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When young Donna Gaines first started to sing in a Boston
church she moved the parishioners to tears. At that moment the
voice of God told her: "You're gonna be famous." The
girl knew that she was destined for greatness and grew up to
become Donna Summer, a true diva with talent, class and style.
Donna Summer emerged as disco's only truly talented female
vocalist with one of the great voices of all time. To date,
Donna has racked up 11 gold albums and 3 platinum albums (2 of
which went double platinum). Additionally, she has had 12 gold
singles and 2 platinum singles...
Apart from being disco diva and sex symbol Donna Summer is
also one of the most innovative and influential female
popsingers to have emerged in the 70's. In her long and varied
career Donna has worked with people like Bruce Springsteen and
Barbra Streisand, has sung tunes written by Jimmy Webb and
Vangelis, and has written or co-written most of her
repertoire. She may always be remembered as the queen of disco
but that title doesn't really do her justice, knowing she can
master virtually every field in today's popular music. This
extraordinary diva/singer/songwriter is the only act in the
world to have won a Grammy Award in the rhythm & blues,
rock, inspirational and dance categories.
La Donna Andrea Gaines was born on December31,1948 in
Boston,as the third of seven children. Her first musical idol
was legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. Donna's musical
career started in a Boston psychedelic rock band called The
Crow. In 1968, when she was eighteen, Donna left home to join
the German production of 'Hair'. She starred in theatre
productions as 'Godspell', 'Showboat' and 'The Me Nobody
Knows'. In 1971 she cut her first solo record, 'Sally Go
'round The Roses'. After her marriage to Austrian actor Helmut
Sommer, Donna Gaines became Donna Summer, and mother of
daughter Mimi. When she was doing a lot of session work she
got noticed by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, a newly
formed producer/writer team, who'd soon turn her into an
international star. Together they recorded the single 'The
Hostage', a European hit in 1974.
The real breaktrough came a year later with 'Love to Love You
Baby', a highly erotic recording which launched her sexy
image. The single was a chart-topping success on both sides of
the Atlantic and within six weeks more than 400.000 copies of
the album of the same title were sold. It also meant the birth
of the Euro disco sound. Apart from her sexy material Donna
sang tracks as 'Try Me', 'Could It Be Magic' and 'Spring
Affair' to showcase her unique vocal skills. With Moroder
& Co she cut a string of historic recordings like 'Last
Dance' and 'MacArthur Park' (1978). Donna was never very
comfortable with her sexy image and decided to get rid of it.
In 1978 Donna sang 'Last Dance', the theme for the disco-movie
'Thank God it's Friday' to the top of the charts. 'Last Dance'
won an Academy Award for Best Song from a Motion Picture in
1978.
In 1979 she sold over 4 million copies of the double album
'Bad Girls'. At the time it was highly unusual for a black
female artist having a multi platinum selling album. Donna is
the only artist to have three number one double albums in a
row ('Live And More', 'Bad Girls', and 'On The Radio'). Over
the years Donna has proven herself to be a good songwriter -
she has written or co-written many of her hits.
In 1980 Donna went through spiritual themes with 'The
Wanderer' which reflected her new-born Christian condition.
She married again, with Bruce Sudano of the Brooklyn Dreams.
The next year there came an end to the Summer/Moroder/Bellotte
association. Donna went wandering from one great music
producer to another (Quincy Jones, Richard Perry, Keith
Diamond, and Michael Omartian). Albums like 'Donna Summer'
(1982), 'She Works hard for the Money' (1983) and 'Cats
Without Claws' were not disco albums but reached golden and
platinum status anyway.
In 1987 Donna made a comeback with the album 'Ali Systems Go'.
Her next album 'Another Place and Time' was produced by
England's hitmachine of that time Stock, Aitken and Waterman,
containing the smashhit 'This Time I Know its For Real'.
Although much of her 90's records have not been selling like
her older material, Donna Summer has always maintained her
unique style, power and passion...
TRACKS
& LYRICS (Click on the titles)
Disc:
001
1. The
Hostage 4.15
2. Lady
Of The Night 3.55
3. Love
To Love You Baby 16.44
4. Full
Of Emptiness 2.27
5. Could
It Be Magic 5.12
6. Try
Me, I Know We Can Make It 4.43
7. Spring
Affair 4.00
8. Winter
Melody 6.31
9. I Feel
Love 3.11
10. Down
Deep Inside 6.07
11. I
Remember Yesterday 4.36
12. Love's
Unkind 4.07
13. Back
In Love Again 3.14
14. I Love
You 4.42
15. Rumour
Has It 4.56
Disc:
002
1. Last
Dance 8.09
2. Mac Arthur
Park 6.25
3. Hot Stuff
6.47
4. Bad Girls
4.56
5. Dim All
The Lights 4.23
6. Sunset
People 6.24
7. On
The Radio 5.47
8. The
Wanderer 3.45
9. State
Of Independence 5.49
10. Love
Is In Control 4.18
11. The
Woman In Me 3.54
12. She
Works Hard For The Money 5.18
13. Dinner
With Gershwin 4.37
14. This
Time I Know It's For Real 3.36
15. Melody
Of Love (Wanna Be Loved) 4.14
Disc:
003
1. Love To
Love You Baby (Live & More version) 3.29
2. Last Dance
(Live & More version) 5.51
3. Je T'aime Moi Non Plus
15.47
4. Heaven Knows (On The
Radio version) 3.32
5. No More
Tears (Enough Is Enough) 11.43
6. Unconditional
Love 4.42
7. State
Of Independence (New Radio Millenium Mix) 5.00
8. I Feel
Love (Masters At Work 86th St Mix) 6.09
9. I Will
Go With You (Con Te Partiro) (album version) 4.08
Important
notice regarding the lyrics: The lyrics provided to the songs
listed above are the ones that appear on the original albums
by Donna Summer. So, since this is a greatest hits
compilation, which usually include edit versions, there may be
some differences and/or missing parts between the lyrics and
the actual version on the record.
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