Songfacts®:

• Perhaps inspired by John Travolta's character in Saturday Night Fever, this song is about a disco Lothario who knocks 'em dead on the dance floor. Unusual at the time, there are some brand-name product mentions in the song, as we hear about the designers he's wearing: Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci.
• This was written and produced by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, leaders of the disco band Chic. Sister Sledge had been on Cotillion Records for four years, with just two minor hits to show for it, both in 1975: "Mama Never Told Me" (#20 in the UK) and "Love Don't You Go Through No Changes On Me" (#92 in the US). They were considering leaving label and pursuing their academic interests (all four of the sisters in Sister Sledge eventually earned degrees from Temple University), when Edwards and Rodgers took them on and produced their third album, We Are Family. "He's The Greatest Dancer" was their first big hit, and the next single, the album's title track, was even bigger.
• Kathy Sledge sang lead on this one and also on "We Are Family." She's the youngest of the four Sledge sisters in the group, 19 when the song was recorded.
• According to Kathy Sledge, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers planned to keep this song for their band Chic and have Sister Sledge record "I Want Your Love," but they ended up keeping that one and giving the sisters "He's The Greatest Dancer."
  
  "I think that was more Bernard's call," Kathy told Headliner Magazine. "I think Bernard was more of the lyricist, and he felt like this song would be better for these girls to sing, and he was right."
• Edwards and Rodgers had proven themselves with their group Chic and were given the opportunity to produce any band on the label. They chose Sister Sledge because they were young, clearly talented, and willing to go along with whatever they came up with.
• The We Are Family album was recorded around the same time as Chic's second album, C'est Chic. Many of the same musicians played on both albums, which were both recorded at The Power Station in New York City. "He's The Greatest Dancer" and Chic's "I Want Your Love" were popular at the same time, both peaking on the American charts in May 1979.
• The line, "My crème de la crème, please take me home," is a bit suggestive, but Kathy Sledge says it went over her head. "I was very naive," she told Headliner. "I felt like, 'Yeah, take me home - you're gonna marry me.'"
• Luther Vandross sang backup. He was a young singer at the record label still looking for his first hit.
• Will Smith lifted the "He's The Greatest Dancer" groove for his massive 1998 hit "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It." Many of his young fans had no idea it was a sample.
• The song has been used in episodes of RuPaul's Drag Race, and also in the movies The Hot Chick (2002) and Roll Bounce (2005).
• Lola Falana performed this song on The Muppet Show in 1979 with the muppets Doglion, Fletcher Bird and Timmy Monster taking turns as her dance partner. Gonzo also busts a move.