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Y.M.C.A. (Abridged)(WORD)
Y.M.C.A. (Abridged)(PDF)
YOU CAN PLAY ALONG WITH THE FIRST VIDEO, if you detune your ukulele to F#, B, D#, G#! I've created the songsheet using the first video, which is supposedly the original 1978 recording from Village People's Cruisin' album. On BUG night, we'll use the abridged songsheet!
“Y.M.C.A.” was the only single from Village People's third studio album and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. The song’s popularity also led to the creation of a dance that originated during Village People’s January 6, 1979 appearance on the TV music program American Bandstand. The creation of the song is quite interesting. It reportedly started out as a filler song for the album “Cruisin'” and took a total of 20 minutes to write. The song was co-written by Victor Willis and Jacques Morali and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The YMCA that inspired Victor Willis to write the lyrics to the song was the McBurney YMCA on West 23rd Street in New York City where he hung out in his younger days. The term ‘Y.M.C.A.’ stands for Young Men’s Christian Association, an organization that began building single-room occupancy facilities in the 1880s to house people from rural areas.
When Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo, and Victor Willis, first came up with the idea of forming a performance group based on macho types, which they called Village People, they put out an advert for macho dancers that must have a mustache. Originally, Victor Willis was only supposed to be a backing singer. But he quickly took over as not only the lead singer but also as the main writer. The only album not written by Willis was their debut album, Village People, which was released in 1977. Willis went on to write all their biggest albums and hits.
And finally, here's one interesting article for those who are interested in the "gay" questions surrounding the song, and another article suggesting a Canadian origin.
Our favourite Canadian band, Walk Off The Earth, gave this song new life in August 2023 in a version to support the new YMCA mental wellness program, Y Mind – available now across Canada at 20+ YMCA Associations. Y Mind helps teens and young adults cope with stress and anxiety with the help of mental health pros. It's the last video below.