"
Disco Inferno" is a 1976 song by
The Trammps from the
album of the same name. It became a hit in 1978 after being included on the
soundtrack to the 1977 film
Saturday Night Fever. The title alludes to the 1974 film
The Towering Inferno, and the "Burn, baby, burn" chorus references a saying attributed to activist
Bill Epton.
It was also notably covered by
Cyndi Lauper on the
A Night at the Roxbury soundtrack and
Tina Turner on the
What's Love Got To Do With It? soundtrack.
Song information
The song was originally performed by
the Trammps in
1976 and released as a single. Although it topped the U.S.
Disco chart, it was not a significant success at pop radio, peaking at number fifty-three on the
Billboard Hot 100. According to famed mixer
Tom Moulton (who mixed the record), the levels had been set incorrectly during the mixdown of the tracks, resulting in a much wider dynamic than was commonly accepted at the time. Due to this, the record seems to "jump out" at the listener.
"Disco Inferno" gained much greater recognition once it was included on the
soundtrack to the 1977 film
Saturday Night Fever. Re-released by
Atlantic Records, the track peaked at number eleven in the U.S. during the spring of 1978, becoming the Trammps' biggest and most-recognized single. Later, it was included in the
Saturday Night Fever musical, interpreted by the 'DJ Monty' in the "Odissey 2001" discothèque.
The song also became an unofficial theme song for former
New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams. It was often played at old Yankee Stadium while the scoreboard and video systems displayed the phrase "Bern Baby Bern," a play on the song's refrain and Williams' first name.
On September 19, 2005, "Disco Inferno" was inducted into the
Dance Music Hall of Fame.
The song was used during the trailer to the
Adam Sandler comedy,
Bedtime Stories.
Cover versions
Tina Turner version
Tina Turner covered the song in
1993 for the
What's Love Got To Do With It soundtrack and it charted at number twelve in the
UK Singles Chart, 4 places higher than The Trammps' version (#16). The single included remixes by The Beatmasters.
Versions and remixes
Cyndi Lauper version
Lauper performed this song live for the first time at New York, Bryant Park on June 21, 1998
In the
Billboard magazine dated May 16, 1998 in the "Dance Trax" column, there was a story on
remixers Bobby Guy and Ernie Lake, aka
Soul Solution: "They are working with Cyn on a chest-pounding rendition of 'Disco Inferno'. The cut will be featured on the forthcoming soundtrack to
A Night At Roxbury."
Although the original release date of the maxi single was August 3, 1999, it was distributed from July 24 in some regions. The single was officially released in the U.S. on December 16, 1999. Lauper performed it at many shows around the time of its release.
Official Versions
- Boris & Beck Roxy Edit Dub
Other cover versions
Sampling
- Fast Eddie sampled "Disco Inferno" on his "I Want You, Girl"
Appearances/References in other media
- Legendary rapper and music star Christopher Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G./Biggie Smalls) mentioned the song with the track "Who Shot Ya" on his 1994 album Ready To Die. The Lyrics are: "old school, new school need to learn though/I burn baby burn like disco inferno".
- A version of the song recorded by The Earl Young Band was included in the 1999 video game Dungeon Keeper 2. song plays along with the announcer's voice stating "Jackpot winner!" whenever a minion wins a jackpot in the casino.
In popular culture
Chart performance
The Trammps version
Tina Turner version
Cyndi Lauper version
Category:Disco songsCategory:1976 singlesCategory:1978 singlesCategory:1999 singlesCategory:The Trammps songsCategory:Tina Turner songsCategory:Cyndi Lauper songsCategory:Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs number-one singlesCategory:Songs from Saturday Night Feverit:Disco Inferno (singolo The Trammps)
