The only porn star to have a top 10 hit
When you think about the connections between music and pornography, the first thing that will probably come to mind is the supposedly sensual and seductive funk backing tracks heard in the adult films of the 1970s. It’s a feature strongly associated with a specific era of the genre, which is rarely ever heard these days, and yet, if you hear that particular wah sound of a guitar, the mind will still conjure up images of blue movies that you’d much rather your knowledge of remained private.
Now, because of how taboo its source material is, even by today’s slightly more relaxed attitude towards discussing sexually explicit material, there aren’t many critically acclaimed porn soundtracks, or ‘porn groove’ records as they’re known, and god forbid if they ever reached a point of notoriety that they began to chart. As much as they’re amusing to listen to from time to time for the sheer novelty, if cafés started quietly playing cheesy porn soundtracks while I’m drinking my coffee, I think I’d struggle going out in public again for the sake of my sanity.
However, the lack of popularity of porn soundtracks doesn’t mean that those involved in the adult industry aren’t able to pursue careers in music, and outside of flashing their bits for the cameras, many pornographers have other creative outlets that they choose to dedicate their time to.
In fact, in 1975, while shooting a commercial in Jamaica, porn actress Andrea True found herself unable to transfer her earnings back to the US due to an imposed ban by the government, and instead decided to invest her money in studio time and pursue her interest in being a singer. This may seem like a drastic career change, but for True, it would appear that she possessed enough vocal talent to realistically have a chance of success rather than to be seen as a laughing stock.
After securing some studio time, she invited producer Gregg Diamond out to the island work with her on her debut record, and subsequently came up with More, More, More; a disco album released under the name Andrea True Connection that, while regarded as kitschy, was a serviceable attempt at the genre and showed a great degree of musical competence despite her own limited prior experience.
However, the highlight of the album was undoubtedly the title track, which was released as a single around the world, and has become regarded as something of an unlikely hit and dancefloor staple. ‘More, More, More’, frequently followed up with the parenthetical subtitle, ‘(How Do You Like It)’, is more flirtatious than it is actively smutty, and the singer’s origins as a pornstar didn’t seem to get in the way of the track picking up traction despite the considerably more prudish attitudes of the era.
In fact, she remains the only pornstar to have achieved a top ten hit on either side of the Atlantic, with it reaching number four in the US and number five in the UK. Its legacy has allowed it to be recognised in the same breath as other supposedly more legitimate pop hits from the era by established musical acts, and it’s the sort of song that can easily fill up the floor at any ‘70s disco night. People may want to argue about whether porn stars can truly act, but in the case of Andrea True, she could certainly hold a decent tune.
