HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year! Now it's 1999... Imagine, it's less than a year to the year 2000. Less than a year to the new Millennium. That's really Big! So I wanna start off this year and piece by wishing all of you a very happy 1999 and then I'm going to continue by talking about Disco (of course), New Years and just years.

I think it really feels like it was just a couple of years since Prince (or as he's called nowadays – The Artist Formerly Known As Prince) sang his classic song about this magic year - 1999. But when you think back real hard you realize it was 17 (!!!) years ago he wrote that song. That song was released in 1982 and it's still really on of Prince's greatest Disco tracks in my opinion. I still love that track and aparently he does that himself and his old record label – Warner Bros. – does too. You see... "The Artist..." is going to release a special record with 7 new versions of the song and his former label is going to re-release the album and promote it again. That's not bad for a 17 years old Disco tune... But again, Disco is hot right now. Everyone is sampeling and re-recording the old Disco classics over and over. Movies are made capturing the feeling, the spirit and the fantastic music of this great era. So I really can't say I'm surprised…

Like Prince's 1999 will get a lots of attention during this year, I really do suggest you all to dig out your old ABBA records and have their great New Years song – "Happy new year" ready and loaded in your CD player or on your turntable in the next New Years eve. Because this is really one of the most beautiful songs I know and it really forfills it's purpose as THE New Years song. I keep playing it every New Years eve and I will continue to.
If you don't know this song it's time for you to check it out and get hold of it before December 31, 1999.

So... When we're talking 'bout New Years eve and years in general, I have to say it's surprisingly few songs that is about New Years or some special year at all. I can just think of a couple actually. Ever heard of Irish poppers U2, guessed so, they did a great track that was on one of their first singles called "New Years Day". OK – I know, this is not really Disco but it did get quite much play in the disco clubs.
Another "year-song" that is concidered a Disco classic is the quite unknown Rick Wakeman song "Robotman (1984)". This song reffers to the George Orwell novel 1984 and the lead vocals was sung by another of the old Disco divas, the vocalist of Rufus, namely Chaka Khan. This lady has been involved in several great Disco records, like "I'm every woman", "Ain't nobody" and others, during the years and just think about it... If we're thinking of the "real" Disco years as the years around 1977-79 – these classic Disco tunes was made over 20 (!!!) years ago. It's really facinating to see what impact this music still has to the music today. Don't you think?
Even Eurythmics did a song about 1984, this was also a song reffering to the Orwell book and it was featured in a movie based on the book, their song was called "Sexcrime (1984)".
I can just only come to think of one other Disco song about some year... and that's the Twins cover of the song "In the year 2525". This SalSoul records release came in 1982.

Again... I really think it's surprising there isn't more songs about such a big happening as the new years and that there isn't more songs with a year in the title. OK, many songs mentions some year somewhere in the lyrics, but there are very very few that have it in the title. Maybe you guys know of some New Years Disco songs or some Disco songs with a year in the title? Please let me know...
Else... Happy New Year and I really hope all of you will have a great 1999...
'Till next month...

Take care and Disco-on,

"Discoguy"