Disco Songs with Most Creative Lyrics

**FrontPage22** · July 27th, 2003, 03:40 PM

Machine's "There But For.." was controversial, yes. But the intent was not racist. It was to shine light on bigotry and ignorance. The family moves away from what the perceive as "evils", try to shut their daughter off from the outside world (i.e the line about rock n' roll) but in the end, she ends up being a "natural freak" (or so I think that's what the lyrics say) and running away from her retrictive parents. A little social commentary from a disco record. Not a slam against "blacks, jews or gays".

**peppertree5706** · July 27th, 2003, 04:57 PM

Originally Written by PaulC

Nicky...I went on at least one week night, because I remember leaving the place next morning, in the daylight and seeing all the meat trucks making deliveries. But I also went back at the weekend for more! Yes I had a fantastic time! It remains one of my greatest disco experiences and quite different to anything that was happening in Britain at the time! I came back with a bunch of special disco records, the likes of which had never been heard here in the UK before and played them on my radio show 8)
As for the GO GO boys...wow!

What were some of the best records that you brought home that were not around in Britain?

**peppertree5706** · July 27th, 2003, 05:04 PM

I am familiar with that song and I always (from the first) thought it was a parody of how some narrow minded people think. A non disco song at the time with the same theme was, "Short People" by Randy Newman. Some folks actually took his lyrics seriously but it was a parody of a narrow mindset.
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My friend was listening to "For The Grace of God" by Machine and that infamous verse which was discussed here in the past made her say "what the hell"?!?!? :o :

Let's find a place that's safe
somewhere far away
with no blacks, no jews and no gays

**PaulC** · July 27th, 2003, 05:38 PM

...

**BrunoRepublic** · July 27th, 2003, 06:34 PM

Originally Written by HustleBaby

Once upon a time
science opened up the door
would you feed the hungry feed?
til they couldn't eat no more

I think the line is
"We would feed the hungry fields
til they couldn't eat no more"

I interpret this is a warning of the dangers of non-sustainable development. I could be way off though.

**NickNack** · July 27th, 2003, 07:53 PM

I always took "Supernature" as a tale of science gone awry. Although with good intent, man screws around with Mother Nature and she fights back to survive. We become mutants.

Hell, I could be waaaay off. I was too busy dancing or playing this song to pay attention to the lyrics back then :) .

**NickNack** · July 27th, 2003, 08:00 PM

Delight,

FrontPage nailed the interpretation on Machine. It's the same ol' same ol': PEOPLE MOVIN' OUT. PEOPLE MOVIN' IN. WHY? BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN.

The family they're singing about doesn't want their daughter to deal with anyone or anything that doesn't look, act or think just like they do.

**Jimmy-Michaels** · July 27th, 2003, 09:54 PM

Hey Hustle Baby, "Supernature" is about mass distruction and basicly..the end of the world. The full length version on the LP which is a suite brings it's point even harder through instrumental music. The part "Sweet Drums" which sounds like Cerrone just having a rock drum jam session with a disco 4/4 over it is representing the actual end of the world as its happining. Then as it moves into the ambient/new age final section "In The Smoke" which is like a Jean Michael Jarre meets Pink Floyd type instrumental, it is representing the aftermath of whats left in the ruins. Defenatly I look at this entire 18 min track as probably the best and deepest track to even be classified in the disco catogory. Real deep ****

DJ Jimmy M

**QUINNY** · July 28th, 2003, 06:47 AM

Originally Written by PaulC

Quinny...That's your opinion, not fact!
I'm still not sure what you are doing in this forum when you hate most disco records :-?

PaulC: For some reason you think you're MY DAD!!!!! I'm in this forum 'cos I earnt my living as a DJ for 15 years ('72-'87) in clubs, so I think there's a lot of disco music I DO like. I just don't like a lot of the stuff you do (and nor did most of the UK probably). My OPINION is just as valid as yours or anybody's and I intend to keep posting, so get used to it. Also I don't think disco was a purely American experience (you appear to), so I'm here to put the other side of things and show that the whole world didn't think the same way about everything. We may not agree on lotsa stuff, but we don't have to, do we, or am I missing something?

**JussiK** · July 28th, 2003, 07:05 AM

Ze label always seemed to have quirky lyrics to go with their progressive art disco image. August Darnell penned some unforgettable lines for Cristina especially, check out the diva's first album. And now it seems Ze is hipper than ever, even the Shrine of All Things Cool, Collette of Paris, had an exhibit of Ze sleeves last month. Items of Miu-Miu flew off the racks as Kid Creole sang "Dancing at Les Bains-Douches".

**PaulC** · July 28th, 2003, 09:06 AM

...

**QUINNY** · July 28th, 2003, 12:26 PM

PaulC: Pot, Kettle, Black. ring any bells

**infrasound** · July 28th, 2003, 12:53 PM

Lately I've been digging the lyrics to "In The Year 2525" by The Twins. I love how the years keep multiplying with every verse.

**NickNack** · July 29th, 2003, 08:14 PM

Originally Written by infrasound

Lately I've been digging the lyrics to "In The Year 2525" by The Twins. I love how the years keep multiplying with every verse.

Trivia: This was a #1 pop hit back in 1969 for Zager & Evans, two guys from Nebraska characterized as Folk-Rock artists. By 1971 they had already broken up as their two albums didn't fare as well as the hit single.

**jazz_pilgrim** · July 30th, 2003, 10:22 AM

There are a couples of tunes I would like to nominate - both with "message" type lyrics.

First of all, I would pick Gil Scott-Heron/Brian Jackson's The Bottle. It may not be a pure disco record but it was certainly played a lot in the clubs I used to freqiuent in the 70's. Brilliant lyrics. Brilliant satire. Brilliant twist at the end. "It's gonna be me ..."

Secondly, and this was more of a disco tune, I would go for the Philadelphia International All-Stars and Let's Clean Up The Ghetto. One of my favourite disco records from my favourite disco year - 1977. "All of you brothers that live on the main line / You lived in the ghetto once upon a time." Excellent.

:)

**efunk_adelic** · July 30th, 2003, 07:16 PM

Originally Written by jazz_pilgrim

Secondly, and this was more of a disco tune, I would go for the Philadelphia International All-Stars and Let's Clean Up The Ghetto. One of my favourite disco records from my favourite disco year - 1977. "All of you brothers that live on the main line / You lived in the ghetto once upon a time." Excellent.

:)

I would agree on this nomination... I bought that single when it first came out... Thought it had a great message and of course all the singers :) .

**ol'skinflint** · July 27th, 2007, 01:06 AM

I always thought August Darnell and many of the other songwriters in the Savannah Band Family (Ronnie Rogers, Andy Hernandez) wrote some of the best disco lyrics (look how many people STILL mention the lyrics to "There But for the Grace of God Go I"). That propulsive, driving song remains one of my favorites....

**A2Mark57** · July 27th, 2007, 09:50 PM

<<Its the ONLY disco song that I know of that has its lyrics replaced or blurred on radio stations.>>

Ummmm... Wasn't "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry a disco song? I'd guess that half the stations playing it aired the version that deleted "white boy" from the chorus.

Creative lyrics in disco songs?

"Supernature"
was the first to come to my mind, too. Substantive "message" lyrics in a disco song?! Yay!

"It's Raining Men"
It's easy to take this one for granted now, but what a fun and original concept!

"Love Hangover"
One of the best of many "secretly" gay lyrics.
(I always wanted "10 Percent" to be a gay song. Especially when the promo photo featured four naked men. But alas. Still love the lyrics.)

"YMCA"
"In The Navy"
OMG! THE BEST! Turning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on its ear even before it was invented! SO subversive, SO well written!

"The Visitors"
"Lay All Your Love On Me"
"On And On And On"
And your average fan thought that ABBA was all sweetness and light. HA! MUY adult content here, and VERY cleverly written lyrics.

**pepper1dancer** · July 30th, 2007, 05:09 PM

Deniece Williams: "I Got The Next Dance".....Your place or Mine?...Wow, as a teenager, I got a little stirred up in the downstairs dept. when i heard what she was saying.:icon_redface:

And Madleen Kanes " Forbidden Love" what classic lyrics since I've had one forbidden love in my life (so far):icon_redface::icon_cool:

**Cory Ander** · January 29th, 2008, 04:28 PM

Originally Written by peppertree5706

I got this idea from the prior post. I think the disco song with the most creative lyrics is, "Take That to the Bank," by Shalamar. I love the song BECAUSE of its lyrics. When that song came out, I was in my third year of college as an accounting/finance major and this song really appealed to me because my head was into all that stuff in my studies all day long.

I first heard it on AM disco 99 (WZZD-Wizzard 100) in Philadelphia. (Formerly WIBG). I was in my car, and I thought it was great to hear what I was studying in a disco song.

Second best, "I Will Survive." This is not one of my favorite disco songs, I like her version of, "Never Can Say Goodbye," better. Anyway, "I Will Survive," was touted as a breakthrough into a new era of disco. A disco song with emotion and a story to tell. It was said, a disco song that was the first to add another dimension to disco music. It is my second choice, because there was much talk about the song starting a new era of disco. Little did I know that a year later, disco would no longer be a major musical style, to my dismay.

I never liked "I Will Survive" but I have to say that lyrically it's one of disco's strongest songs. It always amazed me that a song that so vividly represented a female's point of view was written by two men. While we're on this subject, I'd hazard to guess that one of the reasons disco got so little respect from fans of other styles of music is because so many disco songs have trite lyrics. Even many of my very favorite disco songs have lyrics that sure wouldn't keep Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell awake at night.

**thommy2458** · January 29th, 2008, 07:36 PM

Originally Written by ol'skinflint

I always thought August Darnell and many of the other songwriters in the Savannah Band Family (Ronnie Rogers, Andy Hernandez) wrote some of the best disco lyrics (look how many people STILL mention the lyrics to "There But for the Grace of God Go I"). That propulsive, driving song remains one of my favorites....

Absolutely agree-disco music to think by.And wasn't "Deputy of Love" pretty darned creative and cute? (Was this the August Darnell crew?)
Thom