Once Upon a Time at the Top of the Charts: KC and the Sunshine Band, “I’m Your Boogie Man”

38 years ago today, songwriters Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch put on their boogie shoes and danced their way to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the fourth time in the career of K.C. and the Sunshine Band.

Reportedly written about Miami DJ Robert W. Walker, the first man to give “Get Down Tonight” airplay, “I’m Your Boogie Man” helped K.C. and the Sunshine Band maintain the momentum they’d achieved from scoring #1 singles with “Get Down Tonight,” “That’s the Way (I Like It),” and “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty” and, in turn, allowed Casey and Finch to reap further financial benefits before the death of disco.

Indeed, “I’m Your Boogie Man” proved to be the last full-fledged disco track by the Sunshine Band to hit the top of the charts – because even though “Please Don’t Go” also hit #1, it’s decidedly more of a ballad – but the song continues to be a dance floor favorite even now. It also scored new life as a result of White Zombie’s menacing cover of the track for the 1997 film The Crow: City of Angels, but when it comes to deciding which version is the real classic, the cover might’ve earned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance, but be it early morning, late afternoon, or midnight, you can never go wrong with the original.