| "Disco Inferno" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the original 1976 US single | ||||
| Single bythe Trammps | ||||
| from the albumDisco Inferno | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | December 28, 1976 | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Studio | Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey | |||
| The Trammps singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Disco Inferno" onYouTube | ||||
| "Disco Inferno" (radio edit) onYouTube | ||||
"Disco Inferno" is a song by Americandisco bandthe Trammps from their 1976 studioalbum of same name. With two other cuts by the group, it reached No. 1 on the USBillboardDance Club Songs chart in early 1977, but had limited mainstream success until 1978, after being included on thesoundtrack to the 1977 filmSaturday Night Fever, when a re-release hit number eleven on theBillboard Hot 100 chart.[1][2]
It was also covered in 1993 by American-born singerTina Turner onWhat's Love Got to Do with It,[3] and in 1998 by American singer-songwriterCyndi Lauper on theA Night at the Roxbury soundtrack.[4] Among others who covered this areDamien Lovelock, Hardsonic Bottoms 3, and Vicki Shepard.
The song was originally recorded by the Trammps in 1976 and released as a single. It was inspired by the 1974 blockbuster filmThe Towering Inferno, in which a party in a top-floor ballroom is threatened by a fire that breaks out below.[5] According toTom Moulton, who mixed the record, theDolbynoise reduction had been set incorrectly during the mixdown of the tracks. When engineer Jay Mark discovered the error and corrected it, the mix had a much wider dynamic range than was common at the time. Because of this, the record seems to "jump out" at the listener. With "Starvin'" and "Body Contact Contract", it topped the U.S.Disco chart for six weeks in the late winter of 1977.[6] On the other U.S. charts, "Disco Inferno" hit number nine on the Black Singles chart, but it was not initially a significant success at pop radio, peaking at number 53 on theBillboard Hot 100.[7]
"Disco Inferno" gained much greater recognition when the nearly-11-minute album version was included onthe soundtrack to the 1977 filmSaturday Night Fever. Re-released byAtlantic Records, the track peaked at number 11 in the U.S. during the spring of 1978, becoming the Trammps' biggest and most recognized single. Later, it was included in theSaturday Night Fever musical, interpreted by 'DJ Monty' in the "Odissey 2001" discothèque. A cover version of the track was issued by the groupPlayers Association in March 1978 on the Vanguard record label, both in 7" and 12" format. It was produced by Danny Weiss and also issued as a track on their 1979 LPBorn to Dance.
In 2004, a 12" version with the 10:54-minute version and "Can We Come Together" (from the albumWhere the Happy People Go) on the B side was released in the UK.[8] This version was certified Silver in 2021 by theBritish Phonographic Industry.[9]
On September 19, 2005, "Disco Inferno" was inducted into theDance Music Hall of Fame.[10]
In 2009, the song was featured inGrand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony, the second downloadable content pack for 2008'sGrand Theft Auto IV, on the in-game disco radio station "K-109: The Studio". Also in 2009, at the same time as the release ofThe Ballad of Gay Tony, it andGrand Theft Auto IV's first downloadable pack,Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned were packaged and released together through physical media under the titleGrand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, in which the song appears in both episodes on the same radio station (the song was not present in the initial downloadable release ofThe Lost and Damned).
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Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[9] with "Can We Come Together" | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "Disco Inferno" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byTina Turner | ||||
| from the albumWhat's Love Got to Do with It | ||||
| B-side | "I Don't Wanna Fight" (single edit) | |||
| Released | August 16, 1993 (1993-08-16) | |||
| Length | 4:03 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producers |
| |||
| Tina Turner singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Disco Inferno" onYouTube | ||||
American singer and actressTina Turner covered "Disco Inferno" for theWhat's Love Got to Do with It soundtrack. Released as a single in August 1993 byParlophone, it was produced by Turner withChris Lord-Alge andRoger Davies. It charted at number 12 on theUK Singles Chart, and reached the top 20 also in Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The single included remixes by the Beatmasters.
In a 1998 retrospective review ofWhat's Love Got to Do with It, the Daily Vault felt "Disco Inferno" "has a dated title to begin with and the arrangement's enthusiasm doesn't live up to Turner's singing".[17] Upon the release, Alan Jones fromMusic Week gave the song a score of four out of five, writing, "From the woman whose interpretations are often a million miles away from the original, this is a disappointingly standard interpretation of the oldTrammps hit. Having said that, it is a highly commercial song and Tina's one-of-a-kind voice has many admirers, so another big hit is in prospect."[18]
A reviewer fromPeople Magazine noted its "dance dramaturgy" and the "characteristic flair and energy that have made Tina the envy of every singer this side ofAretha."[19] Sam Wood fromPhiladelphia Inquirer found that the "joyous, over-the-top treatment" of thedisco classic "reeks of campy white polyester suits and oily sweat under a dance-floor glitter ball."[20]Toby Anstis reviewed the song forSmash Hits, also giving it four out of five. He said, "Tina pulls off this cover really well. It's nice hearing a rauchy female rock voice like that. I think I prefer this version to the original. I'd boogie to that any time at a party. I think I'd go and see thefilm about her soon too. Yeah, she's great."[21]
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[22] | 56 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[23] | 10 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[24] | 38 |
| Europe (European Hit Radio)[25] | 30 |
| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)[26] | 4 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[27] | 13 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[28] | 16 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[29] | 17 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[30] | 25 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[31] | 12 |
| UK Airplay (Music Week)[32] | 3 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | August 16, 1993 |
| Parlophone | [37] |
| Australia | October 11, 1993 |
|
| [38] |
| "Disco Inferno" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byCyndi Lauper | ||||
| from the albumA Night at the Roxbury | ||||
| Released | August 3, 1999[39] | |||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Genre | Disco | |||
| Length | 3:18 | |||
| Label | Jellybean Records | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producers |
| |||
| Cyndi Lauper singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Disco Inferno" (short version) onYouTube | ||||
| "Disco Inferno" (long version) onYouTube | ||||
American singer and songwriterCyndi Lauper performed this song live for the first time at New York, Bryant Park on June 21, 1998.
In theBillboard magazine dated May 16, 1998, in the "Dance Trax" column, there was a story onremixers Bobby Guy and Ernie Lake, akaSoul Solution: "They are working with Cyn on a chest-pounding rendition of 'Disco Inferno'. The cut will be featured on the forthcoming soundtrack toA 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. in August 1999. Lauper performed it at many shows, including her Summer Tour '99, around the time of its release. The song was nominated for a Grammy in the category of 'Best Dance Recording' for the 1999 awards.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Disco Inferno" | Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording | Nominated |
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USHot Dance Club Play (Billboard)[41] | 8 |
| USHot Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[42] | 12 |
