YMCA

Village People
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Village People
Background information
Origin New York City, New York, USA
Genre(s) Disco
New Wave
Funk
Hi-NRG
Occupation(s) Vocals, Performers
Years active 1977 - present
Label(s) Casablanca Records
Black Scorpio
RCA
Polygram
Associated
acts Other
Website www.officialvillagepeople.com
Members
G. Jeff Olsen
Eric Anzalone
Ray Simpson
Felipe Rose
Alex Briley
David "Scar" Hodo
Former members
Randy Jones
Glenn Hughes
Victor Willis
Village People is a concept Disco/Hi-NRG band formed in the late 1970s. The group is as well known for its outrageous on-stage costumes as for its catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics. The members each dress as a police officer, an American Indian chief, a construction worker, a member of the military, a leatherman (biker), and a cowboy; after the release of In the Navy, both Victor Willis and Alex Briley appeared temporarily as sailors. Each of the members were basically dressed as forms of masculinity to emphasize their song lyrics that hid homosexually charged innuendo. Many of the gay stereotypes originally appear in erotic art by Tom of Finland.

s

The 1970's
The band was assembled (in 1977) By two French musicians, Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo (see picture), specifically to showcase and perform their disco music creations. Much like Frank Farian's Boney M or The Spice Girls, the group was manufactured. Despite the French songwriters, the songs were all in English.

The band's name references New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood, at the time known for having a substantial gay population. Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo got the inspiration for creating an assembly of American man archetypes based on the gay men of The Village who frequently dressed in various fantasy ways.

Village People scored a number of disco hits, including their trademark "Macho Man", "Go West", the classic club medley of San Francisco (You've got me) / In Hollywood (Everybody is a star) and "YMCA". Almost thirty years later, a dance that involves forming the latter four letters with the dancer's arms is still popular at summer camps, office functions, wedding receptions, school dances, sporting events and B'nai Mitzvah. At the end of the fifth inning of each baseball game at Yankee Stadium, the grounds crew take an on-field break from grooming the infield to dance as "YMCA" is played, typically to enthusiastic cheers from the fans of all ages, seemingly oblivious to the possibly homosexual context of the song.