", which unexpectedly became the unofficial hymn and powerful advertising tool for the YMCA,[1] the group took on another national institution, the United States Navy.

The Navy contacted group manager Henri Belolo to use the song in a recruiting advertising campaign for television and radio.

[2] In a landmark ruling in 2012, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California ruled that under the Copyright Act of 1976, co-writer Victor Willis (Village People's "Cop"/"Naval officer") can recover his share of the copyrights to songs co-written by him.

"[5] Cash Box said it has "a vibrant beat, powerful horns, sweeping strings and another knock-out campy lyric.

In the Black Mirror episode "Loch Henry", characters create a parody of "In the Navy" where they change the song's lyrics as a form of gallows humor while describing a site where murders had taken place.