Released May 1980 Label Casablanca Artist Village People Producer Jacques Morali Genres Disco, Dance-pop | Length 34:56 Can't Stop the Music
(1980) Renaissance
(1981) Release date May 1980 Movie Can't Stop the Music | |
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Similar Fox on the Box, Live and Sleazy, Sex Over the Phone, Cruisin', The Best of Village People | ||
Can't Stop the Music is the sixth studio album and first soundtrack by Village People for their movie Can't Stop the Music released in 1980. Though the movie was a commercial failure, the album did better, reaching No. 9 on the UK Albums Chart, No. 47 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S.A., and No. 1 in Australia (on the Kent Music Report). This album was reissued to CD in 1999.
Contents
It contains songs not only by the Village People but also by David London and The Ritchie Family. The album also features a re-make of "Y.M.C.A." which was actually the original 1978 recording with original lead singer Victor Willis's voice taken off, and Ray Simpson laying down new lead vocals. Simpson's remake never charted and was not released as a single.
This is the first Village People album that was not certified Gold by the RIAA.
History
On May 7, 2012, publishers Can't Stop Productions and Scorpio Music failed in their attempt to prevent "Y.M.C.A.", "Milkshake", and "Magic Night", written by Victor Willis from the Can't Stop the Music motion picture soundtrack from reverting to Willis as scheduled starting in 2013. In a historic ruling, Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California ruled that Willis can in fact terminate his copyrights granted to the publishers because "a joint author who separately transfers his copyright interest may unilaterally terminate the grant." In response to the ruling, Willis stated "I am just looking forward to having control of the songs." So as it currently stands, in 2013 at a minimum, Victor Willis per the court order will own (recapture) 33% of "Y.M.C.A.", "Milkshake", "Magic Night", and other Village People hits. However, his percentage of ownership may increase to 50% if the songs were only written by Victor Willis and Jacques Morali, not Henri Belolo. In fact, Brian Caplan, Willis' lawyer stated that he is confident they will prove at trial that Henri Belolo didn't write any of the lyrics to those songs. Judge Moskowitz has granted the publishers, Can't Stop Productions and Scorpio Music, 30 days to amend their complaint to argue why Willis should not be allowed to provide evidence that Henri Belolo was not one of the writers of "Y.M.C.A.", "Milkshake", "Magic Night", and other Village People hits.
Track listing
- "Can't Stop the Music"
- "Samantha" (David London)
- "Give Me a Break" (The Ritchie Family)
- "Liberation"
- "Magic Night"
- "The Sound of the City" (David London)
- "Milkshake"
- "Y.M.C.A."
- "I Love You to Death"
- "Sophistication" (The Ritchie Family)
Songs
1Can't Stop the Music3:38
2Samantha3:15
3Give Me a Break3:29