| "The Hustle" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Van McCoy & the Soul City Symphony | |
| from the album Disco Baby | |
| Released | 1975 |
| Genre | Disco, R&B |
| Length | 4:10 |
| Label | Avco Records |
| Writer(s) | Van McCoy |
| Producer | Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore |
"The Hustle" is a famous disco song by songwriter/arranger Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony. It scored #1 on the "Billboard Hot 100" and the "Hot Soul Singles" charts during the summer of 1975.[1] It also peaked at #9 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report) and #3 in the UK.[2] It would eventually sell over one million copies and is one of the most popular songs of the disco era. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance during 1976. The instrumental has a similar sound to two Barry White composed songs: "Love's Theme" and "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe"; both scored #1 on the popular music charts during the year earlier.
While in New York City to make an album, McCoy invented the song after his music partner, Charles Kipps, watched patrons do a dance known as "the hustle" in the nightclub Adam's Apple. The sessions were done at New York's Media Sound studio with pianist McCoy, bassist Gordon Edwards, drummer Steve Gadd, keyboardist Richard Tee, guitarists Eric Gale and John Tropea, and orchestra leader Gene Orloff. Producer Hugo Peretti contracted piccolo player Philip Bodner to play the lead melody.
| Charts | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 9 |
| UK Singles Chart | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 4 |
| Preceded by "Listen to What the Man Said" by Paul McCartney & Wings |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single July 26, 1975 |
Succeeded by "One of These Nights" by Eagles |
| Preceded by "Slippery When Wet" by The Commodores |
Billboard's Hot Soul Singles number one single July 12, 1975 |
Succeeded by "Fight the Power (Part 1)" by The Isley Brothers |
Italian rapper Talko made a rap cover of The Hustle. It was released in 1983 under Babalu Records.[3][4]