Y.M.C.A. (song)

"Y.M.C.A." is a song by American disco group Village People, written by Jacques Morali (also the record's producer) and singer Victor Willis and released in October 1978 by Casablanca Records as the only single from their third studio album, Cruisin' (1978). A medley with "Hot Cop" reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart, while the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1979, placing behind both "Le Freak" by Chic and "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" by Rod Stewart. Outside the U.S., "Y.M.C.A." reached No. 1 on the UK singles chart in 1979, becoming the group's biggest hit and one of the best-selling singles with 12 million copies sold worldwide. In 2024, 46 years after its release, "Y.M.C.A." spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart.

The song remains popular and is played at many parties and sporting events in the US and Europe, with crowds joining in on the dance by spelling out the four letters of the song's title via arm movements. "Y.M.C.A." is No. 7 on VH1's list of "The 100 Greatest Dance Songs of the 20th Century". In 2020, "Y.M.C.A." was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In its official press release, the Library noted that "back in its heyday, 'Y.M.C.A.' was a hit around the world, going to No. 1 on the charts in over 15 countries, and its ongoing popularity is evidence that, despite the naysayers, disco has never truly died."