Indian songs ride high-speed humor train to China

I don't sing in the shower. I perform. And, like a tape running on loop, I have been performing one song for the past few weeks, albeit in three languages (apologies to my neighbors). My uninhibited release of endorphins, or the feel-good hormone, is not spurred by my emotional connection with the original French track, or by the fact that its Indian version features a famous actor from my hometown, but by a hysterical parody made by a group of Chinese vloggers.

T'es OK, T'es Bath, T'es In (You're OK, You're Great, You're In), a peppy number released by the French band Ottawan in 1980, managed to fossilize the ethos of an era. The moving lyrics, which go on to say how "life is easier when lived together" and how "happiness is less fragile when you're in love", resonated with fans (including me) of probably one of the music industry's most short-lived genres — disco.

Systemic racism and homophobia in the United States led to the birth of disco in underground clubs in the late 1960s, and the up-tempo music — characterized by repetitive vocals and syncopated beats — reached its peak popularity across continents in the 1970s. The disco craze died quickly after 1979, but not before it left a lasting impact on music production worldwide.