Why, then, do some local DJs refuse to play their new record? Says the L and F’s Paul Knighten, “So many people are over the Village People. They are a joke.” When asked what he thought of them, Paul cryptically remarked, “I don’t think about them.”
Other gay disc jockeys feel somewhat like Paul. “Too repetitious” is the phrase that continues to crop up. Some feel that they are no longer a disco act since they have gone Top 40.
Yet, the fact remains that the Village People do entertain vast numbers of the American public-whether they are disco or Top 40, straight or gay. In fact, it is such rigid categories that the Village People want to eliminate.
As Glenn Hughes says in a recent article in Rolling Stone, “We’re six very positive male, energetic symbols. We are definitely gonna have a gay following…but we’re not gonna let them label us a gay group.” Group leader Victor Willis concurs: “The group performs a masculine show. It’s a male-image show. Gay people like us, straight people like us. But we’re not a gay group.”
“Y.M.C.A.,” the group’s last smash hit, was a very controversial song what with its suggestive lyrics. “They have everything for young men to enjoy. You can hang out with all the boys.” This song, however, with its infectious hook, easy lyrics, and persistent beat swept the nation off its feet and became a disco classic that crossed over into pop. It sold a whopping 4.5 million singles in the U.S. and 12 million around the world.
Without a doubt, the Village People have international, well-nigh universal appeal. In fact, their founder Jacques Morali (who is also their composer/ producer, manager) traveled from France expressly to find a concert group. Walking the streets of Greenwich Village, he was intrigued by the variety of male types that to him exemplified the diverse American culture.
It then occurred to him that a group could be formed that might combine these archetypes to represent the gay culture. Combining his talent with that of executive producer and lyricist Henri Belolo to make the first album, Morali released one in June, 1977. It featured four gay-oriented tunes: “San Francisco,” “Hollywood,” “Fire Island,” and “Greenwich Village”. “San Francisco” immediately became the number one song at the discotheques around the country.
The producers next formed a group that they could tour with and expose to television. With “Macho Man,” released in February 1978, the group broadened its appeal. Finally they had a song that appealed not only to the gays but also to the straight crowd. With the easy lyrics of “Every man wants to be a macho, macho man. To have the kind of body always in demand…Ready to get down with anyone he can,” they zoomed up to number one.
The rest is history. The Village People put on a very professional, well choreographed and entertaining show.
