Britt Ekland's Private Party

Sometimes I get a bit carried away with the modern music scene and forget the whole reason I started this blog - to celebrate the glittering underbelly of pop. Two songs that screams POP TRASH in capital letters are Britt Ekland's stunning disco flop "Do It To Me (Once More With Feeling)" and its fabulous B-side "Private Party". From the hilarious cover to the cheap and tawdry lyrics, these sublime anthems represent everything I love about music. They're camp, utterly irreverent and come with a nude foldout poster! Britt's pop career might have only lasted for the one single but she sure did go out in a blaze of glory.

Until recently I had no idea that Britt ever dabbled in music. Like most people, I only knew her as a Bond girl and general media whore. I should have guessed that the Swedish bombshell would have been sucked into the disco craze like every other starlet with a shred of notoriety in the 1970s. And as far as novelty disco anthems go, "Do It To Me (Once More With Feeling)" is surprisingly accomplished. The production - courtesy of Joel Diamond - is vibrant and the chorus is seriously catchy. I love the spoken breakdown in French towards the end and the classy lyrics are an endless source of joy. Admittedly, Britt can barely speak English let alone carry a tune but her vocal incompetence just makes the proceedings even more fabulous. Listen to this hot mess here.

As much as I adore "Do It To Me (Once More With Feeling)", the B-side is even better. "Private Party" is basically a four and half minute party invitation with some of the cutest lyrics in disco history. I particularly love it when Britt purrs "it's a private party and not everyone can come, you gotta know the in-crowd if you want to join the fun!" The song also benefits from a great brass section and more prominent backing vocalists. It's a shame this wasn't the A-side but (given the cover) they were obviously hoping sex would sell and this gem is more camp than sleazy. Listen to "Private Party" below:

Private Party


Unfortunately for Britt, the single was a massive flop and she never recorded another one. It's probably for the best. The world obviously wasn't ready for a 37 year old nude pop star!