3 Modern Pop Hits That Prove Disco Is Nowhere Near Dead

In 1979, a disgruntled DJ named Steve Dahl reacted to disco’s popularity by blowing up a crate of records at Comiskey Park. The stunt happened between games of a Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers doubleheader. Disco Demolition Night, as it was dubbed, was a performative rebellion against disco. Instead, the desperate MLB promotion ended in a riot. The White Sox forfeited the second game. And judging by decades of dance hits, disco survived the explosive revolt.

So here are three modern pop hits that prove disco is nowhere near dead. I even included a psychedelic rock act that, like KISS, recorded a smash atop a disco beat.

“Houdini” by Dua Lipa

Dua Lipa collaborated with producers Danny L. Harle and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker on a cheeky, upbeat hit about vanishing from a situation when it no longer feels right. It’s a party song, a celebration of being single, and the disappearing act that follows a fling. It appears on Lipa’s third studio album, Radical Optimism. And judging by how it climbed the charts in several countries, global discotheques aren’t going empty anytime soon.

“Dracula” by Tame Impala

Speaking of Tame Impala, here Parker describes the superpower he feels at night. Propelled by a disco beat, “Dracula” is an escapist banger driven by the insecurities often exposed in the light of day. Parker swaggers like “f***in’ Pablo Escobar” until his friends urge him to “shut up” and get in the car. He sings about a girl he’s smitten with but fears the romantic mood will end with the sunrise. The vampire thrives at night, so until then, he must return to the shadows.

“Say So” by Doja Cat feat. Nicki Minaj

With help from hitmaker and producer Dr. Luke, Doja Cat’s homage to 70s disco became the singer and rapper’s first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to a remix by Nicki Minaj. The narrator gazes across the room at someone who’s equally love-struck but remains too nervous to approach her. There are plenty of primal vibes here to cure this boy of shyness. “Boy, you should have said so.”

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