One of the most historic gay anthems of all time is getting some major recognition over 40 years after its original release.
The Library of Congress added Village People‘s “Y.M.C.A.” to its National Recording Registry on Wednesday, March 25. The registry honors tracks and albums (at least 10 years old) that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
“Y.M.C.A.” was first released in November 1978 off the disco group’s album Cruisin‘. There have been many meanings about what the song is really about, especially for some in the gay community who said its lyrics centered on the facility’s then reputation for cruising and hooking up.
“I had no idea when we wrote ‘Y.M.C.A.’ that it would become one of the most iconic songs in the world, and a fixture at almost every wedding, birthday party, bar mitzvah and sporting event,” said Village People leader Victor Willis in a Library of Congress statement.
“‘Y.M.C.A.’ was written to have universal appeal. Whether you’re gay, straight, Democrat, Republican, it doesn’t matter to me. I tried to write it in an open enough way that anybody could find something in it and relate it to their life,” Willis added to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk-BPRXYk9g
“Y.M.C.A.” is considered to be one of the biggest hits from Village People along with “Macho Man” and “In The Navy”. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and ended up in the 8th overall spot on their year-end chart in 1979.