Donna Summer

Songwriter: Michael Omartian Donna Summer Bruce Sudano

Producer: Michael Omartian

Met this stranger there, so I was
Feeling somewhat scared
When I vacationed in a land that I
Didn't know that well
But all the ladies there were nice
The gentlemen politely out of line
I kept on thinking how I'd like
To spend some time
I couldn't make up my mind, still
Waitin' for the right sign
I was down in Tokyo
Livin' in hotel Imperial

Met this man, he was something
Very strange
Said he was a spy from somewhere
Else way far away
He told me things about myself that
I could tell nobody else
Passed this message on to me, said
Spirits move in secrecy
I could almost read the man's mind
Waitin' for the right sign

I really wanna know if I'm gonna go
Live my life in Tokyo, live my life in
Tokyo
Tokyo, live my life in Tokyo

He passed this message on to me
Said spirits move in secrecy
A double agent amnesty
An Ian Fleming mystery

I, I know I read the man's mind
I know I got the right sign

I really wanna know if I'm gonna go
Live my life in Tokyo, live my life in
Tokyo
Tokyo, live my life in Tokyo
Live my life in Tokyo, live my life in
Tokyo
Tokyo, live my life in Tokyo

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

She Works Hard for the Money

From the album

She Works Hard for the Money (1983)

Donna Summer popular songs

TokyoDonna Summer

Donna Summer

She Works Hard for the Money