Top 20 Greatest Ever 70's Disco Songs

#20: “If I Can’t Have You” (1977)

Yvonne Elliman

It’s impossible to overstate how important the soundtrack to 1977’s “Saturday Night Fever” was to making disco music a household name. This was thanks, in part, to songs like “If I Can’t Have You,” which was written and recorded by the Bee Gees prior to it being given to Yvonne Elliman for recording on the soundtrack proper. The former’s version was shelved and released later as a B-side, while Elliman’s cut saw chart success as the album’s fourth single. This was despite “If I Can’t Have You” actually existing as something of an outlier from Elliman’s usual pop and rock history with her albums. Still, a great song is a great song, and Elliman does some great work on the track.

#19: “More, More, More” (1976)The Andrea True Connection

It was a song where the PR copy pretty much wrote itself for the sex-obsessed 1970s. “More, More, More” by The Andrea True Connection focused lyrically on star Andrea True’s connection with the golden age adult film industry. It was a coquettish ode to getting it on without any sort of pretense about what it was or where it was going. Sure, Andrea True could carry a tune, but she wasn’t the best singer in the world, and didn’t have to be at the end of the day. “More, More, More” had that catchy hook that would be notably sampled by Len for their own hit, “Steal My Sunshine.” It had Andrea True vamping it up for all she was worth. And that was enough.

#18: “Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” (1974)Barry White

The discography of Barry White is chock full of disco and funk bangers, taken not only from his solo career, but also with The Love Unlimited Orchestra. White was a man who could compose, arrange, conduct and perform, frequently at the same time. “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” is one of White’s most notable tunes, a song that makes the most out of the man’s sensual bass voice and those soaring strings. So many disco songs are simply about sex, but White combines that notion with love and a whole lotta soul. And the end results still sound great today.

#17: “Love Hangover” (1976)Diana Ross

Artists the caliber of “The Boss,” Diana Ross usually have no problem changing with the times. After all, this Queen of Motown really had nothing to prove during the late seventies, but this didn’t stop Miss Ross’ forward momentum. She continued to score hits like this one from her seventh solo album, a self-titled effort where “Love Hangover” stuck out in the best possible way. Ross’ breathy vocals are sexy-as-hell, while the musical arrangements slink around, doing a proverbial “walk of shame” all over the track. The bass is slick, the strings sound sweet, and Diana Ross sings with plenty of soul and sass. It’s a banger.

#16: “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” (1978)Sylvester

The retro-sociological discourse of disco has spoken with frequency in recent years about how this musical movement helped foster acceptance and inclusion for the LGBTQIA+ communities back in the 1970s. Artists like Sylvester are often brought up during these discussions, which usually single out his hit “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” as something formative for this movement. Sylvester never hid his sensuality or androgyny within his performance, and it’s this lack of inhibition which helps propel this song. “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” makes the best out of the singer’s falsetto vocals, too, as Sylvester reaches for the stars with that money chorus.

#15: “Got to Give It Up” (1977)Marvin Gaye

Soul icon Marvin Gaye wasn’t immune to disco fever back in the late seventies, as evidenced by this hit experiment, titled “Got to Give It Up.” The singer initially pushed back against recording disco music, but mounting debt and a contentious separation from his first wife, Anna Gordy, eventually forced Gaye’s hand. “Got to Give It Up” melds funk, soul and disco in an up-tempo manner that’s easily danceable, while also retaining a musical arrangement that’s involved enough to retain the audience’s (and Gaye’s) attention. Oh, and it also got singer Robin Thicke into some legal trouble when he was forced to credit Gaye as a songwriter.

#14: “Get Down Tonight” (1975)KC and the Sunshine Band

They’re one of the acts that’s virtually inseparable from the disco era, a group that may have struggled for relevancy after the genre’s (exaggerated) demise, but remain an icon part of disco dominance. KC and the Sunshine Band thankfully avoided a lot of the more vapid, producer-driven pitfalls of disco singers from this era, and instead brought a stronger sense of musicality to the party. The “band” aspect of KC definitely shone through on tunes like “Get Down Tonight,” which highlighted the group’s funk, rock and pop influences. It was a song that filled dancefloors back then, and now.

#13: “Ring My Bell” (1979)Anita Ward

Let’s face facts: there were a lot of one hit wonders back in the 1970s, and this definitely also applies to the disco era. Still, a lot of fans still appreciate songs like “Ring My Bell” from Anita Ward. The tune was written by Frederick Knight, who also produced “Ring My Bell” for Ward, whose vocals on the take are charming and cute. There’s a playfulness here that’s largely indicative of disco’s frequently disposable nature, but this isn’t really an insult. Instead, it’s meant to celebrate these brief, fleeting chart hits for what they were: dance tunes that were poppy, kitchy and stylish.

#12: “Heart of Glass” (1979)Blondie

New York City's Blondie could play just about any style of music and make it sound cool, thanks to that perennial focal point of Debbie freakin’ Harry. She co-wrote this hit with guitarist Chris Stein, an experiment in disco from a group that had previously been known for their punk and new wave hits. There’s still a lot of snottiness to be had here within “Heart of Glass,” and Blondie definitely makes the song their own, while also embracing all of those musical trappings that helped make this tune a disco dancefloor hit. “Heart of Glass,” anyway you slice it, just slays.

#11: “Le Freak” (1978)Chic

There’s a great story behind the composition of “Le Freak” by Chic that’s been frequently told by guitarist and songwriter Nile Rodgers. It tells how he and bassist Bernard Edwards were inspired to write “Le Freak” after being denied entry into New York’s exclusive disco club, Studio 54. The song’s now-famous chorus of “freak out!” was initially a profanity, but the songwriting duo wisely decided to tame things down a bit, and wound up with a worldwide hit for their efforts. Rodgers’ guitar work and Edward’s punctuating bass lines work wonders here on that aforementioned chorus, and “Le Freak” really winds up sounding like an electric dance club anthem at the end of the day.

#10: “Last Dance” (1978)Donna Summer

She was a queen of the disco scene, a (not so) bad girl from Boston whose theater work in Germany led to a fateful and ultimately fruitful meeting with super-producer Giorgio Moroder. Summer’s collaborations with Moroder would result in smash hits like “Hot Stuff” and “Love to Love You Baby,” the latter of which became somewhat infamous for its erotically charged, ahem, “extended version.” “Last Dance” was another huge hit for Summer and Moroder, a cut taken from the soundtrack to the 1978 film, “Thank God It’s Friday.” The tune starts off slow and pensive before kicking off into the stratosphere in glorious disco fashion, all sequins, silk and sexy, effortless cool.

#9: “Disco Inferno” (1976)The Trammps

The original release of “Disco Inferno” by The Trammps did pretty good for this Philly group back when it was first released on their 1976 studio LP. However, the inclusion of “Disco Inferno” on the soundtrack to “Saturday Night Fever” made this tune even hotter, causing it to chart again at an even higher spot. Today, it’s virtually impossible to separate “Disco Inferno” or The Trammps from the legacy of “Saturday Night Fever,” and this certainly isn’t a bad thing. The group had a bunch of other solid funk, disco and soul jams during their career, but “Disco Inferno” is probably the one that burned the brightest.

#8: “Lady Marmalade” (1974)Labelle

It’s really sort of telling that the English translation of the French chorus to “Lady Marmalade” is “do you want to sleep with me tonight?” This was, after all, a hit for Labelle back during this era of free love, sex without consequences and overall hedonism. “Lady Marmalade” was first given to another disco group, The Eleventh Hour, but this version didn’t really make a lot of noise. It took a second go-round with Patti Labelle’s former group in order to turn “Lady Marmalade” into a hit. Then, it was off to the proverbial races, as this fun disco tune became a classic of the era, totally cool and still great to jam today.

#7: “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” (1979)KISS

It speaks volumes to disco music’s longevity that the hard rock legends in KISS kept this 1979 disco banger in their set list, right on through to the end of their touring career. The band, after all, was signed for years to one of disco music’s premier record labels, Casablanca, so it seemed like an inevitability. KISS did indeed “go disco” on this tune from their “Dynasty” album, but the band made it work within their own parameters, allowing for “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” to retain a rock edge. It may not exactly be heavy metal or anything, but this KISS classic still manages to tick a lot of fun boxes along the way to becoming one of the band’s most popular tunes.

#6: “Turn the Beat Around” (1976)Vicki Sue Robinson

There was a varied musical pedigree to be found within the history of theater and movie actress Vicki Sue Robinson. A past that drifted between the worlds of folk, rock and pop…but not really any disco. That was, until a producer decided to take Robinson from session work obscurity and deliver her some disco stardom. “Turn the Beat Around” would go on to become Vicki Sue Robinson’s biggest and most well-known solo hit. The tune wisely opens up with a musical hook before Robinson sings one chorus prior to even delivering the first verse. We’re instantly drawn into this slickly arranged world of disco razzle-dazzle, while Robinson’s warm-sounding vocals and memorable ad-libs really shine. This one’s just a classic.

#5: “Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough” (1979)Michael Jackson

Disco definitely didn’t seem to be dead in ‘79, as Michael Jackson’s career as a solo artist began to set its creative sights on the future. “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” sounded steeped in the same sort of disco trappings that MJ had dabbled with alongside his brothers in The Jackson 5. The string arrangements and guitar accompaniment are lush and funky, and speak largely to how disco music would influence Jackson’s “Off the Wall” album. This was a coming out part of sorts for the artist, a transition from child star to major adult player for the pop world that Michael Jackson would eventually dominate in the forthcoming years.

#4: “I Will Survive” (1978)Gloria Gaynor

We’ve already mentioned how disco has seen a lot of retroactive appreciation for its inclusionary spirit for LGBTQIA+ artists and performers of color. “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor is a bit different, however, since its status as something of an anthem has remained firmly in place for decades. This song’s meaning is multi-faceted, since “I Will Survive” is, first and foremost, a break-up song that speaks to ideas of independence and female empowerment. Feminists weren’t the only group to take inspiration from Gaynor’s song, however, and “I Will Survive” has endured through the modern day, thanks to both its lyrical message and epic musical content.

#3: “September” (1978)Earth, Wind & Fire

It would perhaps be reductive to label Chicago, Illinois’ Earth, Wind & Wire solely as a funk band or a disco band. This highly influential group has released songs that have transcended their genre, going on to become not only stylistic staples, but part of our culture. Songs like “Boogie Wonderland” and “September” show up on the radio and in wedding playlists, buzzing through our collective subconscious with joy. This latter tune remains one of the most iconic “Earth, Wind & Fire” jams of all time, a groovy slice of disco-ified soul/funk with a killer vibe that’s energetic AF and impossible to ignore.

#2: “Dancing Queen” (1976)ABBA

Sweden’s ABBA weren’t just a disco band, but a phenomenon that continues to captivate hearts and minds across the globe. The songwriting partnership of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus combined the worlds of pop, rock and, yes, disco, to forge that solid gold ABBA brand. “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” is an all-time ABBA banger, while “Dancing Queen” remains the quartet’s most iconic song. Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad take charge on this tune, letting their lovely voices harmonize in beautiful bliss. Meanwhile, the lyrical content of “Dancing Queen” could be taken at face value, or it could, perhaps serve as a slightly more wistful and melancholic look back at the fleeting moments of youth, and how we take them for granted.

#1: “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)Bee Gees

The Bee Gees were another act that really weren’t “just” a disco band, but a trio of siblings that felt comfortable composing everything from psychedelic rock to sunshine pop. It wasn’t until the seventies and specifically the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack where the codified (and disco-ified) image of the Bee Gees as a suited up, struttin’ street machine took hold. Genre classics like “Tragedy” and “Night Fever” are impossible to resist, but it’s “Stayin’ Alive” that hard-coded the disco DNA with a grip that’s as tight as John Travolta’s pants. It’s funky, groovy and totally cool in the way that the best disco jams were back then, today and forever.

Do you secretly love disco or hold that freak flag up, loud and proud? Let us know in the comments!