Village People

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Village People
Background information
Origin New York City, USA
Genre(s) Disco
New Wave
Funk
Dance music
Years active 1977 - present
Label(s) Casablanca Records
Black Scorpio
RCA
Polygram
Website www.officialvillagepeople.com
Members
G. Jeff Olsen
Eric Anzalone
Ray Simpson
Felipe Rose
Alex Briley
David "Scar" Hodo
Former members
Randy Jones
Glenn Hughes
Victor Willis

Village People is a novelty disco band formed in the late 1970s. The group is as well known for its outrageous on-stage costumes as for its catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics. The members each dress as a police officer, an American Indian chief, a construction worker, a member of the military, a leatherman (biker), and a cowboy. Depending on the era, the member of the military could be an enlisted member of the Army, an enlisted member of the Navy, or a Navy officer. Each of the members were basically dressed as forms of masculinity to emphasize their song lyrics that hid homosexually charged innuendo. Many of the gay stereotypes originally appear in erotic art by Tom of Finland.

Contents

[edit] 1970s and early 1980s

The band was assembled (in 1977) By two French musicians, Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo (see picture), specifically to showcase and perform their disco music creations. Much like Frank Farian's Boney M or The Spice Girls, the group was manufactured. Despite the French songwriters, the songs were all in English.

The band's name references New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood, at the time known for having a substantial gay population. Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo got the inspiration for creating an assembly of American man archetypes based on the gay men of The Village who frequently dressed in various fantasy ways.

The United States Navy considered using the Village People hit "In the Navy" in a recruiting advertising campaign on television and radio. They contacted Belolo, who decided to give the rights for free on the condition that the Navy help them shoot the music video. Less than a month later, Village People arrived at the San Diego Naval base. The Navy provided them with a war ship, several aircraft, and hundreds of Navy men. When the video started showing and the Navy started the planned ad campaign, some newspapers protested using taxpayers' money to fund music videos (especially for a group considered by some to be "morally dubious"). The Navy quickly cancelled the campaign. The scandal tremendously boosted the popularity of the song.

Other hits include their trademark "Macho Man", "Go West", the classic club medley of San Francisco (You've got me) / In Hollywood (Everybody is a star) and "YMCA". Almost thirty years later, a dance that involves forming the latter four letters with the dancer's arms is still popular at summer camps, office functions, wedding receptions, school dances, sporting events and B'nai Mitzvah. At the end of the fifth inning of each baseball game at Yankee Stadium, the grounds crew take an on-field break from grooming the infield to dance as "YMCA" is played, typically to enthusiastic cheers from the fans.

Village People attempting their transition to New Wave music
Enlarge
Village People attempting their transition to New Wave music

The group also appeared in its 1980 feature film Can't Stop the Music, directed by Nancy Walker, written by Allan Carr and Bronte Woodard, music and lyrics by Jacques Morali and starring Steve Guttenberg, Valerie Perrine, Bruce Jenner, and the Village People. The movie "won" the Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay prizes at the 1980 Golden Raspberry Awards in March 1981 and was nominated in almost all the other categories. The soundtrack also featured the talents of "David London," who under his real name Dennis "Fergie" Frederiksen went on to become the future lead singer of Toto and one of the main contributors to the Village People's next album.

In 1981, with the popularity of disco waning and New Wave music on the rise, Village People replaced its on-stage costumes with a new look inspired by the New Romantic movement, and released the New Wave album Renaissance; it was not a commercial success.

[edit] 1990s to present

  • In 1994, Village People joined the German national football team to sing its official World Cup '94 theme, "Far Away in America."
  • From July 18 to July 20, 2004, Village People performed in Berlin for three shows as an opening act for the German punk band Die Ärzte.
  • Starting in 2004, Village People performed as the opening act for Cher on her Farewell Tour until it ended in April 2005.
  • On June 6, 2006 Village People were scheduled to be the headline act at Asbury Park's famous Gay Pride parade and festival.
  • On June 20, 2006, Victor Willis, original lead singer, makes his first direct statement to the media in over 25 years indicating that the "nightmare of drug abuse" is being lifted from his life and that he looked forward to being released into a residential drug treatment program. Moreover, he apologized to Village People fans for refusing to perform live concerts since leaving Village People. In that same press statement, Victor Willis revealed that a book based on his life as lead singer of Village People is due for release in January 2007 and that he plans to return to the stage in the summer of 2007. On September 5, 2006, Victor Willis was ordered released from custody and into the Betty Ford Center. He was given 3 years probation and ordered to abstain from further use of drugs. The sentence was part of a plea bargain struck in July of 2006. This officially resolved all of Victor's legal troubles, as long as he does not violate the terms of his probation.
  • On July 4, 2006 Village People opened for Los Lonely Boys at the Chevy Freedom Over Texas Fourth of July extravaganza.
  • On September 04, 2006, Village People performed at The 2006 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.
  • On September 30, 2006, Village People performed at Hard Rock Cafe in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

[edit] Cultural references

  • U2 pays an ironic homage to Village People by dressing up in similar costumes in the video for "Discothèque".
  • In the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in Club Malibu five men dressed in similar costumes to the ones Village People dance in on the stage. Interestingly, if the player starts breaking the law, the cop on the stage does nothing, and the whole troupe carry on dancing even if you kill all but one of them.
  • Additionally, in Grand Theft Auto III, one of the construction workers says these lyrics from the song, YMCA:"Call the YMCA" "Young Man" "there's a place you can go" and "There's no need to feel down.", as well as "In the Navy".
  • In the early 1990s, British pop group Pet Shop Boys released a successful cover of Village People's Go West and the song has now become a popular anthem at English football games.
  • There is a parody in the movie Wayne's World 2 where Wayne, Garth, and two friends dress up like Village People and sing YMCA.
  • A parody of Village People (the "Small Town Binomes") made an appearance in the animated series ReBoot, performing a YMCA-style song called BS&P.
  • In the television show "8 Simple Rules"(For Dating My Teenage Daughter), the episode 'Halloween' (Season 3), C.J. has a recurring bad memory of a Halloween party where he was dressed as a cowboy, and seen standing with other kids dressed up in costumes such as a police officer, etc. and is made fun of (quote: "Look! It's the Village People!"). Also, C.J. (now in the present) was hired as a security guard at Bridget, Kerry, and Rory Hennessy's Halloween dance. He was tricked into going on-stage (dressed as a police man) along with four other men who were dressed in the Village People costumes. Rory then loudly announces "Look! It's the Village People!".
  • In the Mel Brooks musical movie "The Producers," residents of Roger Debris' home, dressed as the Village People join in the dancing during the song "Keep It Gay"
  • In the musical "Spamalot" the lyrics and gay culture association of the song "YMCA" are parodied in the song "His Name is Lancelot"L "You can all find him/pumping at the gym/ at the Camelot YMCA!" and "He can finally/come out and say/ that he is GAY...MCA!"

[edit] Discography

[edit] Original 'People'

  • Alex Briley (the member of the military)
  • David "Scar" Hodo (the construction worker)
  • Felipe Rose (the Indian)
  • Glenn Hughes (the leatherman/biker), Hughes died of lung cancer on March 4, 2001. (Not to be confused with Glenn Hughes, the former Deep Purple bassist and vocalist.)
  • Randy Jones (the cowboy) - until 1980. Then from 1985 until 1987.
  • Victor Willis (the police officer original lead singer/writer- until late 1979). He returned to the group again however in late 1981 for the 1982 album, "Fox on the Box." He wrote the lyrics to all of the group's mega hits, notably "In the Navy;" "Y.M.C.A;" "Macho Man;" "Go West;" and others. In addition, he wrote lyrics for several of the more memorable songs from the not so well received, "Can't Stop the Music" movie and sound-track, including "Milk Shake" and "Magic Night." Also of interest is that he was briefly married to actress Phylicia Rashad - better known as Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show.

[edit] Replacement 'People'

  • Eric Anzalone (the leatherman/biker, replacement, since 1995)
  • G. Jeff Olsen (the cowboy, replacement)
  • Ray Simpson (the police officer, replacement, 1979-1981; 1993-present)
  • Miles Jaye Davis (the police officer for two years)
  • Ray Stephens - Lead singer in 1985. Died in 1990
  • Mark Lee - Construction worker in 1985.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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