The band was assembled in 1977 and managed by two French musicians, Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo, specifically to showcase and perform their disco music creations. Much like Frank Farian's Boney M. or Spice Girls, the group was manufactured. Despite the French song writers, the songs were all in English.
The band's name references a well-known gay area of New York City, Greenwich Village. Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo got the inspiration for creating an assembly of American man archetypes based on the gay men of the Village who frequently dressed in various fantasy ways. The police officer character is said to have been inspired by an actual Sacramento County (California) Sheriff's Deputy - David Orth.
The United States Navy considered using the Village People hit "In the Navy" in a recruiting advertising campaign on television and radio. They contacted Belolo, who decided to give the rights for free on the condition that the Navy help them shoot the music video. Less than a month later, Village People arrived at the San Diego Naval base. The Navy provided them with a war ship, several airplanes, and hundreds of Navy men. When the video started showing and the Navy started the planned ad campaign, some newspapers protested using taxpayer money to fund music videos (especially for a group considered by some to be "morally dubious"). The Navy quickly cancelled the campaign. The scandal tremendously boosted the popularity of the song.
Other hits include their trademark "Macho Man", "Go West", and "YMCA". More than twenty years later, a dance that involves forming the latter four letters with the dancer's arms and legs is still popular at summer camps, office functions, wedding receptions, school dances, sporting events and B'nai Mitzvahs. In the middle of the seventh inning of each baseball game at Yankee Stadium, the grounds crew take an on-field break from grooming the infield to dance as "YMCA" is played, typically to enthusiastic cheers from the fans.
An interesting fact about the Village People recordings is that all of the background vocals for their best known recordings where provided by 2 session musicians who went on to front notable bands; Bill Champlin from Chicago, and Richard Page (musician) from Mr. Mister.
The group also appeared in their 1980 feature film Can't Stop the Music, directed by Nancy Walker, written by Allan Carr and Bronte Woodard, music and lyrics by Jacques Morali and starring Steve Guttenberg, Valerie Perrine, Bruce Jenner, and Village People. The movie "won" the Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay prizes at the 1980 Golden Raspberry Awards in March 1981 and was nominated in almost all the other categories.
In 1981, with the popularity of disco waning and New Wave music on the rise, Village People replaced their on-stage costumes with a new look inspired by the New Romantic movement, and released the New Wave album Renaissance; it was not a commercial success.Victor Willis returned to the group briefly in late 1981 for the album Fox on the Box, which was released in 1982 only in Europe but did have limited release in the United States in 1983 under the title In the Street. Miles Jaye had briefly taken over for Ray Simpson as lead singer by 1983 and contributed an extra track to In the Street. Mark Lee replaced David Hodo in 1982.
Their last album containing new material, the 1985 dance/Hi-NRG release Sex Over the Phone, was not a huge commercial success, but it fared better in sales and club play than their Renaissance album. The title track, when released as a single, was banned by the BBC because of its content - credit card dirty phone calls. The Sex album featured yet another new lead singer, Ray Stephens (of The Great Space Coaster fame). Py Douglas came in to sub for Stephens for some of the group's live appearances in 1985.
In 1985, the group took a hiatus but reunited in 1987 with the line-up of Randy Jones, David Hodo, Felipe Rose, Glenn Hughes, Alex Briley and Ray Simpson.
Since 1988, the group has managed itself under the name Sixuvus Ltd.
In 1994, the Village People joined the German national soccer team to sing its official World Cup '94 theme, "Far Away in America."
Starting in 2004, Village People performed as the opening act for Cher in her Farewell Tour until it ended in April 2005.
From July 18th to July 20th, 2004, Village People performed in Berlin for three shows as an opening act for the German punk band Die Ärzte.
On May 8, 2012, Victor Willis wins a landmark ruling in the first case heard regarding the Copyright Act of 1976 which allows recording artists and writers to reclaim their master recordings and publishing rights initially granted to record companies and publishers after 35 years.
In April 2013, Village People recorded "Let's Go Back To The Dance Floor" -- a song written by Harry Wayne Casey (KC & The Sunshine Band) and produced by DJ Julian Marsh.
Do you wanna spend the night ?
Village People Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've watched you here for hours and I've waited patiently
And I feel my passion pounding and my heart beats just for you
Do you wanna spend the night, Do you wanna spend the night
The evening is still young say darlin' what you gonna do
You know I need your company to get me through the night
I've never had a fantasy but now the time is right
When I feel you next to me it wets my appetite
So come on honey, please be fair, you know that it's alright
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, I wanna be with you
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, Say you wanna see me too
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, well now baby, baby-why-why
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight
I've never seen a face like yours, you are a tempt to me
With candlelight, a fireplace, a view out on the sea
My friends will all be envious of how it's gonna be
We'll spend this night in paradise, no macho men for me-ee
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, I wanna be with you
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, Say you wanna see me too-oo
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, Come on baby, baby-why-why
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight
Oh baby, don't you wanna see me too-oo
Oh baby, well now I wanna be with you
Oh baby, there's so much that we could do-oo-oo
Oh honey-ey-ey-ey-ey
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, I wanna be with you
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, Say you wanna see me too
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, Hug you, baby, baby,
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight
Happiness I've heard it said is just a kiss away
So kiss me baby, let us see if truth's in what they say
I feel my body tremble and the earth just starts to quake
I never knew this ecstacy, how much more can I take
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, I wanna be with you
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, Say you wanna see me too
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, Come on baby, baby-why-why
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight
Well now honey, let's spend the night in paradise
Oh honey, there's so much that we can do-oo, oh baby-why-why-why
Just you, just me, underneath the li-I-ights
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, Say you wanna see me too
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, I wanna be with you
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, Come on baby, baby-why, yeah-eah
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, There's so much that we can do
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, No one can love you like I do
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, Come on baby, baby-why, yeah-eah
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, I wanna be with you
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, Say you wanna see me too
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, Say you wanna see me too-oo-oo
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, I wanna be with you
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, I wanna be with you-ou, baby
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, With you and only you
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, I wanna be with you-ou
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, With you and only you
The lyrics of Village People's song "Do You Wanna Spend the Night" describe a man asking a woman to spend the night with him. He has been watching her for hours and his feelings have grown. He feels a pounding passion in his heart that beats only for her. He tells her that he needs her company to get him through the night and proposes to spend it together in paradise. He promises her candlelight, a fireplace, and a view of the sea. He wants her to know that he has never had such a fantasy before, and the time is right for them to be together.
The lyrics suggest that he has been yearning for her for a long time, and he finally musters the courage to ask her. He tells her that happiness is just a kiss away and asks her to kiss him. He trembles as the earth starts to quake, and he realizes that he has never experienced such ecstasy before. The song is a declaration of his love and desire for her, and he hopes that she feels the same way.
Overall, the lyrics portray a man who is deeply in love and wants to spend the night with his beloved woman. He wants to make the night special for her, and he hopes that she says yes.
Line by Line Meaning
The party's nearly over, will you have this dance with me
As the party is ending, would you like to dance with me?
I've watched you here for hours and I've waited patiently
I've been observing you for a long time, and I've been waiting for you.
And I feel my passion pounding and my heart beats just for you
I'm getting excited, my heart beats fast only for you.
Do you wanna spend the night, Do you wanna spend the night
Do you wish to spend this night with me?
The evening is still young say darlin' what you gonna do
The night is still young, tell me what would you like to do?
You know I need your company to get me through the night
I require your companionship to get through this night.
I've never had a fantasy but now the time is right
I've never had any fantasy before, but this is the perfect time for it.
When I feel you next to me it wets my appetite
Whenever I'm close to you it arouses my desire.
So come on honey, please be fair, you know that it's alright
So come on, sweetheart, don't be shy, you know it's okay.
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, I wanna be with you
Would you like to spend this night with me? I want to be with you.
Say you wanna see me too
Say that you also wish to see me tonight.
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, well now baby, baby-why-why
Would you like to spend this night with me? Come on, babe, why not?
I've never seen a face like yours, you are a tempt to me
I've never seen anyone as tempting as you.
With candlelight, a fireplace, a view out on the sea
We'll have candlelight, a fireplace, and a view of the sea.
My friends will all be envious of how it's gonna be
My friends will be jealous of how it's going to be.
We'll spend this night in paradise, no macho men for me-ee
We'll spend this night in paradise, without any macho men.
Hug you, baby, baby, Do you wanna spend the ni-ight
Hug you, baby, baby, would you like to spend this night?
Happiness I've heard it said is just a kiss away
It's been said that happiness is just a kiss away.
So kiss me baby, let us see if truth's in what they say
So kiss me, let's see if it's true.
I feel my body tremble and the earth just starts to quake
I'm shivering, and the ground starts to shake.
I never knew this ecstacy, how much more can I take
I never knew it could be so pleasurable, how much more can I handle?
Oh honey, well now I wanna be with you
Oh, honey, now I want to be with you.
There's so much that we could do-oo-oo
There's so much for us to do.
Just you, just me, underneath the li-I-ights
Just you and me, underneath the lights.
No one can love you like I do
No one can love you the way I do.
Come on baby, baby-why, yeah-eah
Come on, baby, why not?
With you and only you
With you and only you.
I wanna be with you-ou, baby
I want to be with you, baby.
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight?
Do you want to spend the night?
Say you wanna see me too-oo-oo
Say that you also wish to see me tonight.
Do you wanna spend the ni-ight, I wanna be with you
Do you want to spend the night? I want to be with you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HENRI BELOLO, HOWARD NORMAN EPSTEIN, DENNIS HARDY FREDERIKSEN, GERALD EUGENE HUNTER, MARK CHRISTIAN MAIERHOFFER, JACQUES MORALI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mauropodda3565
The party is nearly over
Will you have this dance with me
I've watched you here for hours
Set up with the passion lit
I feel my passion darling
And my heart beats just with you
The evening is to the fantasy
Tell them what you gonna do
Do you wanna spend the night
I wanna be with you
Do you wanna spend the night
Say you want to see me too
Do you wanna spend the night
Welcome baby baby
Do you wanna spend the night
Oh baby when i wanna be with you
Oh honey don't you wanna see me too
Oh baby there's so much that we can do
Oh honey!!
Do you wanna spend the night
I wanna be with you
Do you wanna spend the night
Say you want to see me too
Do you wanna spend the night
Come on baby, baby
You wanna spend the night
Hapiness of heart is said
Is just a kiss away
So acuse me baby let it see
And trust it when they say
I feel my body in tremble
And the earth's last quake
I never meant this ecstasy
How much more can i take
Do you wanna spend the night
I wanna be with you
Do you wanna spend the night
Say you want to see me too
Do you wanna spend the night
Come on baby, baby
Do you wanna spend the night
Well now honey
Let's spend the night with heart at dice
Just you, just me underneath the lights
Oh honey there's so much that we can do
Don't quit me
Do you wanna spend the night
I wanna be with you
Do you wanna spend the night
Say you want to see me too
Do you wanna spend the night
Come on baby, baby
Do you wanna spend the night
Do you wanna spend the night
There's so much that we can do
Do you wanna spend the night
No one can love you like i do
Do you wanna spend the night
Come on baby, baby
Do you wanna spend the night
Do you wanna spend the night
I wanna be with you
Do you wanna spend the night
Say you want to see me too
Do you wanna spend the night
I wanna be with you
Do you wanna spend the night
Say you want to see me too
@kidwaryodproduction
Always have a varied feelings about the direction the group pick in this album. Is it right or wrong choice?
Must admit that Village People face some challenge and bad luck streak on that time. Victor Willis left the group, Can't Stop the Music flop, Disco has died and Randy Jones (Cowboy) left the group. So Did the group decided to make the market in Europe instead ? (Because I heard 5' o clock in the morning got some success in Italy)
About the songs in this album. At first I feel sad to see talent singer like Ray sing a songs like "Diet". But then I realize that Village People album would always have a songs like this. And this albums show how great voice Ray have. And don't forget "Food Fight" that sing by David Hodo. It was a very funny song that you will love :)
But the thing that killed the album prospect was the make-up. Saw the charming person like David Hodo, Glenn Hughes and even newcomer at the time Jeff Olson have a make-up like that completely ruined them.
So I think Village People was right to change a direction under the situation that they have to face on that time. But the make-up and dressing was completely killed them and the album.
@gregoryjohnson9733
Everyone knows the hits but a lot of their sounds are underrated and dont get the time they deserve.
@user-uu1bw7nr4v
Eu quando era pequena ouvia muito Village People porque tinha uns vizinhos meus que gostavam de ouvir todas as músicas do grupo e colocava o rádio 📻 na janela com o som bem alto.E eu bem...... .Eu achava aquilo lindo!!!!!Feliz 🎉 anos 70 inesquecíveis anos 70💖
@MrMPRandGumbo
This song grows on you. Ray Simpson does a great job on lead vocals. Surprised that this didn’t get more play at the time.
@Looking1231
Say what you will about these guys and yes I know there were as campy as anything in the 70's but I have to admit this song was a LOT better than I thought it would be considering who it was. The chorus itself is very well done vocal wise and these guys should be proud of that if nothing else!
@debfan74
This does not sound new wave to me, this sounds like I am still trapped in the 1970s, and it still has a disco sound and I like it!
@griseldasusanacastillo2849
Excelente sonido!!! No lo puedo creer!!
@hb11912
A much underrated song from their discography but a blast from the past all the same.
@RicardoCostaBebedouroemFoco
Muito bom! 10! Brasil!
@esperanzafernandezmartin6297
Bonitos recuerdos la bailaba yo en la discoteca y me siguen cantando
@davidbanner9661
I love this song. I was born in 80. Fantastic village people. Magic music. Fabio