Macho Man (album)

Last updated
Macho Man
Machoman1978.jpg
Studio album by
Village People
ReleasedFebruary 27, 1978
Recorded1977
Studio Sigma Sound, New York City
Genre Disco
Length27:23
Label Casablanca
Producer Jacques Morali
Village People chronology
Village People
(1977)		Macho Man
(1978)		 Cruisin'
(1978)
Singles from Macho Man
  1. "Macho Man"
    Released: June 1978
  2. "I Am What I Am"
    Released: 1978
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Christgau's Record Guide C [2]
Rolling Stone Favorable [3]

Macho Man is the second studio album [1] [3] [4] by Village People, released on February 27, 1978. The album gained success due to its hit singles, "Macho Man" (US Billboard pop chart No. 25) and "Key West". Rolling Stone said of the album, "It seems certain to become the first out-and-out disco album without John Travolta on its cover ever to be certified platinum". [4]

Contents

The album was reissued on CD in 1999.

Background

Village People began in 1977 as a studio project of French producers Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis. Village People’s first album, Village People , was recorded by Willis with the help of studio musicians. After the success of that album, Morali and Belolo received numerous requests for live performances. In response, Morali and Belolo began to work on the formation of a full group of singers and dancers. They placed an ad in New York theatre trade magazines that read: "Macho Types Wanted: Must Dance and Have a Moustache". [5]

Randy Jones, known as the cowboy member of Village People, explains that "there was a dire need to have six capable performers to breathe life into the fantasies of the music and to sing, promote, and bring the concept of Village People to television and to the live performance onstage." [6] The new line-up of Willis, Jones, Glenn Hughes, Felipe Rose, David Hodo and Alex Briley made its debut on the cover of the already-recorded album Macho Man. [7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jacques Morali, Victor Willis, Henri Belolo and Peter Whitehead, except where noted

Macho Man track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Macho Man"5:14
2."I Am What I Am"5:38
3."Key West"5:46
4."Just a Gigolo" (Leonello Casucci, Irving Caesar)1:15
5."I Ain't Got Nobody" (Spencer Williams, Roger A. Graham)3:22
6."Sodom and Gomorrah"6:15

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Macho Man
Chart (1978)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [8] 5
Canadian Albums ( RPM ) [9] 21
French Albums (SNEP) [10] 6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [11] 37
US Billboard 200 [12] 24
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [12] 31
Zimbabwean Albums (ZIMA) [13] 11

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for Macho Man
Chart (1978)Position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [14] 14

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Macho Man
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [15] Gold35,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [16] 3× Platinum300,000^
United States (RIAA) [17] Platinum1,000,000^
Summaries
Worldwide—2,000,000 [18]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Y.M.C.A. (song)</span> 1978 single by Village People

"Y.M.C.A." is a song by American disco group Village People, written by Jacques Morali and singer Victor Willis and released in October 1978 by Casablanca Records as the only single from their third studio album, Cruisin' (1978). A medley with "Hot Cop" reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart, while the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1979, placing behind both "Le Freak" by Chic and "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" by Rod Stewart. Outside the US, "Y.M.C.A." reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart around the same time, becoming the group's biggest hit. It has sold 12 million copies worldwide.

Henri Belolo was a French music producer and songwriter active during the disco era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Morali</span> French musician

Jacques Morali was a French disco and dance music record producer and songwriter, known for creating acts like The Ritchie Family and Village People.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Willis</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1951)

Victor Edward Willis is an American singer, songwriter and the founding member of the disco group Village People. He performed as their lead singer and was co-songwriter for all of their most successful singles. In the group, he performed costumed as a policeman or a naval officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macho Man (song)</span> 1978 single by Village People

"Macho Man" is a song by American disco group Village People, released as the second single and title song of their album of the same name (1978). The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 on June 24, 1978 before picking up more airplay that August. It became the Village People's first charting hit in the United States, peaking on the Hot 100 at number 25 on the week of September 2.

<i>Village People</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Village People

Village People is the debut album by Village People, released on July 18, 1977. Its hit song "San Francisco " reached the top 50 in the UK, peaking at #45. In Germany, the album was released as San Francisco .

<i>Cruisin</i> (Village People album) 1978 studio album by Village People

Cruisin' is the third studio album by the American disco group Village People, released on September 25, 1978. Its title is a double entendre, referring to either simply driving around or gay cruising. The album features the hits "Hot Cop" and "Y.M.C.A.", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Renaissance</i> (Village People album) 1981 studio album by Village People

Renaissance is the seventh studio album by American disco group Village People, released in 1981 by RCA Records. The album marked a departure for the group, with a more new wave-influenced sound and less of an emphasis on disco.

<i>Cant Stop the Music</i> (album) 1980 studio album / soundtrack by Village People

Can't Stop the Music is the sixth studio album and first soundtrack by Village People, for their movie Can't Stop the Music, released in 1980. Though the movie was a commercial failure, the album was more well received, reaching No. 9 on the UK Albums Chart, #47 on the Billboard 200 in the US, and #1 in Australia. The album was reissued on CD in 1999.

<i>Go West</i> (Village People album) 1979 studio album by Village People

Go West is the fourth studio album by the Village People, released on March 26, 1979. It features their hit singles "In the Navy" and "Go West", which the Pet Shop Boys did a successful cover of in 1993.

<i>Live and Sleazy</i> 1979 live album / Studio album by Village People

Live and Sleazy is the first live album and fifth studio album by the Village People and features a mixture of live and studio recordings. It was released as a double LP. The album featured numerous lead singers: original cop Victor Willis on the entire "Live" disk; on the "Sleazy" disk, construction worker David Hodo on track 1, Ray Simpson on tracks 2, 3, and 5, and G.I. Alex Briley on track 4. Horace Ott is credited as the arranger and conductor of the string and horn sections. The musicians were credited as Bittersweet.

<i>Fox on the Box</i> 1982 album by Village People

Fox on the Box is the eighth studio album by Village People, released in 1982. It is the group's only album to not be released in the US, the UK or France. It was released in Australia on RCA Records, in South America, and in Germany, Scandinavia and Spain. In Japan, the album was released by Casablanca Records. The album sold poorly and failed to chart anywhere.

Break Machine was an American rap act, fronted by Keith Rodgers and produced by Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo, the team behind the Village People.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco (You've Got Me)</span> 1977 Village People song

"San Francisco (You've Got Me)" is the debut single by the American disco group Village People. It was released in 1977 as the lead single from their self-titled debut studio album. The song reached number fifteen on the Australian Kent Music Report and peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Am What I Am (Village People song)</span> 1978 single by Village People

"I Am What I Am" is a song written by Victor Willis, Henri Belolo, Peter Whitehead and Jacques Morali that was first released by the Village People on their 1978 album Macho Man. It was also released as a single with "Key West" as the b-side in some countries including Germany and the UK. It did not chart in those countries, but it reached #4 on the Billboard Dance Chart in a medley with "Key West" and "Macho Man". It has since been released on several Village People greatest hits compilation albums. It was also included on the soundtrack for the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Village People</span> American disco group

Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following the release of the debut album Village People, which targeted disco's large gay audience. The group's name refers to Manhattan's Greenwich Village, with its reputation as a gay village. The characters were a symbolic group of American masculinity and macho gay-fantasy personas. To date, Willis is the only original member still remaining with the group.

<i>Arabian Nights</i> (album) 1976 studio album by The Ritchie Family

Arabian Nights is the second studio album recorded by American female vocal trio The Ritchie Family, released in 1976 on the Marlin label.

<i>Life Is Music</i> 1977 studio album by The Ritchie Family

Life Is Music is the third studio album recorded by American female vocal trio The Ritchie Family, released in 1977 on the Marlin label.

<i>African Queens</i> 1977 studio album by the Ritchie Family

African Queens is the fourth studio album recorded by American female vocal trio the Ritchie Family, released in 1977 on the Marlin label.

This is the discography of American disco group Village People.

References

  1. 1 2 Hamilton, Andrew. "The Village People – Macho Man (AllMusic review)". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: V". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 19, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  3. 1 2 Schneider, Mitchell. "The Village People – Macho Man (Rolling Stone review)". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Androite, John-Manuel (2001). Hot Stuff: A Brief History of Disco. Harper Entertainment. p. 88.
  5. ↑ Midgley, Alex (2014). ""'Macho Types Wanted': The Village People, Homophobia, And Representation In The 1970s"". Australasian Journal of American Studies. 33: 106–7.
  6. ↑ Jones, Randy; Bego, Mark (2008). Macho Man: The Disco Era and Gay America's "Coming Out". Westport, CT: Praeger. p. 83.
  7. ↑ Midgley, Alex (2014). "'Macho Types Wanted': The Village People, Homophobia, And Representation In The 1970s". Australasian Journal of American Studies. 33: 107.
  8. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 330. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  9. ↑ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 29, No. 26, September 23 1978". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Tous les Albums de l'Artiste choisi". InfoDisc. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Village People – Village People". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  12. 1 2 "The Village People – Awards". AllMusic . All Media Network. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  13. ↑
    • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  14. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 430. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  15. ↑ "Morali Wins Aussie Awards" (PDF). Cash Box . Vol. 40, no. 36. January 20, 1979. p. 30. Retrieved September 8, 2020– via World Radio History.
  16. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Village People – Macho Man". Music Canada.
  17. ↑ "American album certifications – Village People – Macho Man". Recording Industry Association of America.
  18. ↑ Murrells, Joseph. Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s : an illustrated directory. Arco Pub. p. 467. ISBN   0668064595. By mid-1979, this album had soldtwo million
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.