Donna Summer

Today's story is about Donna Summer; the multimillion-selling singer and songwriter whose hits captured both the giddy hedonism of the 1970s disco era and the feisty female solidarity of the early 1980s. With her doe eyes, cascade of hair and sinuous dance moves, Donna Summer became the queen of disco - the music’s glamorous public face - as well as an idol with a substantial gay following. Her voice, airy and ethereal or brightly assertive, sailed over dance floors and leapt from radios from the mid-70s well into the 80s.

Today's story is dedicated to my late friend Vasilis K, who worshipped Donna Summer. Wish you were here, buddy...

Summer was born LaDonna Adrian Gaines on Dec. 31, 1948, in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, one of seven children. Her father was a butcher and her mother was a schoolteacher. She grew up singing in church and decided in her teens to make music her career. In the late 1960s, she joined the Munich company of the rock musical Hair and relocated to Germany, where she became fluent in German and worked as a studio vocalist, in musical theater and briefly as a member of the Viennese Folk Opera. She married an Austrian actor, Helmuth Sommer, in 1972, and after they divorced she kept his name but changed the spelling. She had already recorded her first single under the name Donna Gaines, an unsuccessful remake in 1971 of the Jaynetts' Sally Go 'Round the Roses.

Here's Flesh Failures/Let The Sunshine In in German. Donna appears at 2:25.

And this is Der Wassermann (Aquarius):

Here she is, as Donna Gaines, with Sally Go 'Round the Roses:

Her work as a backup singer brought her to the attention of German-based producers, Italian Giorgio Moroder and Englishman Pete Bellotte. Her 1974 debut album with them, Lady of the Night, was released only in Europe. Her first single, The Hostage, was a big hit in Benelux: #1 in Belgium and #2 in the Netherlands:

The title track was also a hit in Benelux and it also appeared on the German chart (#40):

In 1975, Summer co-wrote and recorded a demo version of a seductive disco track called Love to Love You Baby, initially intending it for another artist. Her producers liked Summer's demo version so much that they decided to make it her song instead. The final version released in the United States, an unprecedented 17 minutes long, featured Summer's tantalizingly soft vocals and sensual moaning - sounds so suggestive, in fact, that many radio stations initially refused to play the song. Nevertheless, the path-breaking disco track became an overnight sensation, skyrocketing to #2 on the US singles chart, hitting the top 5 in most of the rest of the world, and serving as the titular track of her second album. This is the short, single version:

She said she recorded that song’s breathy, moaning vocals lying on her back on the studio floor with the lights out, thinking about how Marilyn Monroe might coo its words. This is the long, original version:

Love to Love You Baby was very influential through the decades:

In 1985 the medley which included Love to Love You Baby, I Feel Love, and Johnny Remember Me, by Marc Almond & Bronski Beat, was a top 3 hit in the UK:

In 1991 Samantha Fox released it as a medley with another disco classic, More, More, More:

In 2004 it was interpolated into the intro for Beyoncé's song Naughty Girl:

Whispering Waves showcased the quieter side of Summer:

Her next album, A Love Trilogy (1976), also contained a lengthy track, which was to be her second #1 hit on the US disco chart after Love to Love You Baby. It also occupied one side of the vinyl record and was called Try Me, I Know We Can Make It:

This is the short version that was released on 45 rpm:

Donna's reworking of Barry Manilow's Could It Be Magic was a #3 US disco hit. It also hit #2 in the Netherlands and #3 in Italy:

Four Seasons of Love, released on October 11, 1976, became her third consecutive successful album to be certified gold in the US. In addition, all the cuts on this album went to number one on the disco chart. This is Spring Affair:

... And this is Winter Melody:

I Remember Yesterday was released on May 13, 1977, and was certified gold in the US, the UK, and France. It also hit the top of the album chart in Spain - and made the top 10 in Austria, Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany.

Can't We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over) is a ballad and was released as a single in certain countries in 1977.

However, the B-side, I Feel Love caused such a stir that it was replaced as the A-side and became a landmark song in disco. The song is widely credited as "one of the most influential records ever made", originating electronic dance music. It was to be her only #1 hit in the UK and the first of two in Australia - it was a top 10 hit everywhere else:

The album's title track was a #14 hit in the UK:

... While Love's Unkind was a top 3 hit in the UK:

Meanwhile, Donna recorded the theme from the film The Deep, also released in 1977. The song was called Down, Deep Inside and it peaked at #3 on the US disco chart and hit the top 5 in the UK and Benelux.

1977 was a very busy year for Donna: Her next album Once Upon a Time, was released on October 31, 1977, and was certified gold in the US, the UK, France, and Canada. I Love You was the album's first single. It was her first US top 40 hit since I Feel Love and her last UK top 10 until MacArthur Park.

Rumour Has It made the top 20 in the UK and the Netherlands:

But she was increasingly uncomfortable being promoted as a sex goddess. "I'm not just sex, sex, sex," she told Ebony magazine in 1977. "I would never want to be a one-dimensional person like that."

She became so depressed that in late 1976 she attempted suicide, she wrote in her 2003 autobiography, Ordinary Girl: The Journey, written with Marc Eliot. She began taking medication for depression and seeking consolation in religion, becoming a born-again Christian in 1979.

Meanwhile, Saturday Night Fever had caused a big splash and everybody was trying to catch lightning in a bottle once more. Motown and Casablanca joined forces with Columbia Pictures to produce the film Thank God It's Friday, which, you've guessed it, took place in a disco. Thank God It's Friday features The Commodores performing Too Hot ta Trot, and Donna Summer performing Last Dance, which won the Academy Award for Best Song in 1978. The film features an early performance by Jeff Goldblum and the first major screen appearance by Debra Winger. It also features Terri Nunn who would go on to fame in the 1980s new wave group Berlin.

According to the song's co-producer and co-writer Bob Esty, Paul Jabara had locked Summer in a Puerto Rico hotel bathroom and forced her to listen to a cassette of him singing a rough version of Last Dance. Summer liked the song and Jabara asked Esty to work with him on an arrangement for Summer to make her recording. Esty recalls:

"I changed some of the chords and extended the 'hook' to repeat three times to finish the last phrase of the chorus. I also added a bridge to build to a climax and suggested a ballad intro à la Ain't No Mountain High Enough and another ballad in the middle of the song building again to a high note for the last chorus ending. To our knowledge, this had never been done in a disco track ... We did the piano/vocal with Donna and me of the full version including the two ballad sections and the ending in one 'pass' ... I recorded the full track in one day, rhythm in the morning, horns and strings during the day. That same night, Giorgio Moroder recorded Donna's vocal exactly as she sang the demo, in two takes, and banning me from attending the session. In spite of the fact Giorgio didn't like the song and didn't want Donna to sing in a full voice style, I thought I would be at least credited for co-producing the track and co-writing the song with Paul. He ultimately took credit for it. And Paul Jabara took the Oscar. I learned a bitter lesson from that." ... Here's the song:

Live and More was Donna's first live album. It was a double LP, released on August 28, 1978. The fourth side, however, was not live; it contained a new studio recording entitled MacArthur Park Suite, which is a medley of four songs including the main song MacArthur Park, originally recorded as a ballad by the Irish actor Richard Harris:

Summer's disco version was edited and issued as a single, and it became one of her biggest hits - her first number one song on the American Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, as well as in Canada, and a Top 5 song in the United Kingdom. This song also earned Summer a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Another song in the medley, Heaven Knows, was a US #4 hit and it featured vocals by Joe Esposito of the Brooklyn Dreams. That group included the musician Bruce Sudano, whom Summer would later marry.

Live and More would become Summer's first number one double album in the United States, and achieved double platinum status in the US. Her next album, however, Bad Girls, released on April 25, 1979, another double album, became the best-selling album of Summer's career, as well as the most critically acclaimed.

Hot Stuff and Bad Girls, were the first two singles to be released from the album. Both were huge hits and made number one on the American singles chart. The former also won Summer a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and became popular again in the 1990s when it was featured in The Full Monty and again in the film The Martian. Hot Stuff offered a unique blend of disco and rock:

Bad Girls was just as good - and the fusion of rock and disco was also present here. The inspiration for Summer to write the song came after one of her assistants was offended by a police officer who thought she was a street prostitute.

This is Liza Minnelli's version of Bad Girls:

Dim All the Lights was the third single and also became a huge hit, peaking at number two in the US:

Bad Girls would be Summer's final studio album for Casablanca Records, who ended 1979 with the release of a greatest hits double-album. The lead single from this album was a true diva sing-off, as Donna teamed with Barbra Streisand in No More Tears (Enough Is Enough). The single hit the top of the US and Swedish chart and was a top 3 hit in the UK, Canada, and Norway. This is the extended, 12-inch version:

This is the single version:

Another hit from her greatest hits album, which was also found on the soundtrack of Foxes, was On The Radio. It was a #2 hit in Canada, #5 in the US, and a top 40 hit in many other countries:

For her next studio album, Summer wanted to branch out into other formats of music but since she and Casablanca could not come to an agreement on her musical direction, Summer opted to sign a new deal with Geffen Records, the then-new label formed by David Geffen. Her first album with Geffen Records was more rock/new wave oriented. In the meantime, Casablanca chose to release more singles from the Bad Girls album into 1980: Sunset People and Walk Away, the latter of which became a moderate hit reaching the US top 40.

Sunset People was one of Summer's best album tracks:

Walk Away was also a good song:

As I've already mentioned, Summer became the first artist to be signed to the newly established Geffen Records. But by 1980, banners reading "disco sucks" were seen everywhere and disco records became flops. Summer decided to leave the disco sound behind. The new album was co-written and produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, who had produced the vast majority of Summer's hits since their partnership with her began in 1974. Production for The Wanderer was rushed, Geffen wanted to get new product out because of Casablanca's plans to release Walk Away, another greatest hits collection. "We would have liked to do more tweaking, and have more time for production. But we just had to let it go," said Harold Faltermeyer about the recording of the album. The album peaked at #13 in the US - selling 600,000 US copies and the title track hit #3 on the US singles chart.

However, two follow-up singles - Cold Love and Who Do You Think You're Foolin' - barely reached the Top 40. The album and its singles attained limited success on the UK charts. None of the singles cracked the UK Top 40. It's a pity because they were good songs. Cold Love even gained Summer a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

This is Who Do You Think You're Foolin':

Summer's rediscovered Christian faith was documented in the gospel song I Believe In Jesus, for which she also received a Grammy nomination for Best Inspirational Performance.

I'm a Rainbow was Donna's the ninth studio album (third double album). Recorded in 1981 but shelved, it would not be released until 1996. It failed to chart anywhere; however, Allmusic gave the album a positive review.

Over the years, songs from I'm a Rainbow were released on other compilations.

Highway Runner appeared on the soundtrack to Fast Times at Ridgemont High in 1982:

Romeo appeared on the Flashdance soundtrack (1983):

Her next album had her name as its title and was released on July 19, 1982. It featured the US Top 10, Grammy-nominated Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger):

State of Independence was a song written by Oscar winner Vangelis and Yes' vocalist Jon Anderson. It was originally released by the duo, as Jon & Vangelis. Their version wasn't a hit, but Donna's version was a #1 hit in the Netherlands and a #14 hit in the UK:

The Woman in Me, co-written by the Carpenters' lyricist John Bettis (with Michael Clark) peaked at #33 in the US:

Protection was written by rock'n'roll royalty; Bruce Springsteen. It was, however, only a minor hit in Spain (#26):

Meanwhile, a Patrick Cowley Remix of her classic I Feel Love almost made the UK top 20 (#21):

Recent litigation had determined that Summer still owed Casablanca Records an album. Donna decided to go with Michael Omartian as the producer to fulfill the contract. PolyGram (the then owner of Casablanca) issued these tracks on the Mercury label as She Works Hard For the Money with the title cut issued as advance single on May 10, 1983: the She Works Hard For the Money single became Summer's biggest hit since 1979 with a #3 peak on the Hot 100 in Billboard where it also spent three weeks at #1 on the R&B chart with this success impelling its parent album, released June 13, 1983, to #9.

The album also contained a reggae-styled song called Unconditional Love which featured vocals by young black British group Musical Youth. This was the album's second single, peaking at #14 in the UK and #43 in the US (#9 US R&B):

Love Has a Mind of Its Own, a duet with gospel singer Matthew Ward, was the album's third single, peaking at #70 in the US (#35 US R&B):

In the mid-1980s, Summer was embroiled in a controversy. She allegedly had made anti-gay remarks regarding the then-relatively new disease, AIDS. Summer, by this time a born-again Christian, was alleged to have said that AIDS was a punishment from God for the immoral lifestyles of homosexuals. Because of this alleged statement, thousands of her records were returned to her record company and she became the target of a boycott which hurt her career. Some years later, Summer publicly denied that she had ever made any such comment, and in a letter to the AIDS campaign group ACT UP in 1989 said it was "a terrible misunderstanding." In explaining why she did not respond to ACT UP sooner, Summer stated "I was unknowingly protected by those around me from the bad press and hate letters. If I have caused you pain, forgive me."

Because of the bad press Summer’s career waned in the mid-1980s. Pop fans paid little attention to two albums from that period, Cats Without Claws (1984) and All Systems Go (1987), and by the time she had reconciled with gay organizations, her hitmaking streak was broken.

From the former, this is There Goes My Baby (#21, US):

From the latter, Dinner With Gershwin became Summer's last US top 10 R&B hit and reached #48 on the US pop charts. It gave Summer her highest UK chart placing (#13) since the 70s, also reaching #13 in Ireland and #43 in the Netherlands:

Another Place and Time (1989) was produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman team, a hit factory in the UK in the mid-80s. When Geffen opted to drop Summer from the label roster without issuing the album, Warner Bros. Records, Summer's label of release in the UK and Europe since 1980, elected to issue the Another Place and Time album in those territories with the track This Time I Know It's for Real becoming a hit in the UK, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden; This Time I Know It's for Real had an especially strong impact in the UK with a spring 1989 peak of #3 affording Summer her best UK chart showing since 1977 when Love's Unkind peaked at #3

In the US, with the single losing chart momentum and sales because of imports; it was expeditious that a label be found for the North American market. In April 1989 Atlantic Records, Warner Bros. affiliate in the WEA conglomerate, acquired the Another Place and Time album for release in the US where it was boosted by the top Ten showing of This Time I Know I Know It's for Real, which reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Conversely, the parent album peaked at #53 on the Billboard 200 album chart, eventually selling approximately 255,000 copies in the United States. This is This Time I Know I Know It's for Real:

I Don't Wanna Get Hurt was another UK top 10 hit (#7):

Love's About to Change My Heart was a #20 hit in the UK and peaked at #3 on the US dance chart:

Her follow-up album, Mistaken Identity (1991), was not a commercial success and failed to chart on both the US top 200 and the UK album chart. The single When Love Cries did reach #18 on the US R&B charts:

Endless Summer: Donna Summer's Greatest Hits is a compilation album released in 1994. It featured two new tracks, the first of which, Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved), became a moderate hit when issued as a single (UK, #21):

Her next studio album took a very long time to materialize; it was released on May 20, 2008, and would, unfortunately, be her final studio offering. Crayons benefits from Summer's effortless energy; she was clearly into making this album, and her voice is as able and flexible as ever. However, almost all of the material with which she has to work would make more sense on an album by a female teen pop group from the UK or a young adult catering to the coffeehouse market. One exception, if only from a lyrical standpoint, is The Queen Is Back, where Summer refers to herself in the third person, as well as her past:

Summer died on May 17, 2012, at her home in Naples, Florida, aged 63. The non-smoker had been diagnosed with lung cancer, which she believed was caused by inhaling toxic fumes and dust after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City.

Music industry heavyweights spoke of their respect for Summer.

Sir Elton John said: "I'm so sad. This woman was the queen of disco and so much more. That she has never been inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace, especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted. Her records sound as good today as they ever did."

Quincy Jones, who produced albums for Summer, wrote on Twitter: "Rest in peace, dear Donna Summer. Your voice was the heartbeat and soundtrack of a decade."

Gloria Estefan wrote: "Few singers have impacted music and the world like Donna Summer! It’s the end of an era."

Kylie Minogue said that Summer was "one of my earliest musical inspirations," while the musician Moby said: "Words can't express the impact and influence she had on music. "

Aretha Franklin said: "So shocking to hear about the passing of Donna Summer. In the 70s, she reigned over the disco era and kept the disco jumping. Who will forget Last Dance? A fine performer and a very nice person."

Barbra Streisand added: "I was shocked to hear about Donna. She was so vital the last time I saw her a few months ago. I loved doing the duet with her. She had an amazing voice and was so talented. It’s so sad."

Not long before her death, Summer said that her foremost life aspiration was not related to singing. "What I aspire to in my life, truly, is to be loving," she said. "And I don't always achieve that, but that's my aspiration."

Goodbye, Donna...