Donna Summer

Released: May 13, 1977

Songwriter: Pete Bellotte Giorgio Moroder Donna Summer

Producer: Giorgio Moroder Pete Bellotte

It was bad, really mean
She had the kind of reputation to make any woman scream
Late one night, when it wasn't right
And he made a catch, and he meets his match

Black lady, black lady

She was mean, really bad
She was slender as a cat at night, she made the men go mad
Well her eyes were green, and her skin was soft
And the lady's heart was as hard as rock

Black lady, black lady
You better beware, you better beware, you better beware

He tried to fight it, tried to win
But no matter where the poor man turned, the lady halted him
Her wish was his command, his life in her hands
And the death was slow, 'cause she won't let go

Oh, Black lady, that black lady

She tried to win, tried to buy
She was out over him, 'cause he played all the cards just right
He laid out his hand like a winning man
With a smile so deep, she put him into a sleep
You know she won

Black lady, black lady
You better beware, you better beware

Black lady, you better beware
Black lady, black lady, black lady

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

I Remember Yesterday

From the album

I Remember Yesterday (1977)

Donna Summer popular songs

Black LadyDonna Summer

Donna Summer

I Remember Yesterday