Peak
1
Weeks
21
Score
3,752
Chart Year
1976
A family group with nine members (all with the last name "Sylver"), The Sylvers later charted with the songs "Hot Line" (#3) and "High School Dance" (#17). They also appeared in the 1979 film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. For a better look at the disco goodness they were pushing out in 1976, check out the Showcase album cover. You could play an interesting game called "Which song title containing the word 'boogie' from the '70s could make us all blush now?" There's Kool & the Gang's "Jungle Boogie," or perhaps "Boogie Shoes" by KC & The Sunshine Band, and let's not forget Taste of Honey's "Boogie Oogie Oogie." So "Boogie Fever" doesn't sound too bad by comparison, after all... right? The Sylvers were well-suited to their time; but their time just happened to be an alternate dimension when we look back on it now. For all of that, they really put their all into the show - note the brass section and disco-style piano work on this piece. Hey, listen to it again, it's catchy. What else did club dancers demand? Come to that, what more do they demand now? Interesting history in the lyrics: The first verse describes a scene at the drive-in movie. Drive-ins were a very big deal back then, but the speaker they're describing were these big, clunky metal things on a wire hung on a pole beside each space. You'd drive up, roll down (not button down) your window and hook the speaker over your window on both sides - instant stereo-car! Also great fun when people drove off without remembering to put the speaker back, resulting in a lot of uprooted speaker poles being dragged to the exit. There is only one cure for Boogie Fever: a transfusion of disco music. In this song, the singer's girl is afflicted, so everywhere they go, that funky disco sound has to play. Even at the drive-in, they can't listen to the movie, which is actually a pretty trippy way to watch King Kong. This was written by Freddie Perren with his partner Kenneth St. Lewis, and Perren produced the track. Perren is known for producing Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and Peaches and Herb's "Shake Your Groove Thing."
Boogie fever, got to boogie down Boogie fever, I think it's going around I took my baby to the drive-in show She turned the speaker down And then she turned on the radio I watched a silent movie, diggin' funky sound [Chorus] She's got the Boogie Fever She likes to boogie down Boogie Fever I think it's going around I took my baby too the pizza parlor to get a bite to eat I put some money in the jukebox for her You know she ate her pizza dancing to the beat [Chorus] (All night long, we did the bump, bump, bump) Yes we did, yes we did, yes we did, yeah. (She kept it going strong) doin the bump, bump, bump I called the doctor on the telephone Said Doctor, Doctor, please I got this feeling Rocking and a'reeling Tell me, what can it be, is it some new disease? They call it Boogie fever You got to boogie down Boogie fever, I think it's going around (All night long, we did the bump, bump, bump) Yes we did, yes we did, yes we did (We kept it going strong) doin the bump, bump, bump Everybody's got the Boogie fever You got to boogie down Boogie fever, I think it's going around I got the Boogie Fever You got the Boogie Fever Everybody's got the Boogie Fever
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 14, 1976 | 84 | 42 |
| 2 | Feb 21, 1976 | 74 | 52 |
| 3 | Feb 28, 1976 | 60 | 66 |
| 4 | Mar 6, 1976 | 49 | 77 |
| 5 | Mar 13, 1976 | 40 | 86 |
| 6 | Mar 20, 1976 | 35 | 91 |
| 7 | Mar 27, 1976 | 25 | 101 |
| 8 | Apr 3, 1976 | 16 | 110 |
| 9 | Apr 10, 1976 | 7 | 119 |
| 10 | Apr 17, 1976 | 5 | 121 |
| 11 | Apr 24, 1976 | 4 | 122 |
| 12 | May 1, 1976 | 3 | 123 |
| 13 | May 8, 1976 | 3 | 123 |
| 14 | May 15, 1976 | 1 | 125 |
| 15 | May 22, 1976 | 4 | 122 |
| 16 | May 29, 1976 | 13 | 113 |
| 17 | Jun 5, 1976 | 14 | 112 |
| 18 | Jun 12, 1976 | 14 | 112 |
| 19 | Jun 19, 1976 | 25 | 101 |
| 20 | Jun 26, 1976 | 49 | 77 |