Backstory of Diana Ross' hit "I'm Coming Out" - written by Nile Rodgers

[@txicocamotl]

What a LEGEND!

[@stevechappellie904]

I remember that time very well. I laughed it off because no one was going to tell me what or what not to listen to. I stuck with Disco and still love it AND dance music to this day.

[@mayeescalona9838]

I like his voice. He said so many interesting things.

[@adalbertobeats]

This man is a genius 🔥🔥🔥

[@2flyabove]

Nile is very well spoken. Thoughtful. Great interview.

[@k.y3551]

Most writers are.

[@SmartRobot-wc2fb]

@@k.y3551 Most black artists from his generation are/were well spoken. They came out from scratch but were eager to learn everything about the world like a sponge. Sadly, it's not like that anymore. Many nowadays black artists are all about twerking, big egos, slang and empty racism slogans.

[@miadorable6732]

Le freak was one of the first 45s I ever bought,,I still love that song.I had My Sharona too.Im coming out is the song I belt out when Im feeling super fabulous!

[@migrain45]

Wow, an amazing story, didn't know that Nile rogers and Diana Ross were still that close and that he had 2 interview her 4 the Album that they did together, what a great time in life and what a great Album that was and still is...

[@JS-Jms]

Mark Brown . Agree.

[@basheermuhammad7757]

Those that don't or can't dance, don't like disco. Dancing is part of our essence and genetic code. Perhaps out of arrogance or just hatefulness. They don't boogie. Maybe they need another Elvis. Good luck.

[@fuzzykyrra]

I can't dance but I love disco... and I am not hateful or arrogant 🤷‍♂️

[@txicocamotl]

@@fuzzykyrra It's just that you're so special.

[@bryanoquinnvevo]

Brilliant! -- He (Nile Rodgers ) so much reminds me of one of my earlier producers Chuck Walker Hit Sounds Music NYC :-)

[@Leftatalbuquerque]

I lived through this phenomena. It was scary - kids were beaten up at high school if they professed their love for Disco.

[@laseangary4656]

Greatest musical producer of all times

[@skyavalanche]

Such beautifully expressive hands

[@Bigeazy87]

Whether intended or not, the song also became a defacto gay anthem. Chic did fantastic work on this album, before and after. We are family (Sister Sledge) will be played at my funeral and Let's Dance (Bowie) will be played at my sister's. Their album with Madonna is my favorite of hers. God rest the souls of Bernard Edwards and Tony Thompson. And Mr. Nile, whom I met once and he was a true gentleman, I'm so happy you are still on this earth bringing some joy where we badly need it.

[@palmagenovese7490]

I can tell you that when I was 15 in 1979 I walked around saying, "Disco Sucks" and it wasn't because I was racist, it was because it was intimidating to me as a shy young girl. Just as many friends were rockers as disco admirers. Now I love both and look back on them with loving nostalgia. If I was some part of a wave of racism I had no clue about it.

[@roshelltannen9698]

Never realize what we have until it's gone. I was born in 1980, coming up. I've always loved disco. I'm jelly of those of you that got to enjoy 70s. Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Diana Ross classic.

[@GaryDelgado]

There are perverse people in any crowd. As Niles said, Disco Sucks started as a protest against a radio format change and a layoff. It snowballed into an expression of hate, racism, and homophobia. Many people didn't notice, except those to whom the hate was directed. I believe you when you say that wasn't your intention. I know gay people that were around at that time who have hated disco ever since, but they certainly weren't participating in the hateful elements of the protest. Also, I'm glad we're moving past "scenes" or music posses; we can love rock and disco and hip hop at the same time. It's all good music.

[@DavidEsp1]

First I ever heard of that campaign. As a U.K. teenager and an adolescent, I loved black music (Motown, Soul, Reggae) along with (what is now) Classic Rock. I grieved at their declining airplay to both Disco _and_ Punk. Also, back then, I associated disco with dance films - and worse still, my Mother liked it ! 😱. Only later when I acquired the belief and confidence to dance freely did I get it, and only now am I discovering and appreciating the warping influences of granitic geniuses like Nile.

[@pam0626]

Neil’s sound on I’m Coming Out and Bang a Gong are amaze balls.

[@brandontylerburt]

Such a creative genius.

[@Lovetolivetruely]

I would love to meet Niles.... I have always liked what 6 string guitar did in music and I love his style.

[@MsLove-lb1vz]

I love that song.. it's my new go to song

[@jonathanwilder5246]

It was an amazing time for music and a very strange time.I just remember people I knew who all had the Saturday Night Fever album and loved disco(here in white suburbia) suddenly overnight hated discs and were chanting “disco sucks!”.It seemed really hypocritical at the time to me and was an early clue to how messaging and peer pressure could steer people in one direction or another.Very sad.

[@Leftatalbuquerque]

I lived through it too. I was 14/15 when this happened. I was to find out in the near future that Disco would live on in the Gay clubs - the Post-Disco sound and Hi-NRG would carry on with singers like Nikki Lauren, Miquel Brown and The Weather Girls. Radio would play Laura Branigan and Irene Cara. I bought them all!

[@joannkelly7994]

They can say what they want, about disco, but guess what? The riffs on Le Freak (Freak Out)? To this day stands alone as one of the great musical arrangements. I know what a lot of great bands did not sometimes like some of their - if not biggest hits. So, Miss Ross didn’t like: I’m Comin’ Out! I hear 3 Dog Night didn’t like: Joy to the World. Folks just sing: How ‘bout that?! Thank you Nile Rodgers and Chic.

[@columbie1978]

Awesome musician

[@Amp1771]

i wanna know who wrote andf played that kick assdrum intro

[@Kohntarkosz]

It's worth noting it wasn't just one radio station that switched from rock to disco in the late 70's. It was radio stations all over the US. Rock groups were making disco records, to appease their record companies. A LOT of people were unhappy about that, not just one DJ who had been fired (incidentally, the DJ he's talkign about is named Steve Dahl, and he had actually been hired almost immediately by another station in Chicago, who actually backed the Disco Demolition promotion that he's talking about). Yeah, what he says it's true, the whole Disco Sucks thing got out of hand, but disco itself, or at least the way the record companies were handling things in 1979 was getting out of hand, as well.

[@wellingtonvarela7626]

You shouldn't because you're the greatest and they were too man you're awesome talented musician

[@Lovetolivetruely]

So I'm coming out isn't about homosexuality but Diana herself of which that was my initial belief even as a kid. I was 8 or 9 when it debuted. But over the years I was led to believe it was written for homosexuals to feel open about their sexuality because it became an anthem for the LGBTQ community.

[@cjwallace4559]

Pray he is recognized for all the great music he creates in Jesus Name

[@wellingtonvarela7626]

Man I came out drummer is awesome

[@seand67]

Awesome interview

[@thomasgibson5591]

Intriguing interview!

[@bopbop11]

he has a calming affect on me

[@TheChoralist]

Diana Ross Hated “I’m coming out” and she cried when she found it was a LGBT slang and accused Nile of trying to ruin her career. Boy was she wrong ....it solidified her as thee Diana we know today although she’s still be famous she crossed over

[@brianwoods9741]

Diana did not accuse Nile of trying to ruin her career, what Diana did was she asked Nile why was he trying to ruin her career there's a big difference what Diana actually said vs. what you said again the difference is she asked him why was he trying to ruin her career vs. what you said she accused him . Now if any accusing happened , at all the accusing came from you , you accused Diana of something she did not do . Listen more closely get an understanding of what's bring said , then you'll come to get and unstanding !me did not accuse anyone of anything but rather she simply asked ,and there is nothing wrong with asking , again if you don't know or understand something you're supposed to ask ,which is what Diana did , I'm just sayin !!!!

[@shanec9840]

@@brianwoods9741 Dude you make absolutely no sense. The accusation is in the question she posed to him.

[@brianwoods9741]

It makes sense it was meant for that individual not you

[@Lovetolivetruely]

@@brianwoods9741 made sense to me. Thank you.

[@Mouse01011]

@@shanec9840 agree that was quite the rant

[@BuckJoFiden]

In 79 I was 13. Everyone liked disco. Even if secretly. Like ABBA. Closet fans.

[@tracy7275]

Good times - great song - wasn’t born when it came out but every black person that’s ever been to a party knows the song

[@lloyddobbler3512]

The disco sucks thing maybe didn't start as racial, but it definitely at least became a racial thing. It got to the point where "disco sucks" really meant "fuck anything black". I moved to a new neighborhood in 1979, and got into a bunch of fights...and most of them started with " you like disco?". I was actually more into funk and hip hop at the time, but hey, I was the new black kid in the school(1 of like 5)

[@dtrn254]

I absolutely loooooove this story.

[@matthewwilkes1973]

Legend!

[@michaelhaynes6256]

Yes! Made them put it out!

[@luisvillar8320]

The Midas Touch should be renamed the Nile's only Nile's turn things he touch into Platinum.

[@raulcabral2089]

Sorry Motown company... shame on u!!... the chic version is much better!!

[@starsmeditations]

Master

[@Yoopsen213]

the way it’s regarded as a better LGBT song than Born This Way and its not even meant to be an LGBT song 😑

[@basheermuhammad7757]

Good luck children.

[@czg2012]

1:10 the "disco sucks" movement wasn't racist. there was enough radio stations to cater to disco and rock. disco was associated with nightclubs, dressing up, dancing. rock didn't require any of those. that's why rockers despised disco. many rock bands joined the disco apocalypse by recording one song in that 4/4 disco beat -- kiss, kinks, queen, rod stewart, rolling stones, john cougar, pink floyd, bryan adams, etc. even donna summer rocked out with the "hot stuff" song.

[@thereissomecoolstuff]

I agree it was the farthest thing from racist..it was media driven. We haven't learned yet

[@stevelangely8004]

Rock appealed to a white, male hetero aesthetic. Disco was popularized in underground Black, Latino, mixed-race and Gay clubs. Race and sexual identity were a dividing line.

[@dannyanime3468]

It was racists

[@nancy.x1013]

No ❤️

[@lloyddobbler3512]

Oh it sure as hell was racist. I got the scars to prove it. New black kid in my school in Old Bridge, NJ....1979....I got into sooo many fights that started with some shit about disco, and eventually someone would call me Kunta or some shit. That DJ who started the record demolition might not have meant it to be like that, but it sure as hell morphed into a racial thing.

[@Digginbehindthedikes]

big guy

[@AnAmericanScheme]

Billie Jean is Diana Ross, MJ's real Mother!!!

[@laquette100]

An American Scheme no

[@jainajahprice6233]

wrestlelamia

[@stevendrake9591]

The album should have been called "Diann" since that's her actual name.

[@CLSmooth_67]

It's Diane if you want to be accurate!

[@brianwoods9741]

Her name is called Diana which is her actual name because her & father did not dispute the error made on her birth certificate Diana is on her birth certificate then that's her name her close friends and family call her Dianne ,but they that's beside the point ,her parents left the mistake stand do legally her name is Diana.

[@akuapiatas]

I thought it was about gays lol