Last Dance

My disco-phase lasted from 1975 through 1980. During which time I was proud to consider myself an openly, self-proclaimed "disco-nut".

My love for the disco-beat began in college when, along with other disco-devotees (nursing students) the ritual of "getting ready" for a night of disco-dancing was all part of the magic.

Choosing the right shoes, dress (yes, we all wore dresses - a girl just couldn't twirl in pants)  hair and make up was instrumental to our preparatory experience.

We were shooting for this look

"Wings" were big.

But it was the music that spirited us away from our sick patients, nursing instructors, IV drip calculations, care plans and medication index cards....

From Chic's "Le Freak", Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe"" to Gloria Gaynor's, "I Will Survive"...

"First I was afraid, I was petrified. 

Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side. 

But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong 

and I grew strong 

and I learned how to get along..." 

From The BeeGees "Stayin' Alive" to KC and The Sunshine Band's, "That's The Way I Like It"...

"That's the way uh-huh, uh huh I like it, uh huh, uh huh"

"That's the way uh-huh, uh huh I like it, uh huh, uh huh"

We  would sing along, using our hairbrushes, curling irons and/or blow dryers as microphones and get into the groove of disco, long before we actually made an appearance at the venue of choice.

This week I was reminded of that time in my life by the sad news that the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer had died. It was she who invariably would bring us to our feet...

With songs like, 'On the Radio', 'Love to Love You Baby' (the original version ran 17 minutes - making for a very selective choice in a dance partner), 'Bad Girls' (Woot-Woot, Beep-Beep), 'She Works Hard for the Money', 'Dim All The Lights' and my favorite, 'Last Dance'...

Yes it's the last dance, last dance
Yes, it's my last chance
For romance tonight
I need you by me, beside me, to guide me
To hold me, to scold me
'Cause when I'm bad, I'm so, so bad

So let's dance the last dance, let's dance the last dance, let's dance this last dance tonight

Last dance, Last dance for love
Yes, it's my last chance
For romance tonight
Oh-ho, I need you by me, beside me, to guide me
To hold me, to scold me
'Cause when I'm bad
I'm so, so bad
So let's dance the last dance
Let's dance the last dance
Let's dance the last dance tonight

Oh-ho, I need you by me
To guide me, to guide me
To hold me, to scold me
'Cause when I'm bad
I'm so, so bad

So, come on baby, dance that dance
Come on baby, dance that dance
Come on baby, let's dance tonight

OK, so the lyrics weren't the most progressive but it was the 70's and we weren't either. It was all about the beat. And when the disco-era came to a screeching halt in the early 80's I became a closeted disco-nut.  I had trouble articulating the value of disco to the anti-disco crowd and acquiesced by succumbing to a boot scootin', Urban Cowboy phase. PS: I'm over that now.

Disco was inarguable. It was a feeling. Donna Summer was the best.

Disco Fever

In the spirit of lightening up a little bit, I'm thinking that my posts have been a little dreary lately so let's say we 'Turn The Beat Around" with Vickie Sue Robinson...

Ya gotta admit...didn't that just make you all happy and want to just get up and dance?

My addiction of 1975-1980 was...'dancing-to-the-rhythm-of-the-disco-beat-bop-bop-bop-bop'.

Every weekend my fellow 'disco queens', (my BFF Mo, my cousin Susie and an assorted number of fellow nursing students) and I would get our fix by finding a lighted dance floor somewhere within a 10 mile radius of our dorm. A mirrored ball hanging from the ceiling and dry ice 'smoke' billowing on to us while we doing 'The Bump' and 'The Hustle' amongst other celebrated dance moves was just gravy. And yes, we would be stylin'... with wings in our hair, swingy dresses and high heels. Cruel disco shoes? ...Ha ! As if.

Dancing the night away to Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff", Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive", Le Freak's "Chic" took all the pain away. And then, as if we couldn't take any more disco madness, the movie, "Saturday Night Fever" and its soundtrack only fueled our devotion to all things 'disco'.

Hello... 'Disco Inferno' by The Trammps...

At this point you might be asking yourselves...did guys really dress like that? Sadly,  I've got to tell you that yes, they really did. But more disturbing than that, is the fact that we (the disco queens) thought they looked way hot and actually dated these guys..

I blame it on my youth.

Then, circa 1980 while cruising around with my fellow disco queen Mo, I recall hearing on the radio that "disco was dead". "Oh, puhleeeese" I said to her, dripping of sarcasm, rolling my eyes. my expression disdainful..."As if disco would ever die"...

It was only a couple of years later that my disco shoes were laid to rest and replaced by cowboy boots. 'Boot Scootin' at local Dallas honky-tonks was all that I lived for on my weekends off. The lure of Country Music was where it was at. But that's another story.