Tag: Village People

The Village People’s straight frontman, Victor Willis, took to Facebook recently to make sure folks clearly understand that the band’s iconic gay anthem, “Y.M.C.A.” is NOT about the gays having a romp at their local Y. “I wrote 100% of the lyrics to Y.M.C.A., so I ought to know what my song is about,” Willis wrote. “Y.M.C.A. is one of the most iconic songs in the world. I will not stand idle and allow it to be defamed.” “Therefore, I will sue the next media organization, or anyone else, that falsely suggests Y.M.C.A. is somehow about illicit gay sex,” threatened the singer. “Get your minds out of the gutter please! It is not about that!” Willis, the original Cop character, left the band at its peak in 1980, but after lengthy court battles he rejoined the group in 2017. It was then that Willis began telling the press the song was never meant to be about gay sexual shenanigans. “It was not written to be a gay song because of the simple fact I’m not gay,” he told News.com.au in 2017. “I wrote it about hanging out in urban neighbourhoods in my youth. ‘You can hang out with all the boys’ was a term about me and my friends playing basketball at the Y. But I wanted to write a song that could fit anyone’s lifestyle. I’m happy the gay community adopted it as their anthem, I have no qualms with that.” In addition to “Y.M.C.A.,” Willis co-wrote many of the Village People’s biggest hits including “In the Navy,” “Macho Man,” and “Go West.”