This is yet another previous Out There! article I wrote for Sonic Clash about a very obscure novelty song about the legendary Studio 54. Enjoy!
I’ve always said that if I could ever go back in time, I’d love to experience New York City during the Summer Of Sam. The mean streets, the peep shows, the filth. But most of all I would want to turn the beat around at Studio 54. I’ve talked to a few people who have been there back in 1977 and they refuse to discuss it because either they were too coked up to remember or choose not to remember what they did there so their spouse never know.
Studio 54 was known for the drugs, the mix of random celebrities, the tunes, and of course the debauchery. Open sex on the dance floor, cross dancers, and owner Steve Rubell being obnoxious as all hell. This place wasn’t just a dance club, it was the buzz of the pop culture world, and the place you had to be if you lived in the metropolitan area. So much so that a band recorded a song about how difficult it was to get in. We all have heard the story of Chic’s classic 1978 song Le Freak being a reaction to not getting into the club. Nile Rodgers is adamant that the song was originally called “Fuck off! Who knows? The song that really defines Studio 54 to me was a little-known novelty tune by Dana And Gene called Dario (Can You Get Me Into Studio 54) in 1979 which was a tribute to the guy at the velvet rope who gave access to the club.
This probably may be the obscurest of the obscure songs I’m going to feature in this article. Good luck finding this one. It’s not on any music sites, compilation albums, Yadda yadda. It took us a few months for us to track it down. It was released as a 12″ single, but didn’t chart on the Top 100 Single chart, although it may have hit the Dance Charts. It’s your typical cheesy disco tune with the catchy bass groove, electric drum beat, and strings.
Dario is a fun little song that pays tribute to one of the most influential dance clubs in our nations’ history. Is it one of the most influential disco songs of the 70s’? No way! Is it one of the best novelty tunes? Maybe. Is it one of the rarest songs to find from the 70’s? Absolutely! Youtube doesn’t even have a video for it. The closest I got was what you see below: A cover version by Kid Creole which doesn’t do the original tune much justice.
I wonder if Dario would grant access to me and my brother? Probably not!
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