Y.M.C.A.

"Y.M.C.A." is a song by American disco group Village People. It was released in October 1978 as the only single from their third studio album, Cruisin' (1978). The song was written by Jacques Morali (also the record's producer) and singer Victor Willis. A medley with "Hot Cop" reached No. 2 on Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart, while the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts 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 in the UK around the same time, becoming the group's biggest hit. It has sold 12 million copies worldwide. The song remains popular and is played at many sporting events in the US and Europe, with crowds joining in on the dance in which arm movements are used to spell out the four letters of the song's title. In September 2000 "Y.M.C.A." was used as the Space Shuttle wake-up call on day 11 of STS-106. In 2009, "Y.M.C.A." set a Guinness World Record when over 44,000 people danced to Village People's live performance of the song at the 2008 Sun Bowl game in El Paso, Texas. "Y.M.C.A." is No. 7 on VH1's list of The 100 Greatest Dance Songs of the 20th Century. In 2020, "Y.M.C.A" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In its official press release, the Library noted that "back in its heyday, 'Y.M.C.A.' was a hit around the world, going to No. 1 on the charts in over 15 countries, and its ongoing popularity is evidence that, despite the naysayers, disco has never truly died." History In the US, the YMCA began building single room occupancy (SRO) facilities in the 1880s to house people from rural areas who moved into cities to look for work. By the 1970s, the typical YMCA tenants were more likely to be homeless people and youth facing life issues, rather than people migrating from rural areas.