Disco has been maligned by classic rock fans pretty much since dance music enjoyed a resurgence in the ’70s. When Top 40 radio was still playing rock singles, it was fairly common to hear songs by Linda Ronstadt, Paul McCartney and Wings, Al Stewart and the latest disco music discovery played back-to-back-to-back.

But as with any genre, there are plenty of once-favorite songs that you’d be happy to never hear again including countless overplayed classic rock hits. Yet there are scores of disco classics that will even get rock diehards onto the dance floor at Cousin Eddie’s wedding. So just like in our first story on this subject back in 2022, we’ve again chosen a dozen disco songs from the ’70s that won’t cause us to sit down at the celebration or change the radio station. (By the way, we’ve already assembled enough for a Part 3! You’ve been warned.)

“Born to Be Alive”—Patrick Hernandez

It was the French singer’s only hit but what a hit it was! The catchy song became a worldwide smash in 1979, reaching #1 in a dozen or so countries, though peaking at just #16 on the Hot 100. It was an enormous success in the U.S. clubs, however, reaching the top on the disco chart.

“Turn the Beat Around”—Vicki Sue Robinson

The Harlem-born singer, daughter of an African American Shakespearean actor and European-American mother, was just 21 when the single was released. So how did this incredible recording peak at just #10 on the Hot 100? We checked the singles chart in August ’76 and discovered that it was bested by “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” and “You Should Be Dancing,” along with hits by Wings, England Dan & John Ford Coley, and Seals & Crofts. How it didn’t continue to rise on Top 40 radio remains a mystery, though it didn’t reach #1 on the disco chart.

“Knock on Wood”—Amii Stewart

The powerful cover of the Eddie Floyd-Steve Cropper composition was her first-ever single release and it bested all other versions of the song on the Hot 100, reaching #1 in April 1979, though inexplicably peaking at #5 on the disco chart.

“Do You Wanna Funk”—Sylvester and Patrick Cowley

The prolific singer known for his falsetto voice had a series of modest hits in the late ’70s, one of which, “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),” reached #1 on the dance chart in ’78. For this one from 1982, he co-wrote the track with his frequent collaborator, Cowley, a producer and pioneer of electronic dance music. The lively song reached #4 on the dance chart but never even reached the Hot 100, perhaps due to a lack of pop promotion. It ultimately received some mainstream attention a year later when it was featured in the Eddie Murphy-Dan Aykroyd film Trading Places.

“We Are Family”—Sister Sledge

The mighty song was the first one written [and produced] by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards for any act other than their own band, Chic. It achieved tremendous success in 1979, reaching #1 on the dance chart and stalling at #2 on the Hot 100 (behind Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff”). Later that year, it was adopted by the Pittsburgh Pirates as their theme song, on the way to winning the World Series. It has since been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.

“Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”—Michael Jackson

MJ’s first solo album for Epic Records, following his long tenure with his brothers at Motown, was also his first to be produced by Quincy Jones. Incredibly, despite five hit singles and sales of over 10 million copies in the U.S. alone, the Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough album didn’t reach the top domestically, peaking at #3. The title track was a #1 pop and R&B smash yet somehow only reached #2 on the U.S. disco chart. Simply brilliant in every way.

“Ai No Corrida”—Quincy Jones

Speaking of “Q,” his 1981 tour-de-force, The Dude, featured his usual dizzying array of talent including Patti Austin, Herbie Hancock, James Ingram, Steve Lukather, Greg Phillinganes and dozens more. This lively song may have only reached #28 on the Hot 100 and #5 on the dance chart, but if the DJ at the wedding is spinning this one, consider yourself fortunate.

“Stomp!”—Brothers Johnson

Quincy was on a roll and he teamed up with brothers George and Louis E. Johnson for four straight albums, each of which went Ppatinum, yielding several crossover hits. This one from 1980 perfectly fit the groove of the era. “Everybody take it to the top, we’re gonna stomp all night, in the neighborhood, don’t it feel alright…”

“I Love the Night Life”—Alicia Bridges

Steve Buckingham was given his first opportunity to produce an artist when he was selected for this 1978 number. Good call! The track, also referred to as “Disco Round,” became the then-24 year-old Bridges’ only hit reaching #5 on the Hot 100 and #2 in the clubs, though it feels fresh all these years later. As for Buckingham, his career took off, becoming a much in-demand producer for such stars as Dolly Parton (numerous times), Shania Twain, Garth Brooks and Linda Ronstadt to name a few, while signing and producing Mary Chapin Carpenter and Ricky Van Shelton.

“It’s Raining Men”—The Weather Girls”

Martha Wash and Izora Armstead began their career billed as Two Tons O’ Fun, backing up Sylvester (whom we discussed above). This song was written in 1979 by Paul Jabara (Donna Summer’s “Last Dance”) along with Paul Shaffer, intending it for Summer though she turned it down. The singing duo had to be convinced to record it but ultimately did in 1982. Smart move. The 12″ version topped the U.S. disco chart, though it inexplicably stalled at #46 on the Hot 100. Savvy audiences in the U.K. took it to #2 there.

“Get Down Tonight”—KC and the Sunshine Band

Led by the charismatic Harry Casey, the group scored an astonishing four #1 singles from 1975 to 1977. KC and the band’s co-founder, Richard Finch, wrote and produced these catchy songs, led by this first chart-topper.

“Don’t Leave Me This Way”—Thelma Houston

There was nothing remarkable about the first decade of this Mississippi-born singer’s career when her more than one dozen singles failed to get a response, with one minor exception on the R&B chart. In 1976, her album for Motown’s Tamla imprint included this track written by the team of Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert, previously recorded by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. Though not intended as a diss to Houston’s superb vocal, it’s really the magic of the production that makes this one a dancefloor classic. Motown producer Hal Davis provided the bass while house drummer James Gadson added the _ beat. Sprinkle in the great backup vocals by Maxine and Julia Waters and it all adds up to a disco masterpiece.

Various classic disco collections are available in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.