3 Incredible 1970s Disco Songs To Dance Along To

The 1970s was the decade when it comes to disco music. People flocked to clubs with their dancing shoes on wanting to hear music that gave them the combination of joy and thrill. It was all the rage in the decade until later in the 1980s the fad ended and fans moved onto other sounds like glam rock and even grunge. But for a short while, disco was it.

Here below we wanted to explore three songs from the genre that both have stood the test of time and that prompted millions of people to put on their platform shoes and get their boogie on. Indeed, these are three incredible 1970s disco songs to dance along to.

[RELATED: 3 Disco Songs that Continue to Have Us Dancing Until Dawn]

“Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees from Saturday Night Fever (1977)

This song from the Bee Gees that was released as part of the iconic disco movie (and soundtrack) to Saturday Night Fever might just be the wave’s crest of the disco era. The song has so much bounce and falsetto to it that it gets your soul dancing even before your feet hit the floor. The opening riff is iconic and was later used in a sample in the 1990s for Wyclef Jean’s hit “We Trying To Stay Alive.” But in the 1970s this was the track to get your boogie on. And on the tune, the Bee Gees sing,

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk
Music loud and women warm, I’ve been kicked around
Since I was born
And now it’s alright, it’s okay
And you may look the other way
We can try to understand
The New York Times’ effect on man

Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother
You’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’
And we’re stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive
Oh, when you walk

“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor from Love Tracks (1978)

This song has so much sonic power that it practically pushes you out of your plush seat and gets you on the dance floor moving. It’s also a fun song to sing along to (or lip-synch too, should that be your penchant). Gloria Gaynor’s voice is unparalleled and her song of perseverance and survival is unmatched. Indeed on the tune, she sings (as you dance),

At first I was afraid, I was petrified
Thinking I could live without you by my side
And after spending nights
Thinking how you did me wrong
I grew strong
And I learned how to get along

Now you’re back
From outer space
And I find you here
With that sad look upon your face
I should’ve changed that stupid lock
Or made you leave your key
If I’d’ve known for a second
You’d be back to bother me

“Rock the Boat” by The Hues Corporation from Freedom for the Stallion (1973)

This song is like a brisk breeze that gets you up and moving. It’s built on vocal harmonies and swelling strings that might as well be the hands of a loved one pulling you up by your rainbow suspenders to get you in the center of the floor to dance. It’s a lovely song that gets your heart full. Some even say it is the first ever disco song to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100—high praise for this group from Santa Monica, California. And on the tune, they sing sweetly about sailing,

So I’d like to know where, you got the notion
Said I’d like to know where, you got the notion
To rock the boat (don’t rock the boat, baby)
Rock the boat (don’t tip the boat over)
Rock the boat (don’t rock the boat, baby)
Rock the boat

Ever since our voyage of love began
Your touch has thrilled me like the rush of the wind
And your arms have held me safe from a rolling sea
There’s always been a quiet place to harbor you and me

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images