"Don't Leave Me This Way" may well be the greatest disco song ever recorded. Thelma Houston's signature hit topped the U.S. charts in 1977, landed in the Top Ten in more than a dozen other countries, and earned the first Grammy ever awarded to a solo female Motown Records artist. The track also has all the hallmarks of a disco-era floor-filler: lush orchestration over a classic drum beat, a killer bass line, and a diva's voice on an explosive chorus. More than that, though, "Don't Leave Me This Way" has achieved something few songs do: it has become a cultural touchstone, with a meaning and resonance that extend far beyond its moment in the limelight. Though Houston may be forever remembered for just one song, that song will be remembered forever.
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