The Best 80s Disco Pop Funk Soul Songs

Looking for a great playlist of 80s disco, pop, funk, and soul songs? Look no further! We’ve got the best of the best right here.

Introduction

The 1980s was the decade of Funk with artists such as James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic and Bootsy Collins becoming mainstream. Disco had also crossed over into the mainstream consciousness with artists like Donna Summer, The Bee Gees, Chic and Gloria Gaynor achieving massive success.

However, disco’s popularity would be short-lived as the genre began to decline in the early 1980s, culminating in its demise with the disastrous film adaptation of Saturday Night Fever in 1977.

The 1980s also saw the rise of soul music with artists such as Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston enjoying huge success. And while disco might have been on the decline, funk was still going strong with George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic and James Brown both having major hits in the decade.

Finally, pop music continued to dominate the charts throughout the 1980s with artists like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince, Cyndi Lauper and Duran Duran all becoming huge stars.

What is Disco?

Disco is a musical style that emerged in the early 1970s from funk and soul music. It was popularized by African American, Latino, and gay communities in major American cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Disco music is characterized by a strong beat, repetitive patterns, and often sexually suggestive lyrics. It became one of the most popular genres of music in the 1970s and early 1980s, before declining in popularity.

The Birth of Disco

The term “disco” first saw widespread use in 1974, although the genre was already in existence for several years. Originally, “disco” was simply shorthand for “discotheque,” the type of nightclub that rose to prominence in the 1970s. These clubs were characterized by their elaborate light shows and sound systems, which played a pivotal role in the development of disco music.

Disco began to take on a life of its own in the mid-1970s, thanks to a combination of factors. The advent of affordable synthesizers and drum machines allowed musicians to create beats that were danceable yet stripped down, making them ideal for club play. At the same time, inequality and tensions stemming from the civil rights movement gave rise to a number of predominantly African American subgenres like soul and funk that would come to form the foundation of disco.

As disco entered into mainstream pop culture, it began to change once again. The sleek dancefloor anthems that came to dominate radio playlists in the late 1970s were a far cry from the underground sounds of Chicago and New York City nightclubs. However, these more polished recordings still retained the thumping bass lines and infectious rhythms that made disco so irresistible.

The Rise of Disco

Disco music rose to prominence in the early 1970s, with its origins tracing back to the underground dance clubs of New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. The genre was born out of a fusion of various musical styles, including soul, funk, and pop. disco enjoyed massive popularity throughout the decade, with iconic songs like Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and Bee Gees’ “ Stayin’ Alive” becoming global hits. As the 1980s dawned, disco began to lose its mainstream appeal; however, many of the genre’s key artists continued to find success on the dancefloor with hits like Madonna’s “ Holiday” and Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”

The Fall of Disco

It’s hard to overstate the importance of disco in the late 1970s. The genre not only dominated the charts but also became a cultural phenomenon, with its own fashion, movies, and TV shows. But by the end of the decade, disco was on the decline. A backlash against disco began to build, fueled in part by the rise of punk rock and new wave music. On July 12, 1979, a now-infamous disco demolition night at Chicago’s Comiskey Park turned violent, with fans tearing up the dance floor and destroying vinyl records. After that, disco’s popularity took a sharp decline. By 1981, the genre was all but dead.

But while disco may have faded from the mainstream, its influence can still be felt today in genres like house music, hip-hop, and R&B. And many of its biggest hits have become classics that are still played on radio stations and danced to at nightclubs around the world. Here are 10 of the best disco songs from the 1980s.

The Legacy of Disco

In the late 1970s, a new musical genre was born: disco. Disco was a fusion of many different styles of music, including soul, funk, and pop. It quickly became popular in clubs and soon spread to the mainstream.

Disco was characterized by its heavy use of rhythm and its focus on dancing. The typical disco song had a strong beat that people could dance to for hours. The genre also featured lengthy instrumentals, often with horns or strings, that added to the feeling of euphoria on the dance floor.

Despite its popularity, disco was met with some backlash in the 1980s. Some people felt that it was too commercialized and that it lacked the depth of other genres. Others simply got tired of hearing the same kind of music played over and over again. As a result, disco began to lose its appeal in the early 1980s.

However, there are still many people who love disco today. The music has been revived in recent years by artists like Daft Punk and Justin Timberlake. And new generations are discovering the joys of dancing to this timeless genre.

The Best Disco Songs of the 80s

The 80s were a great decade for disco music. There were so many great disco songs that it’s hard to narrow it down to just a few. However, we’ve managed to do just that. Here are the best disco songs of the 80s.

“Funkytown” by Lipps Inc.

Lipps Inc.’s “Funkytown” is one of the most well-known disco hits of the 1980s. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four weeks in 1980 and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Written by Steven Greenberg and produced by greenberg and Eric Woolfson, “Funkytown” was released as the lead single from Lipps Inc.’s album, Mouth to Mouth. The song’s music video was directed by Bruce Gowers and features the band performing in a nightclub.

“Le Freak” by Chic

“Le Freak” is a song by American disco band Chic. It was the third single from their second album C’est Chic (1978) and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the UK Singles Chart in early 1979. Along with the tracks “I Want Your Love” and “Everybody Dance”, “Le Freak” was part of a string of hits from the late 1970s by Chic that helped establish disco as a mainstream genre. The song became popular in part because of its simple, yet catchy hook – “Aah, freak out!”

“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor

“I Will Survive” is a song from Gloria Gaynor’s album Love Tracks. The song was released as a single in 1978 and achieved widespread success, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming one of the most popular songs of the disco era. The song is ranked at number 233 on Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

The song was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris, and was inspired by Fekaris’ divorce from his first wife. Gaynor recorded the song in just two takes, and it was released as a single in October 1978. It initially received little attention, but after being played on a New York radio station, it began to gain popularity. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1979, became a million-selling single, and remains one of the most popular disco songs of all time. In 2016, the Library of Congress selected “I Will Survive” for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

The song has been covered by many artists, including Cake, who took their cover to number 21 on the Alternative Songs chart in 1996; Jimmy Somerville;’mzn’; Melissa Etheridge; Aretha Franklin;’llalala”; Cher; Diana Ross; Cyndi Lauper; Mary J. Blige; Paul Anka; R. Kelly; LeAnn Rimes; Jennifer Lopez; Christina Aguilera; Gloria Estefan; Martina McBride; Helen Reddy; Barbra Streisand]] Kylie Minogue and Melanie C..

“Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life” by Indeep

“Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life” is a song written by Reggie Lucas and Michael Cleveland and recorded by the group Indeep. The song was first released in 1982 as a 12″ single and was later included on the 1983 album of the same name.

The song became a huge hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1983. It also topped the charts in several other countries, including the UK, Canada, and Australia.

The song has been covered by numerous artists over the years, including Beyoncé, who recorded a version for the soundtrack of the 2006 film “Dreamgirls.”

“Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer

“Hot Stuff” is a song by American singer Donna Summer from her seventh studio album Bad Girls (1979), released as a lead single in the spring of 1979.
It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 30, 1979, for one week, and is ranked as the fifth-best-selling single of 1979; with sales of over two million copies that year. The song was written by American singer Pete Bellotte and Italian record producer Giorgio Moroder.

“Bad Girls” by Donna Summer

“Bad Girls” is a song by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer from her 1979 seventh studio album Bad Girls. The song was co-written by Summer and Bruce Sudano, with additional writing from Brooklyn Dreams members Joe “Bean” Esposito and Harold Faltermeyer, who also produced the track. It was released as the lead single from Bad Girls on April 13, 1979. The song became one of Summer’s most successful singles, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the UK Singles Chart.

The song is a mid-tempo disco tune about a woman looking for a good time despite what others may think of her. The lyrics feature a series of double entendres about prostitution and promiscuity. The song is notable for its use of the word “girl” to refer to both men and women, as well as its use of the word “sex” as a euphemism for homosexual relations.

In an interview with Rolling Stone in 1979, Summer said that she wrote the song after seeing an article about two teenage girls who had been arrested for prostitution. “I started writing it from their point of view – what would make them do that?” she said. “I think everybody’s bad at one time or another in their lives.”

The song has been covered by various artists, including British girl group Bananarama, who released their version as a single in 1988. American singerBeyoncé sampled portions of the song for her 2013 single “***Flawless”.

“No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer

Released in late 1979, this disco anthem was an instant hit, staying at the top of the Billboard charts for 3 weeks. The song was co-written by Paul Jabara and Bruce Sudano, with Summer adding her own input to make the song her own. It became one of her best- known hits and cemented her place as the Queen of Disco.

“On the Radio” by Donna Summer

“On the Radio” is a song by Donna Summer, released in late 1979 as the lead single from the album Bad Girls. The song was written by Summer and Giorgio Moroder and became one of her most successful hits. It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1980 and number two on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.

The song also peaked at number 17 in the United Kingdom. In 1981, a live version of “On the Radio” was included on Summer’s live album Donna Summer: Live and More. In 2000, a remixed version of the song became a hit on the dance charts, reaching number one in the United States.

“Working My Way Back to You” by The Spinners

Written by the team of Beach Boys member Mike Love and Dennis Wilson, with additional contributions from Brian Wilson, “Working My Way Back to You” was originally recorded in 1966 by the American pop band The Spinners. The track was intended for release as a single, but due to disagreements between the group’s record label Motown and Wilson, it remained unreleased until 1980. The song became a smash hit upon its release, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and becoming one of the defining tracks of the disco era.

“Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)” by GQ

One of the most enduring disco classics of all time, GQ’s “Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)” was released in 1980 and was an instant hit. The song features a simple, catchy hook that is impossible to resist dancing to. The lyrics are about a young man who is trying to pick up a woman at a disco, and the song includes a famous spoken word section where the man tries to convince the woman to dance with him. “Disco Nights” is a perfect example of the lighthearted, fun disco songs of the early 1980s.

Conclusion

The 80s was a great decade for music, with a wide variety of genres and artists experimenting with new sounds. disco, pop, funk, and soul were all extremely popular genres during the decade. While there are too many great songs to list them all, here are ten of the best 80s disco pop funk soul songs that you should definitely check out.

1. “Get Down On It” by Kool & The Gang
2. “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson
3. “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer
4. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston
5. “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” by C+C Music Factory
6. “Ain’t Nobody” by Chaka Khan
7. “What’s Love Got To Do With It” by Tina Turner
8. “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross
9.”Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and The Waves
10.”I Love The Nightlife (Disco Round)” by Alicia Bridges