"Shake Your Groove Thing" is a song by disco duo Peaches & Herb. The single reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Billboard R&B Chart. It also reached No. 2 for four weeks on the Billboard Disco chart in 1978. The song spent 22 weeks on the American charts, and became a Gold record.

The song was their first return to the charts in seven years. It was their first hit with the third "Peaches", Linda Greene.

"You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" is a song credited to British singer Leo Sayer, taken from his 1976 album Endless Flight. The song reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart,[3] making it his first number-one single in the United States, and reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.[4] Billboard ranked it as the No. 13 song of 1977. Credited songwriters Sayer and Vini Poncia won a Grammy Award for the song in 1978 in the category Best R&B Song.

"Play That Funky Music" is a song written by Rob Parissi and recorded by the band Wild Cherry. The single was the first released by the Cleveland-based Sweet City record label in April 1976 and distributed by Epic Records.[2] The performers on the recording included lead singer Parissi, electric guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Allen Wentz, and drummer Ron Beitle, with session players Chuck Berginc, Jack Brndiar (trumpets), and Joe Eckert and Rick Singer (saxes) on the horn riff that runs throughout the song's verses. The single hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 18, 1976; it was also number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart.[3] The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of over 2 million records and eventually sold 2.5 million in the United States alone.[4]

The song was listed at No. 93 on Billboard magazine's "All-Time Top 100 Songs" in 2018.[5] It was also the group's only US Top 40 song.

"Night Fever" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees. It first appeared on the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever on RSO Records. Producer Robert Stigwood wanted to call the film Saturday Night, but singer Robin Gibb expressed hesitation at the title. Stigwood liked the title Night Fever but was wary of marketing a movie with that name. The song bounded up the Billboard charts while the Bee Gees two previous hits from Saturday Night Fever soundtrack ("How Deep is Your Love" and "Stayin' Alive") were still in the top ten. The record debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart at #76, then leaped up 44 positions to #32. It then moved: 32–17–8–5–2–1. It remained at #1 for eight weeks (the most for any single that year), and ultimately spent 13 weeks in the top 10.[2] For the first five weeks that "Night Fever" was at #1, "Stayin' Alive" was at #2. Also, for one week in March, Bee Gees related songs held five of the top positions on the Hot 100 chart, and more impressively, four of the top five positions, with "Night Fever" at the top of the list.[3] The B-side of "Night Fever" was a live version of "Down the Road" taken from the Bee Gees 1977 album, Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live.[4]

"Ring My Bell" is a 1979 disco song written by Frederick Knight. The song was originally written for then eleven-year-old Stacy Lattisaw, as a teenybopper song about kids talking on the telephone.[2] When Lattisaw signed with a different label, Anita Ward was asked to sing it instead, and it became her only major hit.[3]

Ward's single hit number 1 on the disco charts.[4] "Ring My Bell" went to number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Soul Singles chart.[4] It also reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart.[5][6] It also garnered Ward a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 1980 Grammy Awards.[7]

Never Can Say Goodbye is the debut album by Gloria Gaynor, released on MGM Records in January 1975.[3] It is most notable for including several early Disco recordings. The album charted in the US Billboard at number 25 in the US Pop chart, and at number 21 in the US R&B chart. In the UK the album peaked at number 32,[4] "Never Can Say Goodbye" was released in the UK as a single and reached number 2 in early 1975.[5]

Amy Paulette "Amii" Stewart (born January 29, 1956) is an American disco and soul singer and dancer most famous for her 1979 U.S. Billboard number 1 hit cover of Eddie Floyd's song "Knock on Wood", an all-time classic of the disco genre.[2][3] Stewart is the stepsister of actress-singer Miquel Brown and aunt to Brown's actress-singer daughter Sinitta.

"Last Dance" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from the soundtrack album to the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday.[1] It was written by Paul Jabara, co-produced by Summer's regular collaborator Giorgio Moroder and Bob Esty, and mixed by Grammy Award-winning producer Stephen Short, whose backing vocals are featured in the song.

"Last Dance" became a critical and commercial success, winning the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, all in 1978.

"Love Hangover" is a song by Motown singer Diana Ross, recorded in 1975 and released as a single on March 16, 1976. It rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Soul Singles and Hot Dance Club Play charts simultaneously. It was Ross' first appearance on the dance charts and as well her first number-one hit on the chart.

Producer Hal Davis instructed the song's engineer Russ Terrana to install a strobe light so that Ross could be in the "disco" mindset.[1] As the song changed from ballad to uptempo, Ross became more comfortable with the material; she hummed, sang bit parts, laughed, danced around and even imitated Billie Holiday.[2] The carefree and sensual nature of Ross' vocals and the music's direction helped to sell the song, in addition to the background vocals relying heavily on Donna Summer's 1975 hit "Love to Love You Baby".

The song was first released on the album Diana Ross in February 1976. The lead single from the album was "I Thought it Took a Little Time". Singing group the 5th Dimension also released "Love Hangover" as a single. Motown then issued Ross' version as a single. Both versions entered the chart the same day. By the time Ross' version of the song reached number one, Ross had reinvented herself as a disco diva and the 5th Dimension's version had peaked at number 80. It won Ross a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

"Love Hangover" reached number one on May 29, 1976. That week, Casey Kasem reported on American Top 40 that with that song Diana had broken the record for the most number-one hits by a female vocalist. With her fourth number-one, she surpassed Connie Francis, Helen Reddy, Roberta Flack, and Cher, all of whom were tied with three each. During the 1980s, Ross went on to score two more number-one hits, making six, establishing her record for 12 years. Whitney Houston would break this record in 1988 and Madonna in 1990. But counting 12 number-one hits as lead singer of The Supremes, Ross's grand total is 18, a feat surpassed only by Mariah Carey as of 2019.

"Rock Your Baby" is the debut single by George McCrae. Written and produced by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch of KC and the Sunshine Band, "Rock Your Baby" was one of the landmark recordings of early disco music. A massive international hit, the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States, spending two weeks at the top in July 1974, number one on the R&B singles chart,[2] and repeating the feat on the UK Singles Chart, spending three weeks at the top of the chart in July 1974.[3][4] Having sold 11 million copies, it is one of the fewer than 40 all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) physical copies worldwide.[5][6]

The backing track for the record was recorded in 45 minutes as a demo and featured guitarist Jerome Smith of KC and the Sunshine Band, with Casey on keyboards and Finch on bass and drums.[7] It was also one of the first records to use a drum machine,[8] an early Roland rhythm machine.[9] The track was not originally intended for McCrae but he happened to be in the studio, added a vocal and the resulting combination of infectious rhythm and falsetto vocals made it a hit. Music critic Robert Christgau has described the song as "irresistibly Memphis-cum-disco-with-a-hook".[10]

The chord progression of John Lennon's number-one single "Whatever Gets You thru the Night", released a few months later, bears a great resemblance to the one found in "Rock Your Baby".[citation needed] Lennon later admitted to using the song as an inspiration.[11] ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus have also cited the song as an inspiration for the backing track of their 1976 smash hit "Dancing Queen". The song was covered by indie rock band The House of Love for the 1992 compilation album Ruby Trax.[12] In the same year, the British dance group KWS' cover of "Rock Your Baby" reached number eight in the UK Singles Chart.

"Billie Jean" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 2, 1983, as the second single from Jackson's sixth studio album, Thriller (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. "Billie Jean" blends post-disco, rhythm and blues, funk and dance-pop. The lyrics describe a woman, Billie Jean, who claims that the narrator is the father of her newborn son, which he denies. Jackson said the lyrics were based on groupies' claims about his older brothers when he toured with them as the Jackson 5.

"Billie Jean" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, topped the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart within three weeks, and became Jackson's fastest-rising number one single since "ABC", "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There" in 1970, all of which he recorded as a member of the Jackson 5. It remained at number one for nine weeks on the chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1983. "Billie Jean" is certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. It was also a number one hit in the UK, France, Switzerland and Belgium for example, and reached the top ten in many other countries. "Billie Jean" was one of the best-selling singles of 1983, helping Thriller become the best-selling album of all time, and became Jackson's best-selling solo single.

Jackson's performance of "Billie Jean" on the TV special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever won acclaim and was nominated for an Emmy Award. It introduced a number of Jackson's signatures, including the moonwalk and white sequined glove, and was widely imitated. The "Billie Jean" music video, directed by Steve Barron, was the first video by a black artist to be aired in heavy rotation on MTV. Along with the other videos produced for Thriller, it helped establish MTV's cultural importance and make music videos an integral part of popular music marketing. The spare, bass-driven arrangement of "Billie Jean" helped pioneer what one critic called "sleek, post-soul pop music".[2] It also introduced a more paranoid lyrical style for Jackson, a trademark of his later music.

"Billie Jean" was awarded honors including two Grammy Awards and an American Music Award. In a list compiled by Rolling Stone and MTV in 2000, the song was ranked as the sixth greatest pop song since 1963. In 2004, Rolling Stone placed it at number 58 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.[3] Frequently listed in magazine polls of the best songs ever made, "Billie Jean" was named the greatest dance record of all time by BBC Radio 2 listeners.

"Funkytown" is a song by American disco act Lipps Inc. from their debut album Mouth to Mouth (1979). It was released as the album's lead single in 1980.

"Funkytown" reached the top spot in the United States, West Germany, Canada, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, and Australia, among many others.[4][5][6]

"Let It Whip" is a 1982 single by the Dazz Band and their biggest hit, peaking at number one on the R&B chart for five non-consecutive weeks.[1] The single also reached number two on the Dance chart[2] and number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[3] The song won the 1982 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

"Fire" is a song by R&B/funk band Ohio Players. The song was the opening track from the album of the same name and hit No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 (where it was succeeded by Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good") and the Hot Soul Singles chart in early 1975.[1] It spent two weeks atop the soul chart. "Fire" was the Ohio Players' only entry on the new disco/dance chart, where it peaked at No. 10.[2] The song is considered to be the band's signature song along with "Love Rollercoaster".

"Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" is a song recorded by The Jacksons for their 1978 album Destiny, and released as a single the same year. It peaked at No. 7 in the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1979.[3]

The most successful of the Jacksons' recordings for Epic, "Shake Your Body" (originally demoed as "Shake a Body") was produced by the Jackson brothers, written by Randy and Michael, and featured Michael on lead vocals. The chorus "let's dance/let's shout (shout)/shake your body down to the ground" was inspired by an ad-lib from Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up": "Let's dance/let's shout (shout)/gettin' funky's what it's all about" and the rhythmic pattern from Teddy Pendergrass's "Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose" (from his album Life Is a Song Worth Singing was released a couple of months previously).

"Got to Be Real" is a song by American singer Cheryl Lynn from her 1978 self-titled debut studio album. The song, which was Lynn's debut single, was written by Lynn, David Paich and David Foster.

"Let's Groove" is a song by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire from their eleventh studio album Raise! (1981). Written by Maurice White and Wayne Vaughn, and produced by White, the song was chosen as the lead single from the album.

In the very late 1970s and early 1980s, disco music was undergoing a severe backlash. In spite of this, the band decided to revive the disco sound that was later included on their previous works and records. Musically, "Let's Groove" is a post-disco, pop and funk song which includes instrumentation of synthesizers and keyboards along with live electric guitars.

The song was a commercial success, and was the band's highest-charting single in various territories. The song peaked inside the top 20 in countries including the United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada and other component charts in America.

"Best of My Love" is a song by American band The Emotions from their fourth studio album Rejoice (1977). It was composed by Maurice White and Al McKay of Earth, Wind & Fire, and produced by White and Clarence McDonald.

Released as the album's lead single on June 9, 1977, the song topped both the US Billboard Hot 100 and US Billboard R&B charts. It also reached the Top 5 in the UK and Canada, the Top 10 in New Zealand, and the Top 20 in Australia.

"Best of My Love" won a Grammy at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards (1977) for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals; it also won an American Music Award for Favourite Soul/R&B Single.

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Bad Girls is the seventh studio album by American singer and songwriter Donna Summer, released on April 25, 1979, on Casablanca Records. Originally issued as a double album, Bad Girls became the best-selling and most critically acclaimed album of Summer's career. It was also her final studio album for Casablanca Records. In 2003, Universal Music re-issued Bad Girls as a digitally remastered and expanded deluxe edition.

Bad Girls reached atop the US Billboard 200, where it stayed for six weeks: for one week on June 16, 1979, and then for five consecutive weeks, from July 7 to August 4, 1979. Bad Girls also topped the Billboard R&B Albums chart for three weeks, from June 23 to July 7, 1979, and all cuts from the album topped the Disco Top 80 for seven weeks, from May 26 to July 7, 1979.[1] It contained the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls", and the number-two hit "Dim All the Lights". Summer also achieved further success when she became the first female artist to have two songs in the top three of the Billboard Hot 100, when on the week of June 30, 1979, "Hot Stuff" fell to number two and "Bad Girls" rose to number three.

Bad Girls was universally acclaimed and was certified platinum—now double platinum—by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) within just a week of its release. At the 1980 Grammy Awards, Bad Girls was nominated for Album of the Year and "Hot Stuff" won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Additionally, "Bad Girls" was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and "Dim All the Lights" was nominated for Best Disco Recording.

Bad Girls is widely considered one of the greatest disco albums.[2] It was ranked by Rolling Stone's list of the Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time at number 23, where the magazine wrote, "The late great Queen of Disco pulls out all the stops for an album that sums up Seventies radio, from ladies-choice smooch jams to filthy funk."[3] In a BBC Music review of the album, Daryl Easla wrote, "Bad Girls is a fantastic reminder of when [Summer] was the Britney, Christina, Mary J and Missy of her day all rolled into one."[4]

"That's the Way (I Like It)" is a song by the American group KC and the Sunshine Band from their self-titled second studio album. The single became the band's second #1 hit in the Billboard Hot 100, and it is one of the few chart-toppers in history to hit #1 on more than one occasion during a one-month period, as it did between November and December 1975. It topped the American pop chart for one week, and then was replaced by another disco song, "Fly, Robin, Fly" by Silver Convention. "That's the Way (I Like It)" returned to #1 for one more week after "Fly, Robin, Fly" completed three weeks at the top. "That's the Way (I Like It)" also spent one week at #1 in the soul singles chart.[2] The song is in natural minor.[3]

The song was also an international chart hit, reaching #1 in Canada[4] and the Netherlands and charting in Australia (#5), Belgium (#2), Germany (#20), Ireland (#17), New Zealand (#12), Norway (#5) and the United Kingdom (#4).

For release as a single and radio airplay, the song was toned down from the original recording, which would have jeopardized it receiving getting radio airplay at the time. However the sexual overtones may have improved the record's reception at discos, increasing its overall popularity in the charts.[5]

"Don't Leave Me This Way" is a song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert. It was originally released in 1975 by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass, an act signed to Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International label. "Don't Leave Me This Way" was subsequently covered by American singer Thelma Houston in 1977 and British duo the Communards in 1986, with both versions achieving commercial success.

"We Are Family" is a song recorded by American vocal group Sister Sledge. Composed by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, they both offered the song to Atlantic Records; although the record label initially declined, the track was released as a single from the album of the same name in April 1979[1] and began to gain club and radio play, eventually becoming the group's signature song.[2]

"We Are Family" went gold, becoming the number 1 R&B and number 2 pop song on the American charts in 1979 (behind "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer).[3] Along with the tracks "He's the Greatest Dancer" and "Lost in Music", "We Are Family" reached number 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs.[4] In 2017, the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant."[5] Billboard magazine named the song number 20 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[6]

"Good Times" is a song by American R&B band Chic from their third album Risqué (1979). The disco song ranked No. 229 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, has become one of the most sampled tunes in music history, most notably in hip hop music.