Totp 1979

[factor-fiction]

Just watched it on BBC4- it finished with Village People-YMCA. I wonder why it never occurred to me in 1979 as a student, when I thought I was so worldlywise, that they were so camp? To quote wikipedia "created by Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo to target disco's gay audience by featuring popular gay fantasy personas,".

[gingejbee]

What an innocent lot! If you listen to the words of Y.M.C.A., the gay references are glaringly obvious.

[Prudie]

gingebee I must have heard the song a 100 times but the only lyric I know of is YMCA it's fun to sing YMCA (or similar)

[gingejbee]

Prudie: what about "young man....you can hang out with all the boys" ?!

[jeffa]

I think it depends how old you were in 1979!

[Prudie]

Oh yes, that rings a bell

[pixie373]

I thought it was an advert for the YMCA. In fact, I'm only just realising now...

[Prudie]

So here they are, it could quite easily be a religious thing couldn't it?

Young man, there's no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town
There's no need to be unhappy.

Young man, there's a place you can go.
I said, young man, when you're short on your dough.
You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.

It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.

They have everything for you men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys ...

It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.

You can get yourself cleaned, you can have a good meal,
You can do whatever you feel ...

Young man, are you listening to me?
I said, young man, what do you want to be?
I said, young man, you can make real your dreams.
But you got to know this one thing!

No man does it all by himself.
I said, young man, put your pride on the shelf,
And just go there, to the y.m.c.a.
I'm sure they can help you today.

It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.

They have everything for you men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys ...

It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.

You can get yourself cleaned, you can have a good meal,
You can do whatever you feel ...

Young man, I was once in your shoes.
I said, I was down and out with the blues.
I felt no man cared if I were alive.
I felt the whole world was so tight ...

That's when someone came up to me,
And said, young man, take a walk up the street.
There's a place there called the y.m.c.a.
They can start you back on your way.

It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.
It's fun to stay at the y-m-c-a.

They have everything for you men to enjoy,
You can hang out with all the boys ...

Y-m-c-a ... you'll find it at the y-m-c-a.

Young man, young man, there's no need to feel down.
Young man, young man, get yourself off the ground.

Y-m-c-a ... you'll find it at the y-m-c-a.

Young man, young man, there's no need to feel down.
Young man, young man, get yourself off the ground.

Y-m-c-a ... just go to the y-m-c-a.

Young man, young man, are you listening to me?
Young man, young man, what do you wanna be?

source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/onehitwonders/ymcalyrics.html

[pixie373]

Well, hard to tell from that.

[douglas9401]

So the Young Men's Christian Association, offering cheap, clean lodgings, decent food and a place to get a wash and all on a budget is really a cover for the international homosexual conspiracy?

I have my doubts. It's a throwaway pop song not a sociological treatise.

[Mamyalynne]

The Girl Guides unofficial anthem of 1979 was full of innuendo ;-)

[gingejbee]

douglas: you'll also be believing that Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "Relax" was nothing to do with gay sex, either?

[jeffa]

Male Stripper by Man 2 Man Meets Man Parrish was about a man who removes old wallpaper.

[Peter Pedant]

Jesus FF - I am glad that you have matured in the intervening thirty y or so.

actually I thought you were gonna say - that you thought Village people as performers were a mainstream threat to humanity at that time

but now you realise it was the DJ....

[Zacs-Master]

C O L A cola L O L A Lola. Transvestitism you know.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

She Bop by Cyndi Lauper and Turning Japanese by the Vapors will send you blind you know.

[Marijn]

I also didn't know YMCA and Village People was anything to do with gayness. I also didn't know that Elton John or Freddie Mercury were gay, it seems so obvious now, but didn't notice it at the time.

[hc4361]

The Andrews Sisters sung about prostitution in their 1945 hit Rum and Coca Cola

[jeffa]

That's correct, and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is based on a painting that Julian Lennon did at school. Even recently I was chatting to a friend who hadn't twigged that the initials of the song title spell LSD :-)

[Peter Pedant]

Yeah and that guy in Queen - the group I mean.

There was something wrong with Him !
fancy hoovering in a skirt in the radio gaga viddie
[ or the spangly body sock later on ]

[boxtops]

who knew that George Michael was gay either, until he told us?!