The Village People: Analysis, reception history, and cultural transformation
Item
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Title
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The Village People: Analysis, reception history, and cultural transformation
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:da89bcad8bf6:10895
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identifier
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11245
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Creator
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Houghtaling, Paul,
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Contributor
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Mark Spicer
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Date
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2011
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Music | American history
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Abstract
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The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the reception history of the four major songs of the 1970s disco group the Village People, namely "Macho Man," "Y.M.C.A.," "Go West," and "In the Navy," and their ironic transformation from gay-oriented pop pieces to iconic songs imbedded in American popular culture. I will trace "Y.M.C.A.," for example, from its beginnings as a camp entertainment targeted at the urban gay male audience at the height of the disco movement, through its transcendence to one of the most famous and, arguably, beloved pop songs of all time. This work will show how a tongue-in-check number parodying the sexual proclivities of gay men in the pre-AIDS era became a song regularly heard at major sporting arenas around the world while the work's original intent lay well beyond the "machismo" of the professional sporting arena. The irony is extraordinary, and, as I will show, the irony itself may be a part of the lasting appeal of the music of the Village People.;Gay males in New York City were the initial target audience of the Village People's music, but they were not the consumers responsible for the music's ultimate popularity and commercial success. Still, certain of the tunes have since taken on strong cultural significance within the gay community at large. The meaning of the song "Go West," for example, was transformed by the AIDS epidemic; no ironic evolution here, but merely an adapted secondary meaning brought on by changes in the environment of gay male audiences for whom this music, as well as the disco era itself, began to hold nostalgic significance. The 1992 cover of "Go West" by the British band Pet Shop Boys, an almost reverent remake, stands as a testament to the historical significance of this song and others by the Village People in gay culture.;Paradoxically, this "gay music" caught on furiously with the American disco-crazed populace, a majority of whom either did not understand its coding of parodied sexuality or chose to ignore it. The songs were intoxicating and their incredible success can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the cultural function of disco music, the marketing of the Village People, and the distinctive sound and look of the group. But above all, the songs remain extraordinarily popular today because of the music itself --the easy-to-memorize melodies, the verse-chorus structure, the hook appeal of the choruses, and the production and aural design of the records. In addition to tracing the reception history of these iconic songs, this dissertation offers a detailed analysis of the music and recordings themselves in an attempt to account for their lasting appeal.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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D.M.A.
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Program
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Music
