Donna Summer

Released: September 11, 1984

Songwriter: Donna Summer Michael Omartian

Producer: Michael Omartian

You said you loved me
Then why won't you let me
Be who I am all of the time

Said you wouldn't hurt me
Then why would you leave me
And take my peace of mind
Ah, ah

Oh, Billy please take my call
Ah, ah
Billy I've tried most of all
Ah, ah

We've got to stop having
This misunderstanding
There'll never be another guy

I'm sending this letter
Hope you're feeling better
Can't stop this raining from my eyes
Ah, ah

Oh, Billy please take my call
Ah, ah
Billy I've tried most of all
Ah, ah

Don't be a fool for some lies
Ah, ah
Billy I've tried over time
Ah, ah

If you love me
If you love me

Some people say I'm a fool for loving you
There's no perfect guarantee
And I know you will agree

Oh, Billy please take my call
Ah, ah
Billy I've tried most of all
Ah, ah

Oh, Billy please take my call
Ah, ah
Billy I've tried most of all
Ah, ah

Don't be a fool for some lies
Ah, ah
'cause Billy I've tried more than twice
Ah, ah
Hey, hey, ah, ah

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

Oh Billy PleaseDonna Summer

Donna Summer

Cats Without Claws