I Love the Nightlife (Disco Round) - Alicia Bridges (1978) 9/10/21

Sometimes a "Great Song" can be something other than what it started out to be. Case in point: 1978's "I Love the Nightlife (Disco Round)" by Alicia Bridges.

When Alicia was working on her debut album in 1977, she took a look at what sort of songs were currently topping the chart. One glance told her that DISCO was at its peak, so she suggested to her collaborator, Susan Hutcheson, that they write something that had either "disco" or "boogie" in the title.

They came up with the title "Disco Round," which is rather clever when you say it out loud...but their producer, Steve Buckingham, thought the song had more of a rhythm & blues vibe and suggested they go with an alternate title: "I Love the Nightlife."

Truth be told, Alicia agreed that the song was R & B and not really disco. In fact, she thought the song would be perfect for Al Green--who was known for his Memphis-style soul.

Steve and Alicia decided to keep "Disco Round" as a subtitle just in case it might appeal to fans of both genres.

That was a pretty smart move, because in 1978, the song ended up on a variety of different charts in 9 different countries.

For example, in the US, it reached #2 on the Dance Chart and #5 on the Hot 100. In Canada, it did even better: #1 on the Adult Contemporary Chart, and #3 on the Dance and Top 40 charts.

In 1994, the song was re-released, and it charted again, reaching #4 in New Zealand, #5 in Iceland, and #10 on Billboard's Hot Dance Chart!

In 1998, MTV counted down the "Top 54 Disco Songs of All Time," and the song was ranked at #37.

Over the years, "I Love the Nightlife" has appeared in several films, including "Love at First Bite," "So I Married an Ax Murderer," and "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," which later included the song when it became an Australian/West End/ Broadway musical.

On TV, it was used on "The Big Bang Theory" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

Considering all of the above, "I Love the Nightlife (Disco Round)" is definitely a "Great Song of the '70s," whether you consider it disco, R&B, or both!