My Top 10 dance songs of the 1970s-1990s Part1

Disco and dance music.
The etymology of the word ‘RnB’ can be traced back to late 40s when US Billboard used it to categorise the genre of music erstwhile called ‘race music’ during nascent black consciousness movement and at the turn of the civil right movements.

‘RnB which simply means ‘Rhythm & Blues’ became profound and accepted to replace the

rather offensive and politically incorrect ‘race-music’ This is article is an attempt from the lens of Nigerians thousands of miles across the Atlantic from their African-American cousins. This is about the impact of rnb, disco and and alternative popular music of from 1975-1999 on the Nigeria music scene, parties etc. The mid-seventies till late seventies saw the emergence of Reggae/Rub-a-Dub as the main club bangers in Nigeria. This time saw the brief relegation of ‘RnB’ on the mainstream airwave and clubs. The likes of U-Roy, I-Roy, Mighty Diamond, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley and the song by The Jewel, Ft I-Roy and Leroy Smart’s called ‘Jah-I’ (often wrongly called ‘Observer’.) Later in the late seventies, the emergence of singles like Rice & beans Orchestra – dancing Vibration, Suzy Lane – Oh La! La! La!, The Hustle etc, the paradigm shifted and ‘RnB’ and Disco mounted the stage once again and took over from its reggae/Rub-a-Dub rival. By the turn of the century in 80s, RnB completely edged out disco and became a formidable force in on the dance floor and also influenced contemporary artist and music in Nigeria. This era saw Nigeria pop artists competing with their foreign counterparts on the rnb platform. Artists like Dizzy K. Falola, Chris Okotie, Felix Liberty, Jide Obi etc, not forgetting their female counterparts like Onyeka Nwenu, Dora Ifudu, Oby Onyioha, Christina Essien etc are also on the Nigerian rnb chart roaster.

These are the list of artist MY ALL TIME TOP DANCE SONGS OF THE 70s, 80s and 90s. This is in NO PREFERENTIAL ORDER. (1) (1975). Van McCoy – The Hustle. Nigerian youths showed off their dance expertise moving to this track in mid-seventies. This is a disco dance track made popular with the rhythmical dance step also known as ‘hustle’. It’s a dance step that exploits the dance tenets of the famous ‘salsa’. It reached Number 1 and 3 on US Billboard and UK chart respectively in 1975.

This man,Van McCoy will Hustle you on the dance floor!

(2) (1975). KC & The Sunshine Band – That’s The Way I Like It. This is also another disco number which raked acceptance on the club and party scene in the mid-seventies Lagos. This happens to be KC’s second chart topper. This track also was not left out of the chart and club play in Nigeria.

Crowded,but that's the way Kc and the sunshine band like it!

(3) (1975). Donna Summer – Love To Love You Baby. I must confess the cover of this single/album will forever be in my memory. I remember Donna Summer looking so sexy and erotic on this cover clad in a sexy negligee. With the lyrics of this track, I should be forgiven for fantasising about a rendezvous with Ms Donna during my adolescent years. Her moans and groans on this track garnered so much controversies and curiosity that In an interview in 1976, Summer responded to a number of questions that she claimed she'd been asked about the process of recording the song: "Everyone's asking, 'Were you alone in the studio?' Yes, I was alone in the studio. 'Did you touch yourself?' Yes, well, actually I had my hand on my knee. 'Did you fantasize on anything?' Yes, on my handsome boyfriend Peter." This is a track that were tentatively used as up-beat dance move or ‘blues’ (as we call it way back at private parties, senior lit). Anyone that has this single should remember that the recording was about sixteen minutes long. It contained the sexiest simulated orgasms on vinyl. I wonder if this version was played on radio before watershed in Nigeria way back then.

Donna Summer was a very naughty girl back in the 70s.

(4) (1976) Rose Royce – Car Wash. Norman Whitfield scored this soundtrack in the popular ‘blackxploitation’ movie Car wash. The eponymous track was so popular and it rubbed off the movie in 1976. Although i was always being a music connoisseur since my younger days but at first, i wasn’t sold on this track until the track gained popularity being lampooned at the ‘principal cup’ matches by spectators and loyal supporters to spur on respective college teams in Nigeria. This track reached number 1 on US Billboard pop chart, number 3 on Billboard chart and number 7 on UK chart. This was also prominent in at secondary school ‘senior lit’ functions in Lagos.

These guys will wash your car clean for you at the car wash in!

(5) (1977). Bee Gees – Night Fever. This track caught my attention (as other tracks in the soundtrack album like ‘Yvonne Ellman – If I Can’t Have You and Bee Gees – Staying Alive). The copious dance moves of John Travolta by ‘ravers’ at parties bludgeoned this track to a tremendous popularity. I still remember and can still do the John Travolta moves thirty something year later. Good track, good movie and good dance moves.

These 3 brothers have the saturday night fever.

(6) (1977). This is a British Funk-Disco tune that deservedly rocked private parties in Nigeria. It charted at number 3 on UK chart and US respectively. This track always has a rotation on djs playlist at parties and ‘senior lit.’

(7) (1978). Chic – Le Freak. This was a protest song by Nile Roger and Bernard Edwards (founders/producers of the group Chic Org). This story goes that that they were refused entry by the notorious doormen of the famous Club 54 a New York City nightclub. The original lyrics was ‘f***-off’ which was later replaced with ‘freak-out’ because of air play. I remember too that the dance move to this track was called ‘phillips’, a dance routine where you shuffle your hands and legs left and right rhythmically in tune to the chorus of ‘chic cheer’.

Allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Freak out!

(8) (1978). Peter Brown (Ft Betty Wright) – Dance With Me. Not a lot of people know that Betty Wright featured on this track. This upbeat dance track is another heavy rhythmic funk-disco-rnb tune that gets ravers at party yearning for me. I could not forget the catchy and onomatopoeic blend ‘gotta keep on making me higher, keep on making me high’ (hope I got that lyrics right). Peter Brown later has Michael Jackson and Madonna as his client under his solo management company. He also co-wrote Material Girl for Madonna. A track that turned out to be one of Madonna’s hits and signature tune.  

(9) (1979) Anita Ward – Ring My Bell. This is another upbeat tempo disco song that you cannot get enough of during the bourgeoning disco era in Lagos. This song was originally written for Stacy Lattisaw but was later given to Anita Ward when Stacy changed label. Old school cronies will never forget this track.

(10) (1979) Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough. This is the epitome of dance floor global hits. A disco-funk song. Not many people knew that this is Michael Jackson’s 5th studio album. After the filming of the movie Wizard Of Oz, Michael contacted the musical director of the movie, Quincy Jones to find him a producer for his future solo effort, Quincy Jones suggested himself and this partnership brought numerous hits and a lasting musical relationships between this geniuses . "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" was Jackson's first single to hit number 1 on the US Billborad and his first solo number 1 on the Soul singles chart

Michael Jackson didn't stop till he had enough!

1970s disco Movement
1970s disco Moves
By Guest writer, Olawale King Oyebanji. (DJ King)  

@DjKing Twitter

For Queen of the Naija Blog.