Disco Inferno
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Disco Inferno" is a song by The Trammps from the album of the same name. It was also notably covered by Cyndi Lauper on the A Night at the Roxbury soundtrack and Tina Turner on the What's Love Got To Do With It? soundtrack.
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Song information
The song was originally performed by the Trammps in 1976 and released as a single. Although it topped the U.S. Disco chart, it was not a significant success at pop radio, peaking at number fifty-three on the Billboard Hot 100. According to famed mixer Tom Moulton (who mixed the record), the levels had been set wrong during the mixdown of the tracks, resulting in a much wider dynamic than was commonly accepted at the time. Due to this the record seems to "jump out" at the listener.[1]
"Disco Inferno" gained much greater recognition once it was included on the soundtrack to the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever. Re-released by Atlantic Records, the track peaked at number eleven in the U.S. during the spring of 1978, becoming the Trammps' biggest and most-recognized single. Later, it was included in the Saturday Night Fever musical, interpreted by the 'DJ Monty' in the "Odissey 2001" discotheque.
The song also became an unofficial theme song for New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams. It was often played at Yankee stadium while the scoreboard/video system displayed the phrase "Bern Baby Bern," a play on the song's refrain and Williams' first name.
On September 19, 2005, "Disco Inferno" was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame.
The song was used during the trailer to the Adam Sandler comedy, Bedtime Stories.
Cover versions
Tina Turner version
Tina Turner covered the song in 1993 for the What's Love Got To Do With It soundtrack and it charted at number twelve in the UK Singles Chart, 4 places higher than The Trammps' version (#16). The single included remixes by The Beatmasters.
Versions and remixes
- Album Version - 4:03
- 12" Version - 5:33
- 12" Dub - 6:57
Cyndi Lauper version
Lauper performed this song live for the first time at New York, Bryant Park on June 21st, 1998
In the Billboard magazine dated May 16, 1998 in the "Dance Trax" column, there was a story on remixers Bobby Guy and Ernie Lake, aka Soul Solution: "They are working with Cyn on a chest-pounding rendition of 'Disco Inferno'. The cut will be featured on the forthcoming soundtrack to A Night At Roxbury."
Although the original release date of the maxi single was August 3, 1999, it was distributed from July 24 in some regions. The single was officially released in the U.S. on December 16, 1999. Lauper performed it at many shows around the time of its release.
Official Versions
- Boris & Beck Roxy Edit Dub
- Boris & Beck Roxy Dub
- Club Mix
- Rescue Me Mix
- Soul Solution A Capella
- Soul Solution Drumapella
- Soul Solution Mix
- Soul Solution Radio Edit
Additional versions
- Dread Zeppelin covered the song on their 1992 album It's Not Unusual.
- Fast Eddie sampled "Disco Inferno" on his "I Want You, Girl"
- Marcia Hines has recently covered "Disco Inferno" on her latest album Discotheque released September 2006.
- Madonna performed her vocals from "Music" over an instrumental version of this song on her 2006 Confessions Tour creating the mash-up "Music Inferno".
- A version of the song recorded by The Earl Young Band was included in the videogame Dungeon Keeper 2. The song is played whenever one of the players creatures wins the jackpot in a casino.
- In Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed, the song is played when the player needs to burn down a disco.
In Popular Culture
- The recording by The Trammps featured in the film " Donnie Brasco" (1997).
- Legendary Rapper and Music Star Christopher Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G./Biggie Smalls) mentioned the song with the track "Who Shot Ya" on his 1994 Classic album "Ready To Die". The Lyrics were: "old school, new school need to learn though/I burn baby burn like disco inferno".
- In the computer game Dungeon Keeper 2, this song plays along with the announcer's voice stating "Jackpot winner!" whenever a minion wins a jackpot in the casino.
- This song is the theme song for the game Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon.
