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Village People - "Y.M.C.A."

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Printed Date: 11 May 2025 at 2:29pm
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Topic: Village People - "Y.M.C.A."

Posted By: crapfromthepast
Subject: Village People - "Y.M.C.A."
Date Posted: 11 July 2009 at 7:43pm

According to MMathews from a post in 2005:

Shortly after the lead singer was replaced (if I recall, by his brother) the new singer re-cut the lead vocal track over the same backing track.

I don't know how I missed this all these years, considering that I used those very CDs to DJ dozens and dozens of frat parties, weddings, you name it. It was my main source for the song for the first few years of the radio show, and no one caught it! I wouldn't have even noticed it, if not for this forum.

The new lead singer is certainly capable, but his voice is a little higher than the original singer, and you'd certainly be able to tell which was which in an A/B test.

I have this alternate vocal take on these CDs:

Silver Eagle's Dancin' The Night Away (1988)
Priority's Mega-Hits Dance Classics (Volume 3) (1989)
Time-Life's Sounds Of The Seventies - 1979: Take Two (1991)
Rhino's Billboard Top Dance Hits - 1978 (1992 - for shame, Rhino!)

The last one is particularly egregious, since Rhino had already put out a proper 45 version on a Greatest Hits and a Disco Years CD.

It appears that all the 4:00 versions use the wrong vocal take. All of the version I have that run 3:4x use the hit vocal take.

Replies:

Posted By: budaniel
Date Posted: 13 July 2009 at 8:00am

I believe the alternate vocal take was originally recorded for the movie and soundtrack of "Can't Stop the Music." That was the first place I ever heard the second singer doing the vocals. Oh, and it wasn't his brother who replaced him. I believe it was the brother of Valerie (Ashford &) Simpson.