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.
New York City
Village People Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We was waiting for jerry to land.
Up come a man with a guitar in his hand,
Singing, have a marijuana, if you can.
His name was david peel and we found that he was real,
He sang, the pope smokes dope evryday.
Up come a policeman, shoved us of the street,
Singing, power to the people today.
New york city!
New york city!
New york city!
Que pasa, new york?
Que pasa, new york?
Hey! hey!
Well, down to maxs, kansas city, got down the nitty gritty
With the elephants memory band.
Laid something down as the news spread around
About the plastic ono elephants memory band.
Well, we played some funky boogie, and laid some tutti fritti,
Singing, long tall sallys a man.
Up come a preacher man, tryin to be a teacher,
Singing, gods a red herring in drag!
New york city!
New york city!
New york city!
Que pasa, new york?
Que pasa, new york?
Ha! ha!
Hey! hey! hey! hey!
Hey!
Oh yeah!
Hey! new york city!
Alright, new york city!
New york city!
Que pasa, new york?
Que pasa, new york?
Hey! hey!
Well, we did the staten island ferry, making movies for the telly,
Played the fillmore and apollo for freedom.
Tried to shake our image, just a-cycling through the village,
But we found that we had left it back in london.
Well, nobody came to bug us, hustle us or shove us,
We decided to make it our home.
If the man wants to shove us out, we gonna jump and shout,
The statue of liberty said, come!
New york city!
New york city!
New york city!
Que pasa, new york?
Que pasa, new york?
Hey! hey!
Oh, new york!
Uh, uh, uh.
Well, new york, yeh,
Alright!
Oh, new york city!
Back in new york city!
Yeah, new york city!
Que pasa, new york?
Que pasa, new york?
Ass city!
Down in the village,
Yeah, what a city!
Que pasa, new york?
Que pasa, new york?
Yeah, rock on!
Ow! uh!
Yeah!
Que pasa, new york?
Que pasa, new york?
Hey! what a bad, bad city!
Bad-ass city!
Bad-ass city!
Que pasa, new york?
Que pasa, new york?
Hey, city! city!
Another version
--------------------------------
Recorded live at the madison square garden, new york, n.y. 30 august 1972
Power to the people!
Power to the people!
Power to the people!
Power to the people!
Power to the people!
Power to the people!
Power to the people!
Power to the people!
Power to the people!
Two, three, four!
Standing on the corner, just me and yoko ono,
We was waiting for her hour to land,
Up come a man with a guitar in his hand,
Have marijuana if you can.
Well, his name was david peel
And we found that he was real,
The pope smokes dope evry day.
Up come the police, shoved us off the street,
Singing, power to the people today!
New york city!
Madison square garden!
Hey!
Whats happenin, man?
Went back to kansas city, laid down the nitty gritty
With the elephants memory band.
Laid something down as the news spread around
About the plastic ono elephants memory band.
Played some tutti frutti and played some funky boogie,
Long tall sallys a man!
Up come the preacherman, tryin to be a teacher,
Singing, gods a red herring in drag!
New york city!
New york city!
New york city!
Que pasa, new york?
Que pasa, new york?
Hey!
Ow!
Ooh!
Well, new york city, babe!
New york!
New york city!
Yeah, new york city!
Down in the village!
New york city!
Come on, hit it!
Ah, what a bad ass city!
Yeah!
Roll over!
The lyrics to Village People's song "New York City" tell a story about the vibrant and diverse atmosphere of the city, particularly during the 1970s. The song begins with the singer, possibly a member of the band or someone associated with them, standing on a street corner with Yoko Ono, waiting for Jerry (possibly Jerry Garcia) to arrive. A man named David Peel approaches with a guitar, offering marijuana to anyone who wants it. Peel gained notoriety for his controversial and irreverent songs, including one titled "The Pope Smokes Dope."
As the singer and his companions enjoy the lively atmosphere, a policeman intervenes and tries to disperse them, but they defiantly chant "power to the people." The song then switches to another scene in Kansas City, where the band plays with the Elephant's Memory Band. They perform upbeat and energetic music, including renditions of songs like "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally." However, a preacher interrupts, denouncing God as a deceptive figure.
Throughout the song, there is a strong sense of rebellion and countercultural spirit. The lyrics celebrate the freedom and artistic expression found in New York City, contrasting with the conservative and religious establishments attempting to push their agenda. It captures the vibrant music scene and the struggle for individuality and creative freedom during that time.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing on the corner, just me and yoko ono,
On a street corner, I was with Yoko Ono, waiting for Jerry to arrive.
We was waiting for jerry to land.
We were waiting for Jerry to arrive.
Up come a man with a guitar in his hand,
Suddenly, a man approached us with a guitar.
Singing, have a marijuana, if you can.
He was singing and offering marijuana, if we wanted to partake.
His name was david peel and we found that he was real,
We discovered that his name was David Peel and he was authentic.
He sang, the pope smokes dope evryday.
He sang about the Pope smoking marijuana every day.
Up come a policeman, shoved us of the street,
A policeman arrived and forcefully pushed us off the street.
Singing, power to the people today.
While pushing us, he was singing about empowering the people.
New york city!
This is New York City!
Que pasa, new york?
What's happening, New York?
Hey! hey!
Hey! Hey!
Well, down to maxs, kansas city, got down the nitty gritty
We traveled to Max's in Kansas City and experienced the raw, authentic nature of the place.
With the elephants memory band.
We were accompanied by the Elephant's Memory Band.
Laid something down as the news spread around
We shared our own contribution to the music scene as news started circulating.
About the plastic ono elephants memory band.
News was spreading about the Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band.
Well, we played some funky boogie, and laid some tutti fritti,
We played energetic and lively music, and even included some tasty treats.
Singing, long tall sallys a man.
We sang about how Long Tall Sally is a man.
Up come a preacher man, tryin to be a teacher,
A preacher man approached us, attempting to lecture us.
Singing, gods a red herring in drag!
He sang about how gods are deceptive distractions.
New york city!
This is New York City!
Ha! ha!
Ha! Ha!
Well, we did the staten island ferry, making movies for the telly,
We took the Staten Island Ferry and filmed movies for television.
Played the fillmore and apollo for freedom.
We performed at the Fillmore and Apollo theaters to advocate for freedom.
Tried to shake our image, just a-cycling through the village,
We attempted to change people's perceptions by casually cycling through the village.
But we found that we had left it back in london.
However, we realized that we had left our desired image back in London.
Well, nobody came to bug us, hustle us or shove us,
Nobody bothered, harassed, or pushed us around.
We decided to make it our home.
We made the decision to consider New York our home.
If the man wants to shove us out, we gonna jump and shout,
If someone tries to force us out, we will resist and make our voices heard.
The statue of liberty said, come!
Even the Statue of Liberty welcomed us and invited us to stay.
New york city!
This is New York City!
Oh, new york!
Oh, New York!
Uh, uh, uh.
Uh, uh, uh.
Alright, new york city!
Alright, this is New York City!
Ass city!
An expressive way to refer to the city.
Yeah, what a city!
Yes, what an incredible city!
Rock on!
Continue to rock and enjoy!
Ow! uh!
Ow! Uh!
Yeah!
Yeah!
Hey! what a bad, bad city!
Hey! What an amazing, exciting city!
Bad-ass city!
An emphatic way to describe the city as cool and edgy.
Hey, city! city!
Hey, city! City!
Power to the people!
Empower the people!
Two, three, four!
A countdown for the next part of the performance.
Power to the people!
Empower the people!
Power to the people!
Empower the people!
Power to the people!
Empower the people!
Power to the people!
Empower the people!
Power to the people!
Empower the people!
Power to the people!
Empower the people!
Power to the people!
Empower the people!
Power to the people!
Empower the people!
Writer(s): Jacques Morali, Frederick Zarr, Bruce Vilanch
Contributed by Madison F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@BruceWayneOfOz
These guys are still out there, performing all over the world...and they are Great! I have seen them several times in the last few years...yes, without Randy and Glenn, but the 'new' guys have been with them for 30 years! They can still dance and sing, and put on a FUN show! And THAT is what Disco was, is, and will always be about...FUN! Go see them, while you can! They can't do this much longer...and then you will be sorry that you missed them! ^^X^^
@dirtydiscosecrets
a very underrated album. After "Renaissance" and the dreadful "In The Street", they hit back with an album full of completely electronic sleazy tunes. Terrific. Love those synths!
@suavehinrg
+dirtydiscosecrets "Sex Over The Phone" was the first Village People album I purchased.
@eugenestephens85
"New York City" was the first single vinyl I purchased on discogs :-D My lovely song :-)
@alicelv7100
Una duda si el obrero de este videoclip no es David Hodo ..quien es ? Tengo esa duda muy clavada
@the-cray-one6760
@@alicelv7100 In this video Mark Lee is the construction worker
@gustavogrimmes8772
Sou apaixonado por essa música e essa coreografia
@AntonioKizomba
I am never tired to see this video. Village People is inspiration to lots of people, me included. Nunca me canso de ver esse vídeo. Village People é inspiração para muita gente, inclusive eu. .
@AntonioSantos-vp4ry
Village People´s New York City = iconic composition, will stay in my mind and in my heart forever. Nice drums, nice guitars, wonderful dancers. Were there drugs and HIV infection ? And so ? You still have the same tragedies but the quality of music is no longer the same. Really gold times. Golden years.
@LoveVP_
You forget about good rhythm ;-) And good singer... RIP Ray Stephens