"I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round)" is a popular disco song recorded by Alicia Bridges in 1978. It went to number two for two weeks on the disco chart.[1] The song crossed over to the pop and soul charts peaking at number five on the Billboard pop charts, and number thirty-one on the soul chart.[2]
"I Love the Nightlife" (also "Night Life") was successful in Europe as well.
Background
The song was co-written by Alicia Bridges and Susan Hutcheson in 1977 for Bill Lowery, founder of Southern Music. "I Love the Nightlife" was the first single produced by Steve Buckingham who was invited to produce the single's parent album entitled Alicia Bridges after he had played guitar on a session by the singer. Bridges suggested to Hutcheson that they write a song with either "disco" or "boogie" in the title after Bridges saw a current Top Ten hit list featuring several songs with dance-oriented title. The original title of the resultant song: "Disco 'Round", became the subtitle under the main title "I Love the Nightlife" as Buckingham considered it an R&B number and didn't want it labeled disco:[3] Bridges herself would later admit she'd had hopes that the song would be received as a Memphis soul number, calling it "something Al Green might sing".[4] However it is as a disco classic that the song is most remembered: in a 26 August 1998 MTV countdown of the Top 54 Dance Songs of the Disco Era, "I Love the Nightlife" was ranked at #37.[5]
1994 re-release
In 1994, the song gained renewed interest after being featured in the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The song was also re-released on the Australian charts, where it was a modest success. Because of its association with the film (and also because Bridges herself is an open lesbian), the song is closely linked with gay culture. It was remixed for this release.
In popular culture
- In The Simpsons episode "Homer's Phobia", Homer dances to the song. In another episode, "I'm with Cupid", Apu taught a parrot to sing "I Love The Nightlife" with clever new lyrics to Manjula. Marge was impressed although she hates the song; Homer admits that he hates it as well. It was also featured in the episode "A Milhouse Divided", with Luann Van Houten humming it while burning Kirk's storage boxes. It also can be heard in the 2008 episode "Mypods and Boomsticks" in Studio 54 when Itchy travels back to Studio 54 in the "Itchy & Scratchy" short.
- In the 1979 horror-comedy film Love At First Bite, the vampire Dracula and his would-be bride dance to the song in a disco. However, the 2007 DVD release of the movie features a different song in the relevant scene.
- In the movie So I Married An Axe Murderer, Mike Myers's character quotes the lyrics from the chorus during a conversation with his love interest in the movie.
- In the Jeopardy! round of the May 29, 2006 episode of Jeopardy!, the last two categories were "I Love the Nightlife" (about cities at night) and "I Got to Boogie" (about famous escapees).
- Featured in the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), and stage musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical
- Featured in the short documentary film "Ladies Please!" (1995)
- Thai 1995 MC Jeans ad show two men in different car calling and hear the cassette tape in a car when they go to the hotel.
- Lyrics used in the March 29, 2012 episode of The Big Bang Theory as a "test" that the character of Raj Koothrappali could be gay.
- The song was featured in the seventh season of “it’s always sunny in Philadelphia” episode “Frank’s Brother” during the scene when Frank returns from Colombia
Weekly charts
| Chart (1988) |
Peak
position |
| New Zealand[16] |
29 |
| Chart (1994) |
Peak
position |
| Australia (ARIA)[17] |
11 |
|
Year-end charts
| Chart (1978) |
Rank |
| US Billboard Hot 100[20] |
88 |
| US Cash Box [21] |
70 |
| Chart (1979) |
Rank |
| Australia[7] |
48 |
| Canada[22] |
75 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[23] |
64 |
| Chart (1995) |
Rank |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[24] |
45 |
|
