Donna Summer

Released: September 11, 1984

Songwriter: Donna Summer Michael Omartian

Producer: Michael Omartian

It's a windy night
Of first and main
Of any city
Of a hundred names
Spirits fly high and the sparks fly low
And the cats are all creeping out the back door slow
And the cats are out, gonna harmonize
They're headed for Cool Street on the main line
And here comes that Joe Serpentine
The life of a cat can leave you far behind

They're just cats without claws
Never had a good reason
Never had a cause

It's hard to be yourself
When everyone else is around
There's always someone out there
Trying to pull you down
You're sitting on the fence crying out to the moon
The day goes by too fast and the night comes too soon
You bet your life and you sell your soul
Give it all up for beggar's gold
And the hidden city has its own laws
Produces a species cats without claws

They're just cats without claws
Never had a good reason
Never had a cause
Oh, they're just cats without claws
Never had a good reason
Never had a cause

Oh, here they come again
Singing songs in a melody
Do, do, do, do, do

Oh, oh, it's tough life, tough life, tough life
And the streets are full of pain
Specially when it's calling out your name
It's hard on the one who doesn't sacrifice
The things the world has to offer nice
Come inside, spend some time, stay alive
It'll take your heart and it'll steal your mind

Oh, they're just cats without claws
Never had a good reason
Never had a cause
Oh, they're just cats without claws
Never had a good reason
Never had a cause
Oh, oh, oh, oh

As the unquestioned queen of disco, the one and only Donna Summer lit up the late 70s and 80s with flashy, exuberant vocals and automatic earworms. Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines on Dec. 31, 1948, Summer moved to Germany after being cast in a Munich production of Hair. There, she happened to meet Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, and the trio conglomerated to form a dynamic music team. With Moroder, Summer forged together her first album, The Hostage, which reached moderate success in Northern Europe. Summer’s big break, however, would come later with the release of 1975’s sexual “Love to Love You Baby”, which became one of disco’s first mainstream hits and reached #2 on the Billboard Charts.

1977 came around with the concept album I Remember Yesterday, which featured the Top 10 single “I Feel Love”. The next year, Summer hit the silver screen with the movie Thank God It’s Friday, whose soundtrack featured one of her own the iconic “Last Dance.” This would later become one of the disco legends' signature songs. “Dance” would take home an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe, and it jumped to a peak of #3 on the charts.

Yet Summer’s illustrious career was far from finished – Summer’s first live album Live and More featured the single “MacArthur Park”, a melting ballad that was a cover of the Jimmy Webb ballad of the same name. “Park” became Summer’s first – and perhaps most memorable – No. 1 hit, and cemented her status as a vocalist as well as a performer. With the track, she became the first female in modern rock history to hold the top spot in both the Hot 100 and the Billboard 200. 1979, though, would really be the peak of her career.

more tracks from the album

Cats Without Claws

From the album

Cats Without Claws (1984)

Donna Summer popular songs

Cats Without ClawsDonna Summer

Donna Summer

Cats Without Claws