Paper 1: Summative Task -Umer Fiaz

The lyrics of the song "Y.M.C.A," created by the American disco group "Village
People," is famous for different reasons. One way its legacy has been cemented is
through it still being played in schools and even sport stadiums. However, the
song's significance lies in another fact: it describes the Y.M.C.A(Young Men's
Christian Association). The lyrics of the song can be summarized as thus: it
conveys a scenario in which a person is reassures a certain "young man" that the
youth should have no reason to feel under the weather and should be happy
instead. The person then describes the Y.M.C.A as a place that is impregnable to
sorrow and gloom. The Y.M.C.A is further depicted as a shelter of sorts for young
men, Christian men specifically. Taking all of this into account, it can be concluded
that the lyrics were created by the "Village Group" in order to work towards the
wellness of young Christian men and raise awareness about the issues they face.

In the lyrics of the song, a vast variety of literary devices are employed. The use of
these stylistic devices allows the singer to effectively communicate his emotions
and what the song is trying to convey. The repetition of the lyrics is a stylistic
device which serves a dual-purpose. Emphasis of the overall message of the song
is achieved and it also continously reiterates that the Y.M.C.A is a place that young
men will have fun staying at and can have food and shelter. The verses "You can
stay there, and I'm sure you will find Many ways to have a good time" and "They
have everything for you men to enjoy" mention that there are various ways that
the men can entertain and enjoy themselves while staying at the Y.M.C.A. This is
in the form of recreation and also through socialization between the young men
as stated: "You can hang out with all the boys ...."

Another literary device that is utilized is slang. The song mentions "I said, young
man, when you're short on your dough." In this verse, the word "dough," which is
is slang for money, is used. Since the song mentions the shortage of money, this
implies economic difficulties. Moreover, this verse is symbolism as well since it is
a representation of the reccession in the 1970s, the age in which this song was
created. Therefore, it can be concluded that this verse declares that young men
facing economic difficulties can find shelter in the Y.M.C.A, from monetary
hardships.
Along with the song, the "Village People" disco group created a dance. This dance
is performed with the dancers singing the "Y.M.C.A" song. On the surface level, it
might appear that most elements of the dance are coincidential, such as the
location of the where the dance was performed. However, in actuality, the
majority of the things about the dance were chosen with great detail and care. In
other words, most of the components of the dance are of a large enough
significance that they influene the overall objective of it. As is depicted, the men
who partake in the dance all have different clothes and appear to be from
different backgrounds. However, they share some common traits as well, namely
that they all appear to be around the same age and that they all are relatively
young men.

In regards to the location of the performance, a question arises: why was the
dance performed specifically in the middle of a street? The answer to that is that
the dance was carried out in the street in order to garner attention. Also, as an
acknowledgement towards the song's gay roots, the performance was held on a
road, as was common for homosexual men of the time. The most important
feature of the dance was the physical appearance of each of the dancers. The
different physical characteristics also creates a unique identity for each of the
dancers. By having these men of different races and backgrounds dance with each
other and sing the "Y.M.C.A" song establishes that the Y.M.C.A accepts young men
of all cultures. One of the dancers in the group, Felipe Rose, was portrayed as an
"Indian" or in more appropiate terminology, a Native American. Portraying an
Aborginal man was of great importance because Native Americans are a minority
group and are a group of people which have been the target of discrimination. By
portraying a dancer as a member of an often stigmatized group, "Village People"
achieved an emphasis on the Y.M.C.A's acceptance of men of all cultures and
backgrounds and accomplished an increased awareness on the rights of targeted
ethnic groups.

One of the other dancers, Glenn M. Hughes, is the man sporting a horseshoe
mustauche and leather clothes. His appearance resembles that of a biker and
widely known as "Leatherman." The reason why Glenn M. Hughes's
"Leatherman" character in the dance was so iconic at that time was because it
represents a young biker, a hobby/profession which is commonly alluded to the
trait of masculininity or "manliness." Hence, the characters that the dancers
portray(aside from the Native American) represent manhood or known as, during
the age in which the song was created, as "macho." In fact, the dancers with the
exception of Felipe Rose, the man who portrays a Native American, were chosen
solely for their physical traits such as large muscles, in order to establish a
connection with the lyrics. The lyrics repeatedly mentions the words "boys" and
"young man." Consequently, in order to make an appropiate depiction of the
message the lyrics is attempting to express and to emphasize the YMCA's
acceptance which is exclusively of men, the dancers are men who can symbolise
core "masculine traits."

In the lyrics, there is a continous mention of men using nouns such as "boys." As a
result of this and the song composer's gay background, there is a common
misconception that the lyrics target gay men exclusively. This misinterpretation of
the songs intended meaning is incorrect due to the fact that the YMCA accepts
men of all sexualities. While the song did indeed solely target gay men, initially,
the focus of the lyrics has now shifted, as it became increasingly popular and
maninstream, to a wider audience: men of all sexualities.

On that account, we can now firmly say that yes, it is fun to stay at the YMCA.
Some critiques have asserted that the song is terrible due to it implying that
staying at a homeless shelter is fun. However, a counterargument to that is that
having shelter and relative safety is much more fun than having none at all.