“Disco Inferno” by The Trammps
As talked about later in the article, “Disco Inferno” was inspired by a scene in a movie in which a disco located on the summit of a building is consumed by wild fire.
So that would be why in the first verse the vocalist is speaking to the concept of a party apparently going down on top of a skyscraper.
However, in this case, it is “the funk” that is “flaming out of control”. So we are made privy pretty much from the jump that this is not a literal “inferno” The Trammps are talking about. Rather, wording related to concepts like “flaming”, “burning” and “heat” are actually metaphors for the power of the music being played and the spirit of the partygoers in the house.
So with that understanding in mind, an admonishment to “burn the mother down” translates more standardly to a phrase like ‘let’s get busy on the dance floor’.
And as further expounded in the second verse, the vocalist is espousing an action like dancing to the point of exhaustion. Or more simply put, this is a dance song which thematically is based on a fire-related motif.
Release of “Disco Inferno”
Upon being first released on 26 December 1976, “Disco Inferno” managed to top Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart. However, that first time around it had a humble showing on the Hot 100 itself.
But the following year, the song was re-released in 1978 as part of the soundtrack to John Travolta’s classic Saturday Night Fever (1977). And it was that instance which lead to “Disco Inferno” achieving a more respectable peak position of 11 on the Billboard’s main chart.
Yet in both cases, i.e. 1977 and 1978, the song reached the same summit of number 16 on the UK Singles Chart.
The Trammps
The Trammps are a disco act from Philadelphia that you probably never heard of per se. And this is even though they were active throughout the last three decades of the 20th century and despite perhaps being familiar with tracks like “Disco Inferno”.
In fact they’ve scored a number of dance hits, including 1976’s “That’s where the Happy People Go” and “Disco Party”. And whereas the former actually stands as their best performing song chart-wise, as implied “Disco Inferno”, buttressed by the power of Hollywood, is the crew’s signature song.
For instance, it went on to be enshrined in the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2005, some three decades after first coming out.
More Facts about “Disco Inferno”
Upon original release “Disco Inferno” apparently came out as a triple A-side along with two other Trammps’ songs:
- “Body Contact Contract”
- “Starvin’”
This song was written by Ron Kersey (1949-2005), one of the few former members of The Trammps to have his own Wikipedia page. And “Disco Inferno”, which he also produced, stands as the greatest achievement of his career.
Also to note, he did win a Grammy Award in 1979 for his participation on the aforementioned Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. He is acknowledged as one of its many producers.
Another individual named Leroy Green, whom there doesn’t appear to be any information readily about, is also credited as an author of this tune.
More Facts
As a further testament to this song’s success, it went on to be covered by a couple of musicians even more popular than The Trammps later in the 20th century.
Tina Turner’s version, which came out in 1993, reached a higher position on the UK Singles Chart than the original. And Cyndi Lauper released a rendition in 1999 that made a little bit of noise on a couple of Billboard’s Hot Dance listings.
And besides Saturday Night Fever, this song made appearances on other well-regarded flicks such as 1984’s Ghostbusters. It also was featured on 1997’s Donnie Brasco, as well as the popular television series Suits in 2012.
This track is derived from a project which itself is entitled Disco Inferno (1976), i.e. The Trammps’ fourth studio album. And that undertaking, which is a product of Atlantic Records, stands as the band’s most-successful LP.
As the story goes, “Disco Inferno” (the song) was actually inspired by a scene from an early-1970s movie entitled “The Towering Inferno”.
The “Disco Inferno” Album
American disco and soul band The Trampps released Disco Inferno as the fourth song on their legendary 1976 album, also titled Disco Inferno. It was the group’s fourth studio album released through Atlantic Records on December 29, 1976.
It was recorded at Sigma Sound studious. The production was handle by a number of renowned producers, including the likes of the following:
- Norman Harris
- Ronald Baker
- Ron Kersey
- Earl Young
Disco Inferno consists of six disco songs that are divided into two sides on the album. Thus, the album’s tracklisting has two categories, side one and side two, each containing three songs.
The album ranked within the Top 50 on the Billboard 200 chart. It also did well on the Australia charts.
