You Should Be Dancing

Is there a period in recent history that's been more unfairly maligned than the 1970s? The decade that gave us the Watergate scandal, the oil crisis, Margaret Thatcher, and the leisure suit also introduced the liberating music genre we call disco. While cynics snickered at the simple, anthemic lyrics and the thumping, syncopated beats, patrons packed nightclubs around the globe and across the country (New York’s lamented Paradise Garage and notorious Studio 54 were probably the best known) to embrace the sound and revel in the reflected light from the giant metallic balls that hung from the ceiling.

With Hot Stuff, her knowing reflection on the era, Alice Echols reminds us that the '70s was, in fact, a decade of revolution and disco music helped galvanize gay people, giving them an exhilarating sense of community on the dance floor.

As the '70s came to a close the popularity of the genre began to wane and headlines proclaimed "disco is dead." Pshaw! Following are some of the most indelible, enduring queer dance anthems that still serve as a call to put on your boogie shoes.