Alicia Bridges
Encyclopedia
Alicia Bridges is an American
singer who co-wrote and performed her international hit "I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round)" in 1978.
, a small town in Cleveland County
. She sang from a very young age and learned to play guitar at the age of 10. At the age of 12 she had her own radio program, The Alicia Bridges Show, broadcast every Saturday on station WADA in Shelby, North Carolina
. Occasionally she would sing on the show but has said what she is most proud of is that she "ran all the dials, the turntables, cued the records and made all the announcements live on the air".
Hot 100 chart and also appeared on Billboard' s "Hits of the World" chart. The song was also in the #5 position on the Record World and Cash Box charts. It was also a "crossover" hit, receiving play even on country music stations. The cover of the 1978 self titled LP features an early skyline picture of Atlanta, Georgia
.
In 1978 Bridges was a Grammy nominee and was the opening act, performing "I Love the Nightlife". Bridges' self-titled LP, Alicia Bridges, was also rising on the Billboard, Cash Box and Record World charts and the LP remained on the charts for up to 35 weeks. Both the LP and the single release were international successes, and "I Love the Nightlife" went top 40 in the UK and Germany, Spain and other European countries. Bridges' music was especially popular in Japan as well. She received an RIAA Certified Gold Record for the sale of over one million copies of her hit single in the USA, as well as a gold record from Canada.
Contrary to the impression created by her success with "I Love the Nightlife", Alicia was primarily a singer of rock, blues and love songs. "I Love the Nightlife" has a definite back beat and organ similar to early 1970s R&B; the original intention was for "I Love the Nightlife" to be an R&B song, but when publishing mogul Bill Lowery
first heard the song, he envisioned it as a disco dance tune. Soon after, Jim Burgess
created a 12" single remix. Ultimately this mix became a worldwide hit. The song has been featured in several movies, including Love at First Bite
, The Last Days of Disco
and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
.
Bridges' second single, "Body Heat", was a rock song with strong electric guitar rhythms. It was a "rock/dance" song released at a time when there was some rivalry between disco fans and rock fans; this time period began to see more songs which mixed the genres of rock and disco to create a "rock/disco" flavor.
In November 2006 Bridges released a remixed and remastered compilation of her songs titled This Girl Don't Care.
In 2007 she released Say It Sister.
Her third CD, Faux Diva, was released in 2008; this included a remix of "I Love The Nightlife".
Bridges is currently active in the music community as a producer and DJ. Her works, digital versions of her recordings, a blog and videos can be found on her official web sites, aliciabridges.com, discoround.com and ilovethenightlife.com.
Bridges has been publicly lesbian since her early teen years. As a teenager Alicia realized she was "different from the rest", as she states in her self descriptive song "Diamond In The Rough". The issue was also publicly discussed during a 1998 interview for "The Advocate". Her 2006 album This Girl Don't Care is an aggressive compilation; the CD jacket has three pink triangles as part of the design graphics, as well as a pink triangle on the vest Alicia is shown wearing.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer who co-wrote and performed her international hit "I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round)" in 1978.
Early years
Alicia Bridges was born in Lawndale, North CarolinaLawndale, North Carolina
Lawndale is a town in Cleveland County, North Carolina, along the First Broad River. The population was 642 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lawndale is located at ....
, a small town in Cleveland County
Cleveland County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 98,078 people, 37,046 households, and 27,006 families residing in the county. The population density was 207 people per square mile . There were 40,317 housing units at an average density of 87 per square mile...
. She sang from a very young age and learned to play guitar at the age of 10. At the age of 12 she had her own radio program, The Alicia Bridges Show, broadcast every Saturday on station WADA in Shelby, North Carolina
Shelby, North Carolina
Shelby is a city in Cleveland County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 19,477 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cleveland County.-Geography:Shelby is located at ....
. Occasionally she would sing on the show but has said what she is most proud of is that she "ran all the dials, the turntables, cued the records and made all the announcements live on the air".
Discovery and fame (1970s)
In 1977 she was signed to Polydor Records. Her 1978 hit single "I Love the Nightlife (Disco 'Round)" reached number five on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 chart and also appeared on Billboard
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
In 1978 Bridges was a Grammy nominee and was the opening act, performing "I Love the Nightlife". Bridges' self-titled LP, Alicia Bridges, was also rising on the Billboard, Cash Box and Record World charts and the LP remained on the charts for up to 35 weeks. Both the LP and the single release were international successes, and "I Love the Nightlife" went top 40 in the UK and Germany, Spain and other European countries. Bridges' music was especially popular in Japan as well. She received an RIAA Certified Gold Record for the sale of over one million copies of her hit single in the USA, as well as a gold record from Canada.
Contrary to the impression created by her success with "I Love the Nightlife", Alicia was primarily a singer of rock, blues and love songs. "I Love the Nightlife" has a definite back beat and organ similar to early 1970s R&B; the original intention was for "I Love the Nightlife" to be an R&B song, but when publishing mogul Bill Lowery
Bill Lowery
Bill Lowery was an American music entrepreneur.-Early successes:Lowery was born in Leesville, Louisiana. He studied radio dramatics at Taft Junior College and went on to a number of radio-announcing jobs...
first heard the song, he envisioned it as a disco dance tune. Soon after, Jim Burgess
Jim Burgess (producer)
James Michael "Jim" Burgess was a disco record producer and New York DJ of the 1970s, and was variously referred to as "one of the hottest DJ's and Remixers of the Disco era"...
created a 12" single remix. Ultimately this mix became a worldwide hit. The song has been featured in several movies, including Love at First Bite
Love At First Bite
Love at First Bite is a 1979 comedy horror film directed by Stan Dragoti and written by Robert Kaufman, using characters originally created by Bram Stoker. It stars George Hamilton, Susan Saint James, Richard Benjamin and Arte Johnson. The original music score was composed by Charles Bernstein...
, The Last Days of Disco
The Last Days of Disco
The Last Days of Disco is a 1998 sardonic comedy-drama film written and directed by Whit Stillman and loosely based on his travels and experiences in various nightclubs in Manhattan, including Studio 54. The film concerns a group of Ivy League and Hampshire graduates falling in and out of love in...
and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian comedy-drama film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot is based on the journey of three drag queens who travel across the Australian Outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a tour bus that they have named...
.
Bridges' second single, "Body Heat", was a rock song with strong electric guitar rhythms. It was a "rock/dance" song released at a time when there was some rivalry between disco fans and rock fans; this time period began to see more songs which mixed the genres of rock and disco to create a "rock/disco" flavor.
Recent years
Alicia Bridges Music Publications was founded in 2006 and has produced three albums.In November 2006 Bridges released a remixed and remastered compilation of her songs titled This Girl Don't Care.
In 2007 she released Say It Sister.
Her third CD, Faux Diva, was released in 2008; this included a remix of "I Love The Nightlife".
Bridges is currently active in the music community as a producer and DJ. Her works, digital versions of her recordings, a blog and videos can be found on her official web sites, aliciabridges.com, discoround.com and ilovethenightlife.com.
Personal
Alicia Bridges is a vegetarian, uses only organic products, and is a strong supporter of animal issues. All of her pets are "rescues", either from animal shelters or from people who have abandoned their care.Bridges has been publicly lesbian since her early teen years. As a teenager Alicia realized she was "different from the rest", as she states in her self descriptive song "Diamond In The Rough". The issue was also publicly discussed during a 1998 interview for "The Advocate". Her 2006 album This Girl Don't Care is an aggressive compilation; the CD jacket has three pink triangles as part of the design graphics, as well as a pink triangle on the vest Alicia is shown wearing.
Albums
- 1978: Alicia BridgesAlicia Bridges (album)Alicia Bridges is the eponymous debut album from disco singer-songwriter Alicia Bridges, released in 1978 on Polydor Records. The album featured the smash hit single, "I Love the Nightlife ", which, when released as a 12" single Alicia Bridges is the eponymous debut album from disco...
(PolydorPolydor RecordsPolydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
, 1978) - 1979: Play It as It Lays
- 1984: Hocus Pocus
- 2002: The Collection: I Love the Nightlife (Compilation)
- 2006: This Girl Don't Care (Remixed & Remastered Compilation)
- 2007: Say It Sister (Remastered Compilation)
- 2008: Faux Diva (Remixed & Remastered Compilation)