Disco Dancer is a 1982 Indian Hindi/Bollywood feature film directed by Babbar Subhash, starring Mithun Chakraborty in the lead role and Rajesh Khanna in a special appearance plays the mentor of the lead hero. The film tells the rags-to-riches story of a young street performer. It is especially known for its filmi disco songs composed by Bappi Lahari and dance of Mithun Chakraborthy. Songs including "I am a Disco Dancer" and "Yaad Aa Raha Hai" (picturized on Mithun and sung by Vijay Benedict and Bappi Lahiri) and "Goro Ki Na Kaalo Ki" (picturised on Rajesh Khanna and sung by Suresh Wadkar with Usha Mangeshkar) became very popular.

The film was a worldwide success, with its popularity extending across Southern and Central Asia, Eastern and Western Africa, the Middle East, East Asia, Turkey and Soviet Union. It was one of the most successful Indian films in the Soviet Union, drawing an audience of 40 to 63 million viewers there. Disco Dancer established Mithun as a household name in Southern Asia and the Soviet Union. In China, the soundtrack was a success and received an award.

"Disco Dancer" is a song written by Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald V. Casale and recorded by American dance-pop band Devo. It was the first Devo single that was recorded without drummer Alan Myers, who was replaced by former Sparks drummer David Kendrick. It was released in 1988 as the first single of their seventh studio album, Total Devo.

Concept

According to Devo bassist and co-songwriter Gerald Casale: "Me and Mark [Mothersbaugh] had an idea of a like a John Travolta fell into a rip van winkle sleep you woke up the character Travolta in Saturday Night Fever woke up fifteen twenty years later at the world. What a nightmare it would be for him and we thought that was quite humorous."

Music video

A video was made for "Disco Dancer," using a slightly remixed version of the track by producer Ivan Ivan. According to Casale, the video failed to receive airplay after first being aired on MTV's "Smash or Trash?," in which a video was aired and viewers would call in and vote on it. The video was "trashed" and MTV refused to air it after that.