The other day at work, during a particularly busy hour, Rod Stewart's go-at-disco hit, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" came on the radio. Of course only my (almost 30) boss and I knew the song, and my other coworkers looked at me like I was crazy. But it got me thinking.. a lot of musicians who were previously known for playing rock, soul, and blues decided to take a wham at the trend of "disco" music in the late seventies. This includes artists like Rod Stewart ("Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"), The Rolling Stones ("Miss You"), Barry Manilow, ("Copacabana") David Bowie, ("John, I'm Only Dancing"), Paul McCartney and Wings, ("Goodnight Tonight"), Elton John & Kiki Dee ("Don't Go Breaking My Heart") and Blondie ("Heart of Glass"). What made these musicians "sell-out" and decide to do disco? The answer is simply that they wanted to appeal to a broader audience, and since disco was popular at the time, they decided to try making their own disco hits. Some were successful, some weren't; but nonetheless, we can all go back and laugh at rock stars trying disco. Especially Rod Stewart. So, I've decided to give outfits of some glam and disco musicians! Enjoy.
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David Bowie
Who else on a glam, glitter, and disco appreciation post than David Bowie? Bowie is the ultimate KING of glam, wearing the greatest, craziest, most glitter-soaked outfits in history. He was glitter before Ke$ha! Although I didn't capture too many of his beautiful outfits here, he definitely has more that are worth checking out, as well as a bajillion beautiful, glitter-soaked songs.
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The Glimmer Twins
Everyone knows The Rolling Stones, but not everyone appreciates how great both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were fashionably. Their duo name is the glimmer twins- and I definitely believe that fits. Their outfits in the late sixties (mainly 1967) were STUNNING, but today we're focusing on their late seventies glam looks. They dressed in sparkles, loose shirts, and many, many scarves. One of my favorite jackets is the one Keith Richards wears in the "She's So Cold" music video, even though it's from the eighties (pictured bottom left.). I just love them!
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Rod Stewart
I personally am not a big fan of Rod Stewart (although I do appreciate him), his "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" music video is what inspired this post. Just watch it; It's blonde, it's flamboyant, and it's the sassiest, most fake-disco thing I've ever seen. Just watch the video below to see what I'm talking about. His pants are incredibly tight, his hair incredibly tousled, and the music incredibly hilarious. The song itself is a parody of disco, but I still love it nonetheless.
Enjoy various music videos by the artists above :)
Hi, Sam! This is another thought provoking topic and a great post. You are much more qualified than I to comment on the fashions of any particular period because I didn't pay much attention to them, especially if we're discussing male performers. Of course, the androgynous, gender-bending Bowie is in a class all by himself and I did notice his outfits. In the 70s I worked nights as a news producer at an NBC television station that carried Wolfman Jack's Midnight Special and Bowie made historic appearances on it.
ReplyDeleteHaving lived through the disco era I can testify that everybody and his grandmother eventually tried their hand at making a disco record and the sheer volume of schlock being produced combined with the backlash from disco hating rock music fans led to its demise. I don't think Rod Stewart was necessarily doing a parody of disco when he recorded "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy." Like many other artists, he was merely modifying and updating his sound to keep pace with the changing times. You forgot to mention "I Was Made For Loving You Baby," the big disco hit by the hard rock/heavy metal band Kiss which was released a few months after Stewart's "Sexy" record. With their single "Heart of Glass," another big hit of 1979, Debbie Harry and Blondie took disco to a new level and helped usher in the New Wave sound that dominated the 80s.
Thank you for another outstanding post, Sam, and have a safe and happy weekend! If you have time, please come over to my blog and see if it interests you. You already have an extensive knowledge of 20th century music and your comments on my blog would be welcome and appreciated. Thank you, Sam!
BOWIE <3
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, love your blog x
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i nominated this blog for the versatile blogger award! the post is on my blog http://roseandvintage.blogspot.com/
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I love Da ya think i'm sexy. it's on my (ironic)sexy walking playlist.
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