS:

At the copa (CO!) Copacabana (Copacabana)
the hottest spot north of Havana (here)
at the copa (CO!) Copacabana
music and passion were always in fashion
At the copa.... they fell in love

His name was Rico
he wore a diamond
he was escorted to his chair, he saw Lola dancing there
and when she finished,he called her over
but Rico went a bit to far
Tony sailed across the bar
and then the punches flew and chairs were smashed in two
there was blood and a single gun shot
but just who shot who?

REPEAT CHORUS

At the copa... she lost her love

Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl,
but that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show
now it's a disco, but not for Lola,
still in the dress she used to wear,
faded feathers in her hair
she sits there so refined,and drinks herself half-blind
she lost her youth and she lost her Tony
now she's lost her mind

REPEAT CHORUS

At the copa... don't fall in love
don't fall in love

[paul]

Well, I loved and still do love those lyrics Marcio. As much as any other song, the words paint a picture in my head about Lola, Rico and his killer. 8)

[Videoskooter]

Great lyrics !!!!! An instant sing-a-long! But it doesn't excell Paul's floorbuster "Sa-sa-sa-sa-Salma, U drive me krazy". Still available on Amazon though!

[discosavvy]

I like those lyrics too, but when it comes to Barry Manilow's lyrics I prefer to hear "New York City Rhythm" (cowritten by him with Marty Panzer). That song was performed disco style a few years ago and is available on his latest live CD - it sounds great too. And don't forget his great words in "Could It Be Magic" (cowritten with Adrienne Anderson) which Donna Summer remade so well. And Barry Manilow made magic again by singing Will Jennings' lyrics on the slow song "Somewhere in the Night".

Barry Manilow has remade "Copacabana" in several more dance styles over the years, including "Copacabana 2005" through Concord Records last year!

[MixMasterMax]

My favorite is Its a Miracle. I remember this being played at the clubs. Seems the ladies loved it and would dance every time.

[Bernie]

Funny how a most hated lyrics thread turns into a best of Manilow thread :-)

[Salsoul1975]

Barry Manilow made some great music in his heyday, and nowadays many have rediscovered him. I can remember my mom playing his "Greatest Hits" album in the late '70s (the one with his white shirt and medallion). Does anyone remember when "American Idol" contestant LaToya London sang "I Made It Through The Rain" when Manilow was a judge? Sadly, the teenyboppers didn't like LaToya.

[discosavvy]

Sorry Bernie :o

I still say "Is Something Wrong With You?" by Bobby Thurston has some really bad lyrics for disco. And "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer, "First Be A Woman" by Lenore O'Malley, "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward ("put away the dishes..." and "ding dong ding oooooh"), and "D.I.S.C.O." by Ottawan (D is for this, I is for that, etc.), plus a couple of the lesser-known Village People tracks from 1978, which sound canned. The "words" to "AA AA UU AA EE" by Zack Ferguson are really lame too (I forget if he said anything real in that song).

Most disco haters seem to pounce most on "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey.

[ol'skinflint]

Originally Posted by discosavvy

Sorry Bernie :o

I still say "Is Something Wrong With You?" by Bobby Thurston has some really bad lyrics for disco. And "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer, "First Be A Woman" by Lenore O'Malley, "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward ("put away the dishes..." and "ding dong ding oooooh"), and "D.I.S.C.O." by Ottawan (D is for this, I is for that, etc.), plus a couple of the lesser-known Village People tracks from 1978, which sound canned. The "words" to "AA AA UU AA EE" by Zack Ferguson are really lame too (I forget if he said anything real in that song).

Most disco haters seem to pounce most on "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey.

if you want to talk about bad disco lyrics, none I can think of are worse than the thrown-together-at-the-last-minute, kindergarden-sounding, cringe inducers in KC and the Sunshine band songs. Couldn't stand them when they were popular and I still can't.....

[Rugger57]

MacArthur Park! Oh, say it ain't so! To me, it is an anthem, as well as Richard Harris' version in the 60's. I was mesmerized by Harris' version when it was a hit, and I only musta been 10 at the time. Both classics, in my opinion.

Has anyone heard the latest Manilow 70's comp? What dreadful DROCK! I caught him on Entertainment Tonight singing one song live, and they previewed about 5 or 6 others...all of them complete TRASH! He RUINED the Carpenters "Close To You". I actually cringed when they played a snippet of that. I think his voice is shot now. But, I did love some of his earlier classics...but "Somewhere In The Night" not being one of them. I was first turned on to this song on one of Kim Carnes early lps and adored it. Then one day I was in the car with my mother when I heard it being done by Helen Reddy. If you recall, she had a hit with it in the 70's before Manilow came along and had a hit with it all over again, leaving poor Kim out in the cold. That's okay...she had her revenge sometime later with Bette Davis Eyes!

[Cdnbob]

I like both versions of "Somewhere In The Night" but Helen Reddy's version just beats Manilows version for me.

I still like Barry Manilow's older stuff personally and don't think he did that many bad songs - hey shoot me! I like all kinds of music.

But as to lame lyrics. Hmmmm.... I think my vote for this would have to be ...


Funkytown
Will you take me Funkytown
Blah, blah, blah, blah...

I absolutely hate this song and what lyrics it does have!!!!!!!!!

[eddieo]

agreed that Funkytown has lame lyrics, but I think it's a great song. whereas sometimes KC was 0 for 2 (Boogie Shoes, anyone?)

Originally Posted by discosavvy

...Most disco haters seem to pounce most on "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey.

y'know, I often pick this song to start arguments with disco haters, as it is (imho) just a perfectly arranged, produced, conceived and performed song. I probably pick it because the lyrics are silly, but they're so well sung, and the instruments so well played, and the record had multiple breaks that allowed for easy blends or quick cuts. I'm off-topic again, but there are records you grab when you need to pack a floor, and there are records you grab for an easy in or an easy out; B-O-O work on all counts.

[SandraDee]

Well, like many others here, Donna's 'Once Upon A Time' is one of my all-time fave LPs & I play it frequently but whenever I do my 'husband' often comments on the rather contrived line in 'Faster & Faster To Nowhere' which goes 'its a nightmare, a daymare, it's a bad mare no matter which way mare' - good job everything else about the track is excellent 'cos that lyric is pretty suspect!

[Paulo]

Originally Posted by Marcio**

:o I'm afraid of...
Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl
with yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there
she would merengue and do the cha-cha
and while she tried to be a star
Tony always tended bar
across the crowded floor, they worked from 8 til 4
they were young and they had each other
who could ask for more?

CHORUS:
At the copa (CO!) Copacabana (Copacabana)
the hottest spot north of Havana (here)
at the copa (CO!) Copacabana
music and passion were always in fashion
At the copa.... they fell in love

His name was Rico
he wore a diamond
he was escorted to his chair, he saw Lola dancing there
and when she finished,he called her over
but Rico went a bit to far
Tony sailed across the bar
and then the punches flew and chairs were smashed in two
there was blood and a single gun shot
but just who shot who?

Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl,
but that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show
now it's a disco, but not for Lola,
still in the dress she used to wear,
faded feathers in her hair
she sits there so refined,and drinks herself half-blind
she lost her youth and she lost her Tony
now she's lost her mind


At the copa... don't fall in love
don't fall in love

It's interesting how different people can be!
Marcio doesn't like it.
I love it.

For me, this is the best set of lyrics found in a disco song (apart from Domino Dancing by the Pet Shop Boys).

I love to hear stories told in music-lyrics and this one is a complete story with beginning, middle part, climax and end.

This is a short story about passion, sex, power, corruption, murder, death... about the promisse of a love that was never fulfilled...
...then by the end of the song, it's about the passage of time and the coming of old age... about sadness, dacaying and alcoholism...

This is a very human story with a fatalistic (but real) portrait of life.

PS:
And since the song was recorded in 1977, it is also about a night-club that had to change with times: from a cabaret to a Disco Club.

All these human feelings compressed in a 6 minute song. The writer has a great quality: he knows how to be concise.

[eddieo]

Originally Posted by Paulo

It's interesting how different people can be!
Marcio doesn't like it.
I love it.

For me, this is the best set of lyrics found in a disco song (apart from Domino Dancing by the Pet Shop Boys).

I love to hear stories told in music-lyrics and this one is a complete story with beginning, middle part, climax and end.

This is a short story about passion, sex, power, corruption, murder, death... about the promisse of a love that was never fulfilled...
...then by the end of the song, it's about the passage of time and the coming of old age... about sadness, dacaying and alcoholism...

This is a very human story with a fatalistic (but real) portrait of life.

PS:
And since the song was recorded in 1977, it is also about a night-club that had to change with times: from a cabaret to a Disco Club.

All these human feelings compressed in a 6 minute song. The writer has a great quality: he knows how to be concise.

good point. as with most songs that came out while I was a working DJ, I paid little attention to lyrics, other than to not step all over them with a blend, but I'm inclined to agree with Paolo: as lyrics go, these are easy to understand, easy to follow, and they tell a story that's pretty germaine to the whole dance/drink/club experience, tying together different periods in the dance continuum. Barry Manilow: disco Shakespeare! (now that Barry Gibb.....different story!:)

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,
I'm a woman's man, no time to talk.
Music loud and women warm.
I've been kicked around since I was born.
And now it's all right, it's O.K.
And you may look the other way.
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man.
Whether you're a brother
Or whether you're a mother,
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin'
And ev'rybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha,
Stayin' alive.
Well now, I get low and I get high
And if I can't get either I really try.
Got the wings of heaven on my shoes
I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose.
You know it's all right, it's O.K.
I'll live to see another day.