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wednesday ◀
2.4.98 ◀
six.a
Disco fever stays alive
The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack hit the music scene 20 years ago today, and the disco inferno remains No.1
by emily c. forsyth ● eforsyth@kansan.com
The recent revival of 1970s nostalgia shows that two decades after its release, Saturday Night Fever may be more popular than ever.
Twenty years ago today, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack and the song Stayin' Alive, by the Bee Gee, were No.1 on the charts and the best-selling album and single. The movie was also a smash at the box office.
Saturday Night Fever was nominated for many awards in 1978, including Golden Globes for best motion picture and best original score by the Bee Gees. John Travolta was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for best actor.
The ultra-stylish white jumpsuits worn by Travolta and the Bee Gees, along with that unforgettable pose, propelled Saturday Night Fever to the status of a disco-era icon and a symbol of the decade itself.
*Stayin' Alive*, the definitive song of the album, has found a new audience with each generation, and has become a staple on the playlists for many clubs' retro dance nights.
Mark Tozier, sales manager at Kief's CDs
& Tapes, 2429 Iowa St., said he remembered
when Saturday Night Fever was released.
"We play it every Thursday night," Porter said. "It's probably one of the top five disco songs that we play."
"At the time, I was a DJ, and I got tired of playing it over and over," Tozier said. "It was very popular. It kind of kicked off the whole disco revolution and remained popular for quite a while."
"It makes me all happy inside," said Eric Porter, bartender at the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St. Porter said that the song was one of his personal favorites and a big hit at the club's Retro Dance Night.
Tozler said he thought the soundtrack appealed to a wide variety of audiences.
The soundtrack still holds the record as the best-selling soundtrack of all time. The Bee Gees' contributions to the soundtrack pushed album sales past the 40 million mark, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was the top-selling album in history until Michael Jackson's "Thriller" passed it in the 1980s.
"It seemed like a lot of older people could identify with it," Tozier said. "But I doubt they ever saw the movie."
Tozier said he thought that the popularity of the soundtrack had declined through the years, but that people still identified with it.
"I think it's just that music has evolved, and it's been replaced by hip-hop and rap," Tozier said.
The emergence of new trends has not stifled the influence of the album. Recent applications of Stayin' Alive confirm the song's steadfast appeal.
VINYL FEVER