The 34 Top Disco Songs of All Time
"Father of Disco" Giorgio Moroder selects 34 of his favorite songs from the genre he helped pioneer.
There’s a reason they call Giorgio Moroder the “Father of Disco.” The Italian song-making machine has released 14 of his own studio albums in addition to producing hits for artists like Donna Summer, Blondie and Irene Cara. Love it or hate it, disco music owes a gargantuan amount to him.
And that doesn’t even begin to cover the influence of his work in cinema; In fact, many of his most shining hits originated on the soundtracks of films likeMidnight Express, American Gigolo, Flashdance, Superman III, Scarface, The NeverEnding Story and Top Gun. Yes, that includes the Limahl-led song “Never Ending Story,” made pop culture famous for a second time in 2019 when twoStranger Things characters — Dustin and Suzie —performed it as a duet on the show. And yes, that also includes “Take My Breath Away,” the Oscar-winning Top Gun ballad that went viral onTikTok 36 years later alongside thirsty videos of Miles Teller acting in the film’s 2022 sequel,Top Gun: Maverick.
From movies to radio to dance club speakers, Moroder’s music kickstarted a cultural shift marked by glittering synths that modern day musicians continue to want to take a bite of. In 2014 he teamed up with Coldplay for a “Father of Disco” makeover on a remix of their song “Midnight,” and the year before that, he was featured on Daft Punk’s Grammy album of the year champRandom Access Memorieson a nine-minute track titled “Giorgio by Moroder” (his involvement earned him his fourth Grammy).
With all that in mind, there was only one person whose favorite disco tracksBillboard Dance wanted to hear. Now’s the time to bust out your disco ball, bellbottoms and dancing shoes and crank up the volume on Giorgio Moroder’s disco favorites below.
Rick James – “Super Freak (Part I)”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Hot 100 peak: No. 16 for two weeks beginning Oct. 24, 1981
Rose Royce – “Car Wash”
Image Credit: GAB Archive/Redferns Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for one week (Jan. 29, 1977)
Prince – “1999”
Image Credit: Everett Collection / Everett Col Hot 100 peak: No. 12 for two weeks beginning July 23, 1983
Blondie – “Heart of Glass”
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for one week (April 28, 1979)
Michael Jackson – “Billie Jean”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for seven weeks beginning March 5, 1983
Diana Ross – “Love Hangover”
Image Credit: Harry Langdon/GI Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for two weeks beginning May 29, 1976
Thelma Houston – “Don’t Leave Me This Way”
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for one week: April 23, 1977
Amii Stewart – “Knock on Wood”
Image Credit: Hulton Archive/GI Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for one week: April 21, 1979
KC & The Sunshine Band – “That’s The Way (I Like It)”
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for two weeks beginning Nov. 22, 1975
Pointer Sisters – “I’m So Excited”
Image Credit: ©Showtime Networks, Inc./courtesy Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 9 for one week: Oct. 27, 1984
Bee Gees – “Night Fever”
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for eight weeks beginning March 18, 1978
Bee Gees – “Stayin’ Alive”
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for four weeks beginning Feb. 4, 1978
Lipps Inc. – “Funky Town”
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/GI Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for four weeks beginning May 31, 1980
The Trammps – “Disco Inferno”
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 11 for two weeks beginning May 27, 1978
Tavares – “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel (Part 1)”
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/GI Hot 100 peak: No. 15 for two weeks beginning Sept. 4, 1976
Gloria Gaynor – “Never Can Say Goodbye”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Hot 100 peak: No. 9 for one week: Jan. 25, 1975
Sister Sledge – “We Are Family”
Image Credit: Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns Hot 100 peak: No. 2 for two weeks beginning June 16, 1979
The O’Jays – “Love Train”
Image Credit: Gems/Redferns Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for one week: March 4, 1973
Andrea True Connection – “More, More, More (Part 1)”
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 4 for one week: July 17, 1976)
Chic – “Le Freak”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for six weeks beginning Dec. 9, 1978
Gloria Gaynor – “I Will Survive”
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for three weeks beginning March 10, 1979
Silver Convention – “Get Up and Boogie (That’s Right)”
Image Credit: Charlie Gillett/Redferns Hot 100 peak: No. 2 for three weeks beginning June 12, 1976
Boney M. – “Daddy Cool”
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 65 for three weeks beginning Feb. 5, 1977
Van McCoy & the Soul City Symphony – “The Hustle”
Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/GI Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for one week: July 26, 1975
Supermax – “Lovemachine”
Image Credit: ARTCO-Berlin/ullstein bild via GI Hot 100 peak: did not chart
Chic – “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)”
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Hot 100 peak: No. 6 for two weeks beginning Feb. 25, 1978
Silver Convention – “Fly, Robin, Fly”
Image Credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/GI Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for three weeks beginning Nov. 29, 1975
Earth, Wind & Fire ft. The Emotions – “Boogie Wonderland”
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 6 for two weeks beginning July 14, 1979
Donna Summer – “On the Radio”
Image Credit: ©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 5 for two weeks beginning March 8, 1980
Donna Summer – “I Feel Love”
Image Credit: Jack Mitchell/GI Hot 100 peak: No. 6 for one week: Nov. 12, 1977
Donna Summer – “Bad Girls”
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for five weeks beginning July 14, 1979
Donna Summer – “Hot Stuff”
Image Credit: GAB Archive/Redferns Hot 100 peak: No. 1 for three weeks beginning June 2, 1979
Donna Summer – “Last Dance”
Image Credit: Michael Putland/GI Hot 100 peak: No. 3 for two weeks beginning Aug. 12, 1978
Donna Summer – “Love to Love You Baby”
Image Credit: Ron Wolfson /Courtesy The Everett Collection Hot 100 peak: No. 2 for two weeks beginning Feb. 7, 1976
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