Naomi

Last week I was suffering from sleep deprivation and felt gray and lifeless. Then, after a particularly soporific English literature revision this week, I listened to a Sister Sledge tune and felt like myself again.

There are so many great things about disco. When it emerged in the early ’70s, it was about inclusivity—its roots were in gay culture, and women and people of color were better represented in the scene than in the straight, white world of rock. Feminism was gaining momentum, and women expressed their own autonomy, strength, and sexuality in popular songs, my favorites being Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby” (the 17-minute version complete with sex noises, of course) and the Andrea True Connection’s “More, More, More.”

Also, it is literally the best music to dance to! The lyrics are usually about being happy and dancing, which is such a simple concept that even my exam-riddled mind could understand. It’s impossible to sit down when you hear a disco beat—it’s like a LIFE/DEATH situation on the dance floor, and the song is everything. Disco eventually became popular, then overexposed, and then unfashionable, but I will never put it down. (The “Disco Sucks” backlash in the late ’70s was mostly just an excuse to be homophobic and racist.) My final exam schedule has been intense and crazy, but how could I not smile while listening to this?