Late 1979 was an interesting time, when the Top 40 chart was just beginning to redefine itself after 4-5 years of disco dominating it. There had been faint rumbles of disco's imminent downfall, but the huge success of "My Sharona" and the Knack, although largely superficial in themselves, appeared to be the first obvious, major wound. The disco/dance balloon had been punctured and the air was streaming out. But you might say, So when exactly did the disco era end? At that point? Not quite. For the next 3 months the balloon still contained enough air to produce several big disco hits (No More Tears/Enough Is Enough, Dim All the Lights, et al.), but the ultimate blow was when K.C. and the Sunshine Band hit #1 with, of all things, a love ballad (Please Don't Go)! That occurred during the very last week of December 1979. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the escalating of the Iran hostage crisis and the resulting rebirth of patriotism that became so evident less than two months later with the US Olympic hockey team miracle, occurred almost exactly the same time. A lot of things changed in America at that moment, which is why I place the end of the disco era right at the end of the 70's. Funkytown, Rock With You, and On the Radio were merely afterthoughts to it. Jeff
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Posted By: Jeff on: 09/20/2006 15:00:55 EDT