Not So Fun at the 'YMCA' – Victor Willis Plans on Suing Those Calling Song a 'Gay Anthem'

The song did become a cultural icon. According to its Wiki page: "In March 2020, the US Library of Congress added the song to its National Recording Registry, which preserves for posterity audio that is 'culturally, historically or aesthetically significant'. In December 2020, 'Y.M.C.A.' was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame."

Whether or not Willis wants queer associations with the group, a look at its history indicates their roots are intrinsically linked to queer culture. The Guardian puts it this way: "It is, however, undeniable that the Village People were put together in order to appeal to the burgeoning gay market as disco swept America in the late 70s. Their name comes from Greenwich Village, at that point New York's most vibrant gay neighborhood. In 1977, the French disco songwriter Jacques Morali made an album called Village People, on which Willis was the singer."

They add: "When it [the album] was a hit, Morali, who died of AIDS in 1991, recruited the band in New York gay clubs and via an ad which read: 'Macho Types Wanted: Must Dance And Have A Moustache.' He dressed them as fantasy gay male archetypes including a cowboy, leather man, cop, Native American and construction worker." It was cosplay before its time.

Then the Village People crossed over as disco hit its apex. The U.S. Navy even wanted to use their hit "In The Navy" as a recruitment song. They were offered permission by Henri Belolo, a record producer who formed the group along with Morali and Willis, if they would allow the group to use a real battleship to film the song's video. The Navy complied, and the group received access to the USS Reasoner, docked at the San Diego Naval base, to film the video on. The group also appeared with Bob Hope on a USO tour entertaining the troops. But their initial fame was short lived: An attempt to market them to movie audiences resulted in the disastrous "Can't Stop the Music," which won Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay at the first Razzie Awards.

By 1981, disco was dead. Attempts to reconfigure the group failed, and the group went on hiatus until 1987, when most of the original personnel regrouped and gained control of the name.

The group fared better in the 1990s, and by the early 2000s, the Village People were performing with Cher as part of her Farewell tour. In 2008 they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2012, Willis won a landmark lawsuit concerning copyright ownership that recaptured copyrights including "Y.M.C.A.," "Go West," "Magic Night," "Milkshake," and "In the Navy." In a later suit, Willis reclaimed ownership of the songs he had written with Morali, and had Belolo removed from co-writing credits for "Y.M.C.A." Willis continued his legal wranglings concerning the group's complicated ownership, and in 2017 gained control over its name and personnel. He named himself its lead singer, then found all-new personnel to back him up. Today he remains the only active original member to perform in the group.

In discussing the group's queer roots and subtexts in their music, Alexander Briley (the original G.I.) told EDGE in a 2010 interview: "The group is and has always been comprised of gay and straight performers. The tongue-in-cheek image and characters portrayed by the group has always been open to interpretation by the audience. Family groups see the group as fun; gay groups see the group as gay icons."

And David Hodo, who was the group's second cowboy and was part of the groups' success during their first mainstream success, told Spin Magazine about the song's genesis: "It was 1977, and we were leaving a photography session on 23rd Street. Jacques Morali saw the big pink YMCA on 23rd and asked, 'What is this YMCA, anyway?' And after laughing at his accent, we told him the Y was a place where you could go when you first came to New York when you didn't have any money – you can stay there for very little. And of course, someone joked, 'Yeah, but don't bend over in the showers.' And Jacques, bless his heart, said, 'I will write a song about this!'"

But Randy Jones, the group's original cowboy, claims Hodo was "a bit off" in his recollection, saying that he worked out at the McBurney YMCA on 23rd Street and took Morali there a number of times, noting that the gay producer was impressed by meeting Jones' work-out buddies, many of whom worked in the porn industry.

Jones added: "It was not intended as a gay anthem. Do you have the lyrics in front of you? There's nothing gay about them. I think Victor wrote the words, but it's all a big fucking mystery." To which Hodo disagreed, telling Spin: "'Y.M.C.A.' certainly has a gay origin. That's what Jacques was thinking when he wrote it, because our first album [1977's 'Village People'] was possibly the gayest album ever. I mean, look at us. We were a gay group. So was the song written to celebrate gay men at the YMCA? Yes. Absolutely. And gay people love it."