iPod song of the week – Donna Summer
Disco, baby!
When I was a small child, sort of like you see in that photo on the right, I was mostly a rock fan. Also that “Somebody Come and Play” song from Sesame Street. But I had a soft spot for disco, especially Donna Summer. You see, even then I could tell the quality amongst the dreck, and Donna Summer was quality disco. First off, those pipes. On some songs she sounds like a gospel singer, on others totally sultry. And then there was the melody and craft. It was like people wrote their best disco songs for her. You notice there were no Ring My Bells for Donna.
Back then, listening to disco was hard. I mean, sure, they played it all the time on the AM radio I listened to, but I was too young to have a stereo and none of my sibs would allow the stuff to touch their turntables. Life was tough. Then the other day, I suddenly realized that I am a grown-up (sort of) and downloaded her greatest hits from iTunes. Take that!
This is not actually my favorite song by her. That would be “Dim All the Lights” but it sounds kind of dated and I realized I only loved it because I had loved it then. I know, I know, don’t they all sound dated? Well, admittedly so. But after giving the hits another listen, I found that this song still holds up lo after all these years. Maybe it’s the Kraftwerk-esque drumming, the human croon over the machine beats, I don’t know. But this is still IT.
Napster:
Donna Summer – I Feel Love
Streaming audio available on the iPod Song of the Week page.
Thanks for sharing! No wonder it sounded so familiar the first time I heard Venus Hum and the Blue Man Group do it.
“There were no Ring My Bells for Donna.”
I think I have a new siggy.
No matter who is singing this song, it’s always Andy Bell’s voice I hear in my head, and that underlying drumbeat reminds me of “Blue Monday” by New Order — a win-win combination anyway you slice it.
Most of the songs were co-written by Donna Summer, so her stuff had its own flair.
YaY!
Glad the earworm I planted led to this.
I love that song too and I have always unabashedly loved her. her music always makes me happy.
What a voice!
If I skim by a station playing any of her songs I turn it up and sing it out loud like I did way back in the day, albeit with strange looks from my boys.
I probably got strange looks back then too come to think of it….
kb, the Blue Man Group do it? Who knew?
Oh, Dah.
Abby, I’ve never heard that one either but now that you describe it, I must get my hands on that!
Joey, that makes a lot of sense. She’s just so talented.
KP, her music makes me happy too. Even Macarthur Park.
Any song about cake makes me happy.
*giggle* I know. I’m incorrigible.
Yeah. I was gonna say– no Ring My Bell, but someone did leave that cake out in the rain.
For the record, this was my most popular iPod Song of the Week ever!