Donna Summer

Released: February 26, 1974

Songwriter: Giorgio Moroder Pete Bellotte

Producer: Pete Bellotte

They call her the lady of the night
She's a woman of the world
And easy-living girl with love for sale

That's what they call her the lady of the night
No one seems to know her name
And even less about the place
From where she came

Every evening when the night is close at hand
You'll find the lady on the Rue d'Avignon
In a half lit hotel doorway the lady advertises warmly
It's just a job but she'll do the best she can

Don't try to change this lady of the night
She's a lot like you and me
And less than what she seems to be

(She is the lady of the night)
And easy-living girl
(she is the lady of the night)
She's a woman of the world
(she is the lady of the night)
With lots of loving for sale
(she is the lady of the night)
Lady lady of the night

Round here they call her the lady of the night
In a perfume hotel room
Shadows dance upon the wall and fate at dawn
She's no beginner this lady of the night
Never try that funny stuff
'cause lady can be tough
Be warned!

(She is the lady of the night)
She's a lot like you and me
(she is the lady of the night)
And never just what she seems
(she is the lady of the night)
No one seems to know her name
(she is the lady of the night)
Or the place from where she came

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.

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Lady of the Night

From the album

Lady of the Night (1974)

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Lady of the NightDonna Summer

Donna Summer

Lady of the Night