So why is the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
When I think about music from the year 1977, the first thing that pops to mind is old school punk rock – and particularly the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, and The Clash.
But then I realize that the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack came out in the same year, and there was this whole other thing disco going on which – for most of the U.S. at least – was far more in the mainstream versus what was happening in some grungy underground clubs in New York City and London.
By the time I was a little kid in the early 1980s and had some small clue about what was going on in the world, I had my first exposure to disco music through comedy movies (of all things!).
The ridiculous and ridiculously funny movie Airplane! was on cable a lot in the 1980s, and after a scene where some girl scouts get into a knife fight (did I mention it’s ridiculous?), the iconic hook of “Stayin’ Alive” kicks on, and the film’s leads – played by Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty – share their first dance. One of my enduring memories from Airplane! is Hagerty wildly swinging Hays around… until she accidentally lets go of him.
And “Stayin’ Alive” stayed with me as well.
Then there was Steve Martin hamming it up, disco-style, in The Jerk, which I would catch when it was on TV as well.
By the early ’80s, the U.S. had been overexposed to disco. The backlash was in full swing — and with it, a rejection of the whole culture of “the ’70s.” I have vague memories of seeing people wearing Disco Sucks t-shirts at baseball games, for example.
I also think that there was a general consensus among most of the people my own age that it was “okay” to enjoy disco to an extent, but only if the correct level of ironic attachment was applied (we’re Generation X, so the correct level of ironic attachment was always an important thing back then for some reason).
By the 1990s, the ‘70s were getting reexamined with a much kinder eye, with movies like Dazed and Confused and Boogie Nights*, and sitcoms like That ‘70s Show bringing the vibes and music of the era to a new generation. And even Swingers mixed “Pick Up The Pieces,” by the Average White Band, into its swinging daddy-o soundtrack.
* Check out more about the Boogie Nights soundtrack, #601 of the best 1,000 albums ever.
And when I was just out of college and tossed into the stark and depressing Office Space-esque cubicle farm world, I met someone who had a small but important impact on me – and that also lead to my deep and enduring appreciation for the disco-on-disco sound of KC & The Sunshine Band (#305).
Which all leads to Saturday Night Fever, a movie that I’ve admittedly never watched a single second of as of this writing. Oh, but the soundtrack!
Not only is the soundtrack packed with multiple Bee Gees’ gems (“Stayin’ Alive,” “More Than A Woman,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” “Jive Talkin’,” and “Night Fever”), but it is also stocked with an arsenal of disco smashers that arguably makes it the best single album to represent the disco era.
Of the Bee Gees’ numbers, the upbeat and super groovy “Stayin’ Alive” and “Night Fever” are my favorites.
I’m also a huge fan of Wyclef Jean’s reimagining of “Stayin’ Alive” on the hip hop track, “We Trying to Stay Alive” (featuring John Forte and Pras), on The Carnival.
Speaking of KC & The Sunshine Band, the super fun “Boogie Shoes” is one of their top numbers – and side note that this is one of the first songs that comes to mind with regard to Boogie Nights (a movie I have seen many times, and am blown away every time I watch it).
I also never get tired of the funky and playful spin on a truly “old school” classic – “A Fifth of Beethoven,” by Walter Murphy.
If having the Bee Gees’ “More Than A Woman” on an album isn’t enough, we then also get a cover of the same song, by Tavares, with a meteoric spike of funky-cheese lounge factor in the best kind of way.
Pop culture stuff that has something to do with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this, Part I
My mom is a massive fan of the Bee Gees. If the topic of music comes up, she’ll pipe in and let you know about some kind of Barry Gibb fun fact – such as that he shares with John Lennon and Paul McCartney “the record for most consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number ones” (six!), or note the international relocations of the Gibb family back in the day.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this, Part II
My wife and I are both massive fans of Julie Hagerty. She’s great in everything, but we particularly dig her role as the daffy mom of Ryan Reynold’s character in the silly comedy, Just Friends. If you have a problem with this, my only retort is that you should be yourself…
Some stats & info about the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Disco, Movie Soundtracks, Compilations, Rock Music, Soft Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – #163
- All Music’s rating – 5 out of 5 stars
- When was the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack released? 1977
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #253 out of 1,000
The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’, and we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.