Tommy Sexton Shares His Top 5 Disco Tracks
In celebration of his debut studio release, ‘Start Again’, a glittering disco number sure to get feet on the dancefloor, Brisbane’s Tommy Sexton has shared with AAA five songs which epitomise the heart and soul of disco music for him.
Starlight: Michael Jackson
Before it became Thriller, Roger Temperton wrote Starlight – same melody and instrumentation but completely different lyrics and meaning. The first time you listen to it is such a shock, because you’ve heard it a gazillion times but it’s also completely new.
You could look at it cynically and say that the production team cared more about money than meaning, but I think the important thing is Temperton was on board with it, and he ended up (in a flurry of inspiration apparently) writing something arguably better.
I am fascinated by other people’s creative processes, the differences and similarities to my own. I often have a strong idea of the melody and chord structure before settling on lyrics, and more than once have completely changed an almost finished song’s lyrics and meaning, so I could really relate to this story. This song reminds me that creativity is as much about discarding ideas as making them. It’s something I am learning after many years of holding on too hard to a stuck idea, only to find that letting it go makes space for others.
September: Earth, Wind and Fire
One of my all time favourite bands and a big source of inspiration for me, it’s hard to go past this one for the good feels that disco is all about. As someone who sweats on lyrics and is never completely happy with my own, it’s liberating to hear the story of Allee Willis, the co-songwriter of September, who hated the chorus lyrics. “I just said, ‘What the fuck does ‘ba-dee-ya’ mean?’ And he essentially said, ‘Who the fuck cares?’ I learned my greatest lesson ever in songwriting from him, which was never let the lyric get in the way of the groove.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMhzXTxa_Ws (interview with Allee Willis)
One of the greatest thrills of my life was seeing them at Blues Fest. We had just finished playing and were getting dropped back at the Green Room. The driver kept saying, ‘hurry up, I’ve got to pick up the next artist’ but we brushed him off and took ages. Finally, when we rocked up, there is Maurice and Verdine White, Philip Bailey and all the band lined up in single file, like a military unit standing to attention. We walked past them so humbled and apologetic for keeping them waiting! And I’ve never danced so hard in my life as that night.
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Skatin: Emir Deodato
Ok, maybe it’s more funk than disco, but this is an old favourite of mine. I first heard it as a sample in Angie Stone’s ‘I Wanna Thank Ya’ (also Biggie Smalls’ ‘Nasty Girl) before I discovered how fresh the original song was.
Hideout: Parcels
I love these guys. Feel good music with depth and emotional weight to the lyrics. It’s cool to see people not so distant from you successfully doing what you would love to be doing.
We Are Family: Sister Sledge
Listening to my mum and her sisters sing in harmony was a big influence on me growing up, although they were more folky than funky. You also can’t have a disco list without including Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. It’s a legal requirement.
Tommy’s latest track, Start Again is available now, everywhere.
