As it was starting and during the initial phases of it, let's say 1973-1976, what did older folks of that period, those above say, 45, 50 think of Disco?

As it was starting and during the initial phases of it, let's say 1973-1976, what did older folks of that period, those above say, 45, 50 think of Disco?
Let's put it another, when I saw the movie "Saturday Night Fever" on general release, I feel asleep during the film.

As it was starting and during the initial phases of it, let's say 1973-1976, what did older folks of that period, those above say, 45, 50 think of Disco?


I wouldn't put 73 or 74 in the mainstream disco category. Let's start at 1975.

And to be crystal clear to those for whom all this is just a blur, people 45 and up in 1976 were NOT Boomers. They were the so-called WW2 "greatest generation". The Boomers (of which I was one) were still much younger and were battling it out about disco. A Boomer who was 19 at Woodstock in 1969 would still be only 25 in 1975.

Believe it or not, many middle aged people took to disco, especially women. I think some, like middle aged housewives, liked the novelty and perceived glamor of it all, though they may not have fully understood. These were the types who would say "do you know how to do the disco?". This would be akin today to saying "are you on the Twitter?" So they may have been "out of it", but they were "into it".  ;D  They may also have been relieved that it was a return to somewhat "meaningless" or "less dangerous" music as opposed to the "message" music of the 60s and first half of the 70s.

And if you look at the glitterati and "beautiful people" who were flocking to Studio 54 and the like, many of these people weren't young in the least. But it gave them a place to "hang their hat" so to speak, and fit in. It gave them a new lease on life. Even by-then ancient people like Ethel Merman were making disco albums.  Florence Henderson, not ancient, but still much older than a Boomer, went on variety shows and sang old songs in disco arrangements. This type of thing was common for a while.


Florence Henderson sings "That Old Black Magic" on the legendary "Paul Lynde Halloween Special" 1n 1976:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPZ7v-bwk0E

As it was starting and during the initial phases of it, let's say 1973-1976, what did older folks of that period, those above say, 45, 50 think of Disco?


I'll use my two parents for example.  My Mom was a "Silent" and my dad was a "Greatest" in terms of generational tags.  I'll pick on 1975.  My late-50s age Dad never embraced rock-era music at all; he felt it was inferior in that the musicians weren't accomplished musicians, in his words.  His attitude included Disco.  He was brought up on Big Band, Jazz, and the great Crooners.  (He maybe had a point - but was definitely stuck in the past, music-wise.)  My mom, right around age 40 then, was much more tolerant of current music; most of what she heard was played by us teenagers (I was 15 in 1975).  She too was brought up on Jazz and the great Crooners (don't think she was into Big Band).  But she had the flexibility of taste to appreciate if she heard something contemporary that appealed to her.  She liked a little Disco - but I never got the impression it was her favorite.  The other thing is, she wasn't the person who'd go to the record store and purchase new-release records - that task went to me and my brothers.  Based on what she seemed to like when she got older, I'd say she liked other styles of 70s-era music more than Disco.

As it was starting and during the initial phases of it, let's say 1973-1976, what did older folks of that period, those above say, 45, 50 think of Disco?

Maybe they thought that disco was too loud?  ???

Maybe they thought that disco was too loud?  ???
Rock n' Roll was very loud too?

I'll take 1975 for $200, Alex...

My parents were in their mid to late 50s in 1975, they did not like disco at all, but they didn't like any modern music, they liked music form the 1930s and 1940s. They lumped disco together with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and the Beatles, all noise they didn't like.

They also thought disco's were filled with drug addicted stupid idiots who knew nothing about music or dancing and warned us (my sister and I) to never go to any or we'd be thrown out of the house yadda yadda yadda.
I can't recall any of my parents friends liking disco. 

Let's put it another, when I saw the movie "Saturday Night Fever" on general release, I feel asleep during the film.

I wasn't a great fan of that film either, but I managed to stay awake.

Rock n' Roll was very loud too?


It was quite loud too.

I'll take 1975 for $200, Alex...

My parents were in their mid to late 50s in 1975, they did not like disco at all, but they didn't like any modern music, they liked music form the 1930s and 1940s. They lumped disco together with Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and the Beatles, all noise they didn't like.

They also thought disco's were filled with drug addicted stupid idiots who knew nothing about music or dancing and warned us (my sister and I) to never go to any or we'd be thrown out of the house yadda yadda yadda.
I can't recall any of my parents friends liking disco.

My Parents grew up In the 50's and 60's so they're pretty much Doo-Wop enjoyers but occasionally they listened to some disco music.

It was quite loud too.
The Who were louder.

So how entrenched would you say then that Disco was by the summer of 1975.

Rock the Boat hit #1 on July 6th, 1974.

Rock Your Baby held #1 for almost the rest of July 1974

Kung Fu Fighting hit #1 in December 1974.

Lady Marmalade hit #1 in March 1975.

The Hustle hit #1 on July 26th, 1975

Jive Talkin' hit #1 on August 9th, 1975

Get Down tonight hit #1 on August 30th, 1975

So let's say it's the calendar reads September 1st, 1975 as such, would Disco have already been a noticed as a rising cultural force (if not already dominant in the clubs, just not as overwhelmingly oversaturating pop culture as a whole as it did by 1977/1978) and not just a 1974 flash in the pan novelty?

So how entrenched would you say then that Disco was by the summer of 1975.

Rock the Boat hit #1 on July 6th, 1974.

Rock Your Baby held #1 for almost the rest of July 1974

Kung Fu Fighting hit #1 in December 1974.

Lady Marmalade hit #1 in March 1975.

The Hustle hit #1 on July 26th, 1975

Jive Talkin' hit #1 on August 9th, 1975

Get Down tonight hit #1 on August 30th, 1975

So let's say it's the calendar reads September 1st, 1975 as such, would Disco have already been a noticed as a rising cultural force (if not already dominant in the clubs, just not as overwhelmingly oversaturating pop culture as a whole as it did by 1977/1978) and not just a 1974 flash in the pan novelty?


It's important to make a distinction here - Disco was certainly a recognized musical movement starting sometime in 1974.  But there's a difference between being a recognized musical movement and being dominant.  In the first couple years of its existence, Disco "played nice" alongside other musical genres that were popular.  Say November 1974, you'd turn on Top 40 radio.  Here are the top 20 songs on 11/2/1974 (per Cashbox):

  1. You Haven't Done Nothing - Stevie Wonder
  2. Jazzman - Carole King
  3. Whatever Gets You Thru The Night - John Lennon
  4. You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet - BTO
  5. Can't Get Enough - Bad Company
  6. The Bitch Is Back - Elton John
  7. Stop And Smell The Roses - Mac Davis
  8. Love Me For A Reason - The Osmonds
  9. Tin Man - America
10. I Honestly Love You - Olivia Newton-John
11. My Melody Of Love - Bobby Vinton
12. Do It Baby - The Miracles
13. Life Is A Rock - Reunion
14. Back Home Again - John Denver
15. Longfellow Serenade - Neil Diamond
16. Everlasting Love - Carl Carlton
17. I Can Help - Billy Swan
18. Carefree Highway - Gordon Lightfoot
19. Do It (Til You're Satisfied) - B.T. Express
20. When Will I See You Again - Three Degrees

The highly skillful DJs would take the songs like those shown above (only a few of which are Disco), and skillfully interleave them into their programming which we the consumer (like me, I was 14 then) would listen to.  The listening experience was grand and our smorgasbord of music included some Disco but a lot of other great music (a clunker or two, too - but not many).  The Disco from that time "played nice" alongside the other music.

It wasn't until sometime in (probably) 1976 when the music executives started to see $$$$ in conjunction with Disco, and suddenly it became such a dominant music force that it began pushing other non-Disco music to the back seat.  That's when the resentment from the non-Disco fans started to soar (and only got worse around Saturday Night Fever time).

It wasn't until sometime in (probably) 1976 when the music executives started to see $$$$ in conjunction with Disco, and suddenly it became such a dominant music force that it began pushing other non-Disco music to the back seat.  That's when the resentment from the non-Disco fans started to soar (and only got worse around Saturday Night Fever time).

Yes, it was 1976. And THIS is the time, to return to the original question, when the older people got into disco to some degree. Not so much for the music even, but because it was a "thing". And a rather inescapable one.

Yes, it was 1976. And THIS is the time, to return to the original question, when the older people got into disco to some degree. Not so much for the music even, but because it was a "thing". And a rather inescapable one.


Incidentally (and this wasn't a causative event but rather a symptom), the famed "Disco Demolition" event of 1979 was masterminded by a Chicago DJ named Steve Dahl, who was fired from radio station WDAI upon their format flip from Rock to Disco in 1978.  By then, Disco was everywhere, it was clearly a dominant force in culture, for better or worse.

So how entrenched would you say then that Disco was by the summer of 1975.

Rock the Boat hit #1 on July 6th, 1974.

Rock Your Baby held #1 for almost the rest of July 1974

Kung Fu Fighting hit #1 in December 1974.

Lady Marmalade hit #1 in March 1975.

The Hustle hit #1 on July 26th, 1975

Jive Talkin' hit #1 on August 9th, 1975

Get Down tonight hit #1 on August 30th, 1975

So let's say it's the calendar reads September 1st, 1975 as such, would Disco have already been a noticed as a rising cultural force (if not already dominant in the clubs, just not as overwhelmingly oversaturating pop culture as a whole as it did by 1977/1978) and not just a 1974 flash in the pan novelty?

People started going to Studio 54 And The Paradise Garage.

Yes, it was 1976. And THIS is the time, to return to the original question, when the older people got into disco to some degree. Not so much for the music even, but because it was a "thing". And a rather inescapable one.

So why did they think that disco was a "thing"? ???

But here's the thing. I look at things like my grandfather's Driver License photo from May 1975. He looks like he's ready to go to a Disco, although he didn't.

I have family photos from 1974 of my grandma and her boyfriend going to a club called Your Father's Mustache and they're very 70s/Disco era in background imagery.

My father was born in 1954 and he says in the summer BEFORE he went into the Army (June 1976) he was wearing a Disco Sucks pin and got hit over the head with a beer bottle for it.


A few things about this:

1) Your grandfather and his choice of attire had zero to do with discos; he was merely making a fashion statement.  Most men dressed like that at the time.

2) Clubs and lounges having dancing were around way, way before discos.  I'm not saying the Father's Mustache place was not a disco (since I don't know) but it could easily have been any kind of club or lounge.

3) In 1976, a "Disco Sucks" pin could certainly start a fight.  The many people who liked disco could potentially be angered by such a pin then.

But here's the thing. I look at things like my grandfather's Driver License photo from May 1975. He looks like he's ready to go to a Disco, although he didn't.


I have family photos from 1974 of my grandma and her boyfriend going to a club called Your Father's Mustache and they're very 70s/Disco era in background imagery.

My father was born in 1954 and he says in the summer BEFORE he went into the Army (June 1976) he was wearing a Disco Sucks pin and got hit over the head with a beer bottle for it.


1) Those shirts were common. Had nothing to do with disco at all. Oh, people may have worn them to discos, but so what.

2) Keep in mind too, that lots of pre-existing clubs that had dancing, often with jukeboxes, "went disco" after it became a mainstream thing. It wasn't a big stretch for them.  They would usually bring in a DJ to replace the jukebox. In 1974 Your Father's Mustache would not have been what we would later know as  the stereotypical "disco".

3) Certainly could have happened. A person bone in 1954 was prime Boomer age in 1975, and disco had made enough of an inroad by then that young people would have known about it long before the middle aged housewives of 1976. It was really a battlefield between the rockers and the disco people back then. I am pleased to see your father was on the correct side.

Wow thinking about this age group would have been my grandparents. Who had zero to do with anything like that. They mainly listened to lite pop or talk radio and worked in the garden. They grew up during the Great Depression, grandpa was in ww2. They did their own thing, current trends was the last thing on their mind. I have no grandparents left, the last 2 died in the last couple years at 92 and 95.

In 1975 both my parents were still in high school.

In 1975 both my parents were still in high school.


Did they like rock or disco? I can't imagine a rock and roller like you had disco parents!

Wow thinking about this age group would have been my grandparents. Who had zero to do with anything like that. They mainly listened to lite pop or talk radio and worked in the garden. They grew up during the Great Depression, grandpa was in ww2. They did their own thing, current trends was the last thing on their mind. I have no grandparents left, the last 2 died in the last couple years at 92 and 95.

In 1975 both my parents were still in high school.


In 1975, Both My Parents were busy taking care of Me And My Brother, I was 1 years old and My Brother was 4, My Father basically listened to Doo-Wop music.

My grandparents were in that age group. I don't know what they thought of Disco music. I will ask my mother.

My parents were teens in the 70s. I'm going to say 1975? My mother was 18, and my dad was 17. They listened to both Rock AND Disco. But they were more into 70s Rock music.

My grandparents were in that age group. I don't know what they thought of Disco music. I will ask my mother.

My parents were teens in the 70s. I'm going to say 1975? My mother was 18, and my dad was 17. They listened to both Rock AND Disco. But they were more into 70s Rock music.

My Mother was 30 and My Father was 34.

I was around during the disco heyday.

I thought it sucked. 8-P Disco Demolition Night was long over due.  :P

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco_Demolition_Night

Did they like rock or disco? I can't imagine a rock and roller like you had disco parents!


My dad liked rock in the 70s. In the 80s he went country and never went back.

My mom was always more into the soft rock, later on I heard it called mellow gold.

My dad had long hair in the 70s and during a few other stages of life.

In 1974 there were some disco songs on the chart
In 1975 it was in the topic of conversations, together with more songs on the charts

I don't think Disco really made it big until some point in 1976 (when exactly, I forget, its too many years ago), I was 19 at the time and the genre was popular with some of my friends/acquaintances. Yes I did go dancing in those clubs in the later 1970s, although I was certainly more of a Rock and Roll guy , but there were a few disco songs that were alright.

In 1974 there were some disco songs on the chart
In 1975 it was in the topic of conversations, together with more songs on the charts


Agreed - disco was a bigger factor in 1975 than 1974 - but it still generally "played nice" alongside other genres in 1975.


... I was certainly more of a Rock and Roll guy , but there were a few disco songs that were alright.


My taste leaned slightly more toward disco then, but I like all kinds of music and I certainly didn't like it when disco "took over" everything else.  And I really didn't like the fact that it was dividing young people, ala those who liked disco vs. those who hated it.  I don't recall anything in pop culture prior to that which was so polarizing to young (at that time) people.

In 1974 there were some disco songs on the chart
In 1975 it was in the topic of conversations, together with more songs on the charts

I don't think Disco really made it big until some point in 1976 (when exactly, I forget, its too many years ago), I was 19 at the time and the genre was popular with some of my friends/acquaintances. Yes I did go dancing in those clubs in the later 1970s, although I was certainly more of a Rock and Roll guy , but there were a few disco songs that were alright.



Exactly. We can call 1976 the first "official" year of disco as a mainstream phenomenon. An all-encompassing one.

I had a similar experience to you of going to discos in 1976 to be social. Since I was such a rock & roll guy I really didn't know these disco songs and I thought it was all one thing! I would dance and then I would just stop dancing when I felt like it. People would say to me "why did you stop dancing? The song isn't over." I had no idea!  ;D  ;D  It all just blended into one thing. After a while I could distinguish one song from another. Can't say I liked them though. I far preferred the punk clubs. It was there that I felt a real energy going on.

I was around during the disco heyday.

I thought it sucked. 8-P Disco Demolition Night was long over due.  :P

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco_Demolition_Night

What did you dislike about it?  ???

My dad liked rock in the 70s. In the 80s he went country and never went back.

My mom was always more into the soft rock, later on I heard it called mellow gold.

My dad had long hair in the 70s and during a few other stages of life.

My Father grew up liking Doo-Wop music In The 50's and 60's.

My Father grew up liking Doo-Wop music In The 50's and 60's.


Did he ever express his feelings about Disco, good bad or indifferent?

I don't recall anything in pop culture prior to that which was so polarizing to young (at that time) people.


I mean it.  It was a sad-making thing, people in the same school class dividing over disco.  Nothing in my lifetime to date had caused divisions that strong among us youth; it practically divided us down the middle.  It also made it hard to listen to and enjoy Top 40 radio, as it became hard to satisfy both camps.  It was "united we stood, divided we stand".  :(

I mean it.  It was a sad-making thing, people in the same school class dividing over disco.  Nothing in my lifetime to date had caused divisions that strong among us youth; it practically divided us down the middle.  It also made it hard to listen to and enjoy Top 40 radio, as it became hard to satisfy both camps.  It was "united we stood, divided we stand".  :(


We had a similar thing happen to our youth culture in the 90s though not as bad. There were those who were into Hip Hop/Gangsta Rap, and then those who were into Alternative Rock and/or Pop music. I was more into Alternative Rock and Grunge, and Pop. I liked bands like Gin Blossoms, The Verve Pipe, Silverchair, Savage Garden, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. I remember going to school and being ignored by some people because of that. But I didn't care. It's very similar though to the Disco or Rock music divide that you described happening in the 70s!

Did he ever express his feelings about Disco, good bad or indifferent?

I think he hated disco later on in his years but I think now at almost 80 he has some respect for the disco artists he listens to in his car.

Some of those same folks may have been annoyed by Elvis 20 years before that, since that generation grew up with Sinatra, Ellington, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, and more. Since people got married and settled down younger in the 1950s, they were probably out of the loop for the rock/doo wop "noise" in that era. Believe it or not however, some aspects of disco have more of an inspiration from Big Band orchestras than early rock 'n roll does. Just listen to the flutes, trumpets, bass section, and percussion in "The Hustle". It may have seemed like a "novelty song" to older people, but this song really spawned a dance craze and led to lots of classes performing it, and some of these "cool grandmas/grandpas" continued to enjoy these aspects of disco through the rest of the genre. My late grandfather had a disco compilation album in his LP record collection even, despite big band being his preferred genre like most Greatest Generation members were.

And a lot of the great game show themes of this era have a lot of discoish/proto-discoish elements. Card Sharks, the original Wheel of Fortune theme, many classic cues from The Price Is Right, Concentration with Jack Narz, the final season of What's My Line?, and yes, Family Feud. Some older viewers at the time thought that themes were noise compared to the lush orchestral themes of the '50s and early '60s, but they seemed to provide that "energy" to really get you into the show that the older music lacked.

It was quite loud too.
The Who were certainly loud!

Both my parents were part of the "Silent" generation. Dad was 3 years younger than my mother. He really liked the Beatles but I don't recall if he liked disco or not. He was also really into Classical and instilled his love for it in me. My mother listened to what I referred to in those days as "Old Fogy Music"-people like Engelbert Humperdinck, Ed Ames, and the like. She then went on to marry my step-father who played the drums during the Big Band era. (I wrote about that in another thread). I don't recall my step-father ever listening to popular music but he did have a miniature Beatles drum set. (I think my sister got that.) My mother also loved the musical theatre and she instilled that love into me. So, I did get a bit of my music from all three of my parents. 


Cat

My mom would have been around 30 in 1979 and she had both these albums ...

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wckCt4t-EUk/VLNmtUtAIPI/AAAAAAAANVs/NZPy_6aVSLc/s1600/hot%2Bnights%2Bcity%2Blights%2Bfront.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d8/Bee_Gees_Greatest_1979.jpg

My dad only really listened to piano music and stuff from the 60s he grew up with.  My grandmother wasn't really into music, but if she did listen, it would be to country & western (as it was then called).  My grandfather didn't really listen to music, he just played his own music on his piano