Songs that gradually turn into disco
March 21, 2019 4:43 PM   Subscribe

I'd like to make a playlist of songs that do not start out as disco, but gradually become more and more disco. So far I have Mitski - Nobody and half•alive - still feel.. What would you add?
posted by capricorn to Media & Arts (28 answers total) 24 users marked this as a favorite
 
Donna Summer Last Dance?
posted by QuakerMel at 4:50 PM on March 21, 2019 [7 favorites]


arguably, 100 Years Ago by The Rolling Stones, at around the 2:38 mark
posted by Morpeth at 4:51 PM on March 21, 2019 [1 favorite]


I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.
posted by davcoo at 4:52 PM on March 21, 2019 [5 favorites]


Doobie Brothers What a Fool Believes around 1:10, when the claps join the party.
posted by gyusan at 5:14 PM on March 21, 2019 [2 favorites]


Donna Summer MacArthur Park
posted by QuakerMel at 5:24 PM on March 21, 2019 [4 favorites]


Not very gradual, but Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band's "A Fifth of Beethoven."
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 5:24 PM on March 21, 2019


Taana Gardner - When You Touch Me
Murray Head - One Night in Bangkok
posted by rhizome at 5:53 PM on March 21, 2019 [1 favorite]


The 80’s Runway Model, by The Jimmy Swift Band
posted by thenormshow at 5:59 PM on March 21, 2019


I could argue both for and against this fitting your brief: Man It's So Loud In Here.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:05 PM on March 21, 2019


I cannot vouch for it, but my 11-y.o. suggests Boney M.'s "Rasputin."
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:53 PM on March 21, 2019 [1 favorite]




This may be too talky but Moroder by Daft Punk features a short monologue by Giorgio Moroder, "The Father of Disco," about his invention of the click track and becomes a full-on excellent Daft Punk disco track.
posted by workerant at 7:28 PM on March 21, 2019 [1 favorite]


Perhaps Talking Head's Crosseyed and Painless--especially the live version on the album The Name of this Band is Talking Heads. This is a close version, live in Rome 1980
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g8lFmsCXhg
posted by montaigneisright at 8:02 PM on March 21, 2019


Portishead The Rip
posted by gyusan at 8:02 PM on March 21, 2019


Love Hangover - Diana Ross
posted by sundrop at 9:00 PM on March 21, 2019 [2 favorites]


Wild card: so there's this Concerto for Two Orchestras that's attributed to Sofia Gubaidulina, which turns into -- well, not really disco, but something way more disco than you'd expect (either from the opening chimes or from the composer's other work). I didn't quite believe it was real when I first stumbled on it, but there's a score (not that I can read it) and it's being performed by the Berkeley Symphony in 3 days, so I'm guessing it's legit.
posted by aws17576 at 11:01 PM on March 21, 2019 [4 favorites]


Maybe “The Sensual Woman” by The Herbaliser.
posted by rongorongo at 1:11 AM on March 22, 2019


Also “Oh, I love it(Love Break)“ by the Salsoul Orchestra
posted by rongorongo at 1:20 AM on March 22, 2019


Station to Station (song) by David Bowie
posted by Hugobaron at 1:54 AM on March 22, 2019 [2 favorites]


Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave me this way" - starts with just vocals.
Odyssey's "Going back to my Roots" - particularly in this long version.
posted by rongorongo at 4:21 AM on March 22, 2019 [4 favorites]


Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand starts as mid-aughts indie rock, then grinds to a halt and fires back up with a disco beat at around 0:43 in.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:02 AM on March 22, 2019 [4 favorites]


Santa Esmeralda, "Don't Let Me Be Understood"

They also did "House of the Rising Sun," which is another Nina Simone/Animals cover (although one with traditional folk connections.)
posted by GenderNullPointerException at 7:46 AM on March 22, 2019


Thelma Houston – Don't Leave Me This Way takes about a minute to go full disco
posted by wemayfreeze at 7:50 AM on March 22, 2019


Nthing Diana Ross' Love Hangover. As a 1975 cut, it may be ur-example of this genre, taking minutes to move from a syrupy slow ballad to a torrid disco stomp.
posted by caveatz at 7:52 AM on March 22, 2019 [2 favorites]


The disco Theme from Exodus. The worse ever. Get yourself a barf bag, and enjoy!
posted by JimN2TAW at 9:39 AM on March 22, 2019


Kung Fu Fighting. Racist nostalgia.
posted by JimN2TAW at 3:34 PM on March 22, 2019


Serafina Steer, Disco Compilation.
posted by Sonny Jim at 7:58 AM on March 24, 2019


A couple more - both from Georgio Moroder:
No More Tears (Enough is Enough): Donna Summer and Barbara Striesand. This one has almost 2 minutes of vocal lead in before it goes disco.
Donna Summer: Love to Love You Baby . You could start this either right at the beginning - or at a few points later on - such as the point where everything apart from the bass drops out - about 4 mins in.
posted by rongorongo at 6:39 AM on March 29, 2019


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