THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

184-The Trammps-Disco Inferno.

1977-Number 16 single.

Best Bit-At 2.18. It is said that there are some people who love ‘Disco Music’ so much, that at their funeral they want this song playing when they are cremated.

The Trammps were formed in 1972, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, the group came together after two local bands,’The Volcanoes,’ and ‘The Exceptions’ merged. They took their name ‘The Trammps’ in honour of Charlie Chaplin, (1889-1977) (see also best songs 327) who was known as ‘The Little Tramp,’ but they added an extra ‘M’ to imply that they were ‘superior tramps.’ In total there were 22 different members come and go during their recording era, and later members have joined, as two competing groups both currently tour, and both calling themselves The Trammps. Many members of The Trammps were also members of the ‘Philadelphia International’ record labels in house band ‘MFSB,’ who played on many of the labels major hits (see also best songs 648.) Some of the ‘MFSB’ members left ‘Philadelphia Records’ in 1975 in a dispute over pay, moving to New York, and forming the ‘Salsoul Orchestra.

The Trammps discography consists of nine studio Albums which were released between 1975-1984, and 43 singles issued between 1972-2004. In America on Billboard, three of of their singles have reached the Hot 100 top 40, with this song peaking at Number 11 when re-released in 1978, while in the UK they have achieved five top 40 singles, with ‘Hold Back the Night’ charting the highest, when reaching Number 5 in 1975.

‘Disco Inferno’ was co-written by Ron ‘Have Mercy’ Kersey, (1949-2005) and Leroy Green, and also serves as the title track from The Trammps fourth studio Album from 1976. The single ‘Disco Inferno’ was first released in America in 1977, but only reached Number 53 on Billboard, it wasn’t until it was chosen as one of the tracks (side 4, track 2) for the soundtrack for the 1977 film ‘Saturday Night Fever’ (see also best songs 211 and 35) that it became a Number 11 hit in 1978. It is said that Leroy Green got the idea for the songs lyrics after watching the 1974 American disaster film ‘The Towering Inferno.’ The raging fire in the song is a metaphor for the musical heat that is generated on the dance floor, while the refrain ‘burn baby burn’ was a phrase chanted at the ‘Watts Riots’ in 1965, as fires raged throughout Los Angeles. There are cover versions of the song, which include a 1977 instrumental by ‘The Players Association,’ and a live recording by Cyndi Lauper from 1998. The song also became a hit again when recorded by Tina Turner in 1993, when she took the song to Number 12 in the UK.

‘To my surprise, one hundred stories high, people getting loose y’all, getting down on the roof. Folks are screaming, out of control, it was so entertaining when the boogie started to explode. I heard somebody say burn baby burn disco inferno, burn baby burn, burn that mother down.’