It was December 30th 1978 and I was the D.J. for a staff Christmas/New Year's party for a car dealership at the Arlington Park Hilton convention center in one of the banquet rooms there, and I was about a half hour into the night when someone asked for YMCA, and I'll never forget it, probably around 100 people there and by the time the song was half done literally everyone in the room including a couple of the waitstaff that had been clearing tables, were up on the floor doing the dance. 

Throughout recorded history all the way back to the early 1900's with the foxtrot, the Charleston, the jitterbug and into the 50's 60's Twist and "dance craze" era I had never seen or heard of anything that had ever gotten this kind of response before. The Village People at that point already had 2 major hits with Macho Man and In the Navy but this was something that went beyond anything anyone could have predicted and I stood and watched this room with nearly everyone, even the people that didn't get up from their chair for anything else the rest of the night out on the floor doing this dance and couldn't believe what i was watching. 

Victor Willis had a distinct voice and even though their heyday was somewhat short lived in pop culture this song and the dance is one of those that will never be forgotten and has also won numerous awards and has also been added to the library of congress. To this very day people still do this dance in every life and is one of pop history's unforgettable timepieces. Rest In peace Victor....