The Ethel Merman Disco Album
I’m sure some of you have heard of THEE Ethel Merman. And if you haven’t, don’t worry. I am here to educate. She was a Broadway superstar who stared in productions such as Hello Dolly and There’s No Business Like Show Business. She is considered the OG bitchy diva that queer people grew to both adore and embody. As she famously said, “I can hold a note as long as the Chase National Bank.” Well, have you heard of the disco album she recorded in 1979? It has become a camp classic, a sought-out collectors item, and apparently it even scares baby frogs. This album might possibly be the queerest album in history (sorry Gaga). Ethel Merman? queer AF. Disco? queer AF. Ethel Merman + Disco = GAAAAAAAAY.
The mere idea of Ethel Merman singing her Broadway classics over disco beats is absolutely ridiculous and I love it. In the 1970s, everyone wanted to cash in on the global phenomenon that was disco. Merman even did a tour in 1979 at the age of 71 to support the album. Merman recorded 14 songs for The Ethel Merman Disco Album, although only seven were released on the finished record. Each of the songs was recorded in only one take and arranged vocally the way she always recorded them, with disco instrumentation added later as a backtrack. The remaining six songs are still yet to be released.