Queen of Disco
For about eight years, from the 70s into the 80s, Donna was everywhere.
But before she was everywhere, she attempted to do everything.
She got her start in music, like many before her, performing in church. While in high school, she performed with a rock/blues band, Crow. After graduating, she auditioned for the musical Hair and joined the German touring company. Stints in musical theatre followed, with roles in Showboat and Godspell.
A true beauty, of course, she was a model, too.
Work as a recording artist soon followed, with her repertoire shifting from musicals to the dance music filling the European discos. Her first big hit, Love to Love You, was inspired by the French hit Je T'aime, mon non plus.
Disco - and Donna - hit the big time.
I Feel Love.
She portrayed Nicole, an aspiring disco singer, in Thank God It's Friday, singing Last Dance.
Heaven Knows.
Hot Stuff.
Bad Girls.
Dim All the Lights.
No More Tears.
On the Radio.
My dad's favorite version of the holiday hymn Oh Holy Night as performed on Solid Gold.
The 80s were a bit of a struggle, but she still scored major hits with She Works Hard for the Money and Unconditional Love. She released more albums showcasing her range, which now included inspirational, gospel, and nostalgia recordings. She was a soundtrack staple through the 90s and 00s, and a regular at political rallies and fundraisers.
She recorded an album of standards late in life and had a dance hit single in 2010. She died of lung cancer in 2012.
She is currently having a viral moment after American Alysa Liu won the Olympic gold medal in women's figure skating, performing to Donna Summer's version of MacArthur Park. All the kids are raccooning their hair and lamenting cakes left out in the rain. And wouldn't you know it - MacArthur Park has surged on the Billboard dance tracks to #1, 48 years after its original release.
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