Macho Man – Village People | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#25); 1978
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
The Ritchie Family and their hit Brazil (#11; 1975) was creator/producer Ritchie Rome and producer/songwriter Jacques Morali’s first foray into the world of disco. Within a year the Ritchie’s star had fallen and Jacques began looking for his next big opportunity.
That possibility appeared in the form of Puerto Rican/Native American Felipe Rose, a professional dancer in the New York club scene. Morali next spied Victor Willis, soon-to-be lead singer and “cop,” performing on Broadway in The Wiz. Victor brought in the “military man,” Alexander Briley.
With the core of the Village People in place, Jacques hired three more singers and the group was complete. He then specifically chose songs with gay undercurrents; a theme the various VP characters represented visually.
A first single, San Francisco (You’ve Got Me), sold respectably in England, in early 1977, yet, it was Macho Man that took America by storm in mid-summer, performed by one of the most recognizable icons of the disco era.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Jacques Morali
Lyrics Written by:
- Jacques Morali
- Henri Belolo
- Victor Willis
- Peter Whitehead
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).