The Power of Donna Summer | POP FIX | Professor of Rock

Celebrating the power of Summer, Donna Summer, one of the most influential artists of any era and my Top 5 Donna Summer Songs. Many know her as the Queen of Disco, but she was so much more than that, inspiring artists from every genre including New Wave, R&B, and Dance pop. Featuring appearences from Peter Hook formerly of New Order, Narada Michael Walden producer/songwriter behind some of Whitney Houston's biggest hits, and Limahl former lead singer of Kajagoogoo.

Hey Music Junkies Professor of Rock here with our latest edition of POP FIX where we focus on the greatest artists and songs of all time.

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Donna Summer ….. Do you know how many hits she had. Seriously. She was called the Queen of Disco, but she was so much more than an artist that defined an era. After her breakthrough hit "Love to Love You Baby" in 1975 through 1983, she had an incredible string of hits, and was one of the biggest stars on the planet.

Donna Summer deserves to be recognized for much more than her Disco dynasty, she was an incredibly influential singer whose music was a driving force behind the global popularity of dance pop, and galvanized the New Romantic sound that was a pivotal part of the New Wave movement of the 80s. She was also the first female African American to receive an MTV Video Music Awards Nomination- for 'Best Female Video' and 'Best Choreography' for the music video of "She Works Hard For the Money" in 1983. There are even theories that Michael Jackson's Billie Jean lifted some inspiration from Donna's song State of Independence as detailed by Quincy Jones himself.

#5- Donna's last Top 10 single- The #7 pop/ #5 R&B hit from 1989, "This Time I'm In It For Love". I love this performance by Donna, cause of its purity in the way she delivers the first verse, into the pre-chorus, and the overall euphoric spirit of the song, which really comes out in the lyric "When I get my hands on you.. I won't let go.."

#4- "Love Is in Control" (Finger on the Trigger) from 1982- Co-written by Quincy Jones & Rod Temperton, and produced with Quincy's usual rhythmic genius. A vocal highlight of the song is when Donna sings "Mama used to tell me, girl you better load up right, she said ya' gotta come out smoking'- hit it with your best shot every time.' That seemed to be Donna's mantra every time she grabbed the mic.

#3- "Hot Stuff" - One of the biggest crowd-pleasing dance tracks of all time. Besides its inescapable groove appeal, the song introduced us to the rock n' roll grittiness of Donna's versatility as a vocalist, a style that certainly reflects back to her early days singing Psychedlia & blues rock. Donna injected a perfect blend of rock & soul that was complimented by a blazing guitar solo from coveted studio musician Jeff 'Skunk' Baxter.

#2- The dance-floor seduction "I Feel Love" from 1976- #6 on the Hot 100, #1 in the U.K., Australia, and The Netherlands, and a vocal performance that garnered one of Donna's two inductions into the Dance Music Hall of Fame for 'Most Influential Song'. It was also her fourth #1 Dance track. The combination of Donna's steam, the innovative use of the Moog synthesizer, and Girgio Moroder & Pete Belotte's (Bel lotta) studio wizardry, created a sensation that was cited as a huge influence by many of music's biggest names, including David Bowie, Debbie Harry, Brian Eno, and as we heard before members of New Order.

#1- The 1978 cover of Jimmy Webb's "MacArthur Park' where Donna displayed her complete vocal arsenal on a one-woman musical opus. Richard Harris, primarily known as an actor of stage & screen, was the first to have a hit with "MacArthur Park". Harris wasn't a trained singer, but his version of 'MacArthur Park', or "MacArthur's Park" as Harris insisted on singing it, went to #2 on the Hot 100, #4 in the U.K., and even #1 in many countries throughout Europe. Donna truly put her signature on the song with a dynamic performance- highlighted by a series of sustained vibrato that few artists are capable of achieving. Donna's soaring vocal, and Giorgio Moroder's disco arrangement, turned 'MacArthur Park' into a dramatic dance triumph that went to #1 on the Hot 100, the U.S. Dance chart, and #1 in Canada.
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