As the weather starts to change and become warmer, so does my taste in music. I start listening to more music that matches the feelings of warm weather. There’s one band that I always find myself coming back to as the weather climbs above fifty degrees: ABBA. I mean who doesn’t love ABBA? Listening to ABBA over the years has made me way more interested in disco music. Songs such as “Young Hearts Run Free” by Candi Staton and “More Than a Woman” by the Bee Gees are some of my favorite songs ever and radiate positive energy. This had me thinking… How could anyone not like disco music? Better yet, why was there a whole “disco sucks” movement?
Disco, a genre fused with Motown, funk, salsa, and soul, was first introduced in the 1960s. By the 1970s, disco transcended from the indie underground scene into the mainstream and emerged as the top genre of the time. Clubs such as Studio 54 in New York City embraced disco which fostered an environment of acceptance, individuality, and sexual liberation. After digging deeper to find the cause of the “disco sucks” movement, I kept seeing one particular historical event that was linked to the anti-disco movement: “Disco Demolition Night”. The event was popularized by Steve Dahl. Dahl was a disc jockey who lost his job at his radio station after disco took over the station. An estimated fifty thousand people attended “Disco Demolition Night” at the Chicago White Sox Stadium on July 12, 1979. But what even was “Disco Demolition Night”? For ninety-nine cents, people could buy a ticket to attend a double-header baseball game and bring a disco record to be blown up on the field between games. The night unsurprisingly erupted into a full riot with about seven thousand people crashing the field and thirty-nine arrests while disco records exploded centerfield; it spiraled so far out of control that the game had to be forfeited.
How could people be this angry at disco music? What caused people to hate disco music so much when it was the most popular genre at the time? It is important to note that the pioneers who contributed to the rise of disco were primarily African Americans, Latinos, and members the L.G.B.T.Q+ community; which leads many to believe that is why the genre was severely rejected and resented. Dahl claims that this night was intended to be a harmless group of rock and roll fans expressing their distaste for disco. Yet, witnesses to the destruction recall that many of the records brought to be destroyed were not even disco records; many were records merely by black artists at the time. Not to mention, attendees recall that the majority of those in attendance of the event were white. It’s okay to not like disco music; not everyone enjoys the same type of music. But a violent and chaotic riot in opposition to a genre of music forefronted by marginalized groups is the incredibly sinister history of the anti-disco movement.
Contrary to popular belief of the results of “Disco Demolition Night”, disco did not die. Though the popularity of disco dropped significantly after 1980, disco still remains a beloved genre of music for those with a love of dance music and the culture of the 70s (myself included). Just last year in 2020, there were several instances of disco influences on modern pop music such as “Juice” by Lizzo, “Say So” by Doja Cat, “Adore You” by Harry Styles, “Midnight Sky” by Miley Cyrus, and “Sweet Spot” by Kim Petras. It’s important to remember the marginalized groups that pioneered this joyous genre of music to give credit where credit is due; artists such as Donna Summer, KC and the Sunshine Band, and Sylvester were popular among the genre. Let’s welcome back the love for disco and leave hate in the past.
Listen to some disco on my disco playlist on the HerCampus spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/742n5A5ZYgANg1CMLNLJ4F?si=UShA2YVTTWCx…