Donna Summer was born as Adrian Donna Gaines on 31 December 1948 in Boston, America. In 1968 she auditioned for a role on Broadway in the musical Hair. She was not accepted, but some time later she did get a major role in Haare (Hair) in Munich. She stayed in Germany, did modelling work and some backing vocals in the studio. She also married the Austrian Helmut Sommer, whose surname she continued to use after their divorce.
In Munich she met producer Giorgio Moroder. Under his production the track 'The Hostage' was recorded in 1974, her debut hit in the Netherlands which reached second place in the charts. 'Lady Of The Night' also became a hit that same year, but in England and the US her breakthrough only came in early 1976 with the hit 'Love To Love You Baby', again a production by Giorgio Moroder. This collaboration was the start of a long series of hits. The song 'I Feel Love' became her first number 1 hit in England and the Netherlands in 1977. A year later Donna topped the US charts with 'MacArthur Park'.
In the Netherlands a 1974 performance in Sjef Van Oekel's Discohoek caused quite a stir. The comedian Dolf Brouwers, aka Sjef van Oekel, introduced her and then deliberately dropped his papers. Donna Summer sat on the arm of an armchair and sang 'The Lady Of The Night' while Van Oekel crawled around looking for his papers and tried to peek under Summer's skirt. She crossed her legs decently.
When disco music reached its commercial peak in 1978-80, Donna scored hit after hit worldwide. 1979 was Donna Summer's top year: 'Hot Stuff', 'Bad Girls' and 'No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)' all reached number one. But in the early 1980s disco music was on its last legs and success waned. Perhaps somewhat influenced by her husband, who was a rock musician, she wanted to make rock music. That choice was brave but did not turn out well. Moreover, she got into conflict with her record company. To get out of her contractual obligations she quickly delivered a number of weaker albums including 'I’m A Rainbow', which remained shelved for no less than 15 years.
In 1979 Donna Summer recorded “No More Tears” with Barbra Streisand. It is also found on Streisand's album Wet, but in a slightly different and shorter version than the 11-minute original, the first half of which is performed as a ballad. It never became a duet in live performances. After Summer's death in 2012, Streisand sang a short fragment as a tribute during her Back To Brooklyn tour.
After a long battle with lung cancer, which she claimed to have contracted from inhaling toxic particles during the 11 September 2001 attacks, Donna Summer died on 17 May 2012 at the age of 63. She left behind her husband, their two daughters, a daughter from a previous marriage and four grandchildren.
Over 187 million Donna Summer albums have been sold. She won Grammy Awards in 1978 (Last Dance), 1979 (Hot Stuff), 1983 (He's a Rebel), 1984 (Forgive Me) and 1997 (Carry On). Last Dance received an Oscar for Best Original Song, but the award is credited to Paul Jabara, who wrote the lyrics and music. She did receive a Golden Globe nomination for Down Deep Inside (1977), among other distinctions. She has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "I Feel Love" has been named the most innovative and revolutionary song in pop music of recent decades.
In the Top 2000 of 2020 Donna Summer is listed with three songs:
- I Feel Love
- State of Independence
- Mac Arthur Park
Sunday Morning Classic: Love to Love You
On 28 February 2021 Donna was our guest as Sunday Morning Classic with the album "Love to Love You".
If I played the nearly 17-minute moaning classic "Love to Love You Baby" for 100 people, I think a few of them would faint during the song. I've heard many songs that make me afraid my neighbours will hear what I'm listening to. "Love to Love You Baby" is a song I know my neighbours hear every time I listen to it.
It is epic. In 1975 the wildest songs women had sung were "I Feel the Earth Move" by Carole King and "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin (both written by Carole King). Then came "Love To Love You Baby".
The 5-minute single version gives a good feeling, but the album version is even more breathtaking. Wait, I think I heard something like this song on Beyonce's "Naughty Girl". Oh yes – she sang one line, but in my opinion it was rather flat. Beyonce sounded like the girl next door drinking water.
The title track is one of the most important songs in music. It inspired female artists worldwide to express their sexuality without fear. With a song like this becoming a hit, it's easy to show every drop of it. But the truth is the only song I've heard that equals this one is Lana Del Rey's "Cola".
The song sounds like something that inspired all the 2000s pop songs with female fronts, and also most of the '80s and '90s. People usually credit Madonna, but in fact Donna Summer paved the way for Debbie Harry, Kim Wilde and many more to express themselves.
The other side is often forgotten. Yet "Need-A-Man Blues" is one of her strongest songs. Also "Pandora's Box" is fantastic. "Full of Emptiness" with its reprise shows her emotional side. "Whispering Waves" is my least favourite track here. Still, it is good enough to be here.
This may not be the most typical disco album. It has many soul elements. It is perhaps Donna Summer's second best album in my opinion, with the best being "I Remember Yesterday".
source: Jan Liebregts, Wikipedia and NPO photo: public domain and Szyszka2812
