Michael: It was the days of disco and dance. My school proms were replete with The Trammps and Evelyn “Champagne” King and KC and The Sunshine Band. So when I caught the news Donna Summer, The Queen Of Disco had passed, all those memories came flooding back.
“Hot Stuff” was one of my favorites back then. And for a few years running, the final song of the evening had to be “Last Dance” … and every single one of us waited for it anxiously. As soon as its familiar piano and orchestrations were heard, we grabbed our dates and were on the dance floor swaying without hesitation, waiting for it to kick into gear.
Tara: I so dug Donna back in grade school. I remember singing along with her, but never being able to hit the notes she did. In her heyday she really was fantastic. She made the disco period much more fun.
Michael: This one is going way back to Dinah! in 1979 with Dinah Shore when she had her television talk show. Fun stuff.
Tara: Ahhhh, the days before lip synching. Boy, those microphone cords were kinda prohibitive. But there she is in all her glory.
Michael: Believe it or don’t, the following video from Summer’s The Donna Summer Special was a hot topic at school. We were pumped for this thing and looked forward to talking about it the following week after it aired. Rather cheese-tastic now.
Tara: Didn’t see it. Or if I did, I don’t remember. There were a lot more music specials on television then, though. I kind of miss that.
Michael: Bonus: Twiggy as a “bad girl. *heh*
Michael: “I Feel Love” was the stuff of the dance marathons back in my day. I was no John Travolta, but I remember cutting a rug (or the basketball court floor, as it were) to this tune with friends and enemies in tow.
Tara: You sound like you were a bit of a dancing fool back then. Why does the thought of that make me want to laugh? Probably because I’m picturing you and your mullet discoing. And that’s funny.
In regards to “I Feel Love …?” My parents wouldn’t let me listen to it. My Mom thought Donna a complete heathen for her moaning and groaning antics. I didn’t really understand what the big deal was, but it being forbidden made me want to listen to it all the more.
Michael: Hey … not only did I rock a mullet, I held my own dance-wise. And I’m not afraid to admit I dug disco. Still do, in the form of Pet Shop Boys and more.
Notes:
Michael: Between all the icons who have been heading to greener pastures lately (Donald “Duck” Dunn of Booker T. And The MGs and Levon Helm of The Band among others) it definitely feels like the end of an era with Summer’s passing.
Long live The Queen Of Disco.
Clacked by Michael Noble 
on May 18, 2012 @ 13:58 EST5EDT
This is another one of those passing’s where I’ll always remember WHERE I was, and HOW I found out. I was on my way to the Dr. and was reading my friendstream on my cell (that allows me to read both posts from FB & Twitter FYI) and I saw a post from Marie Osmond….I was floored!!!
Music, as many know about me, was and always has been my salvation. As a kid I had a little transistor radio, and listened to music on it non stop. I often fell asleep with my earbuds in in fact.
The disco era was one of my faves as my 2 sisters and I used to go out dancing every weekend, it would be one of the last periods of time when we spent this much time together as we glided into adulthood.
As I started learning more and more songs while performing Karaoke over the last 20 years, I’ve learned and performed several of Donna’s song. Two I’ve done a lot are Hot Stuff and Last Dance. Last dance is a fave of mine to do, and I’ve had lots of compliments after performing it. I’ve attempted bad girls but haven’t mastered it like the other two.
Now I am feeling the need to go get my song on and sing Donna songs!!!
Great article Micheal & Tara – THANKS!!!!!!
Thanks for posting this, guys. I was devastated when I saw the news yesterday. I think the “Hot Stuff/Bad Girls” extended version was the first 12″ single I ever bought. I love the Casablanca Story box set from several years ago that also included the 17 minute “MacArthur Park Suite.” One of my favorites. I was also lucky enough to see Donna in concert back in the early 90s. Her music certainly was an important part of my life. I think she’s been pigeonholed by many people today simply as a Disco Queen, but she was groundbreaking at the time and I hope people will appreciate her music more now and not write it off as just bad disco (heck, “Last Dance” won an Oscar!).
And Michael, I am a huge PSB fan!
I agree with Chuck…she has been pigeonholed as just the Disco Queen. She has such a distinctive and a great voice. Disco was fun. My friends and I would get sitter(s) for the kiddies then head to the local night club. Dancing was with a partner instead of trying to find who you entered the dance floor with amongst the crowd on the floor. Hokay, so the whistles could be a major annoyance. Fair winds Donna Summer…you have left us but your music lives on.
*POST AUTHOR*
. . . . .
Chuck & Mikki:
Those who knew and grew up with her (I include myself) well know the range she had during her long and varied career, starting out with blues-rock, various experimental outlets, making her name in disco, later venturing out to other rock-pop outlets, new wave, reggae-flavored tunes, Christmas offerings and more.
But … she will be remembered best as “The Queen.” She even embraced it at one point, turned around and made fun of it another … and finally accepted it in the end.