Donna Summer

Released: October 5, 1981

Songwriter: Pete Bellotte

Producer: Giorgio Moroder Pete Bellotte

He's got a second side he's got sixth sense
He got everything
He got what it takes
He got what it makes to be everything
Seems to know all there is to know
I took him there
He steals the show
He's so astute he's so acute he's gold sure he is
He's eloquent he's intelligent and benevolent
He's the epitome of ability with his expertise
He's versatile with a lot of style
He'd mess my heart every time he'd smile
So unpretentious a warm and gentle soul

A runner with the pack, no he's not like that
A runner with the pack, no he's not like that
Cause he's inventive, attentive, protective, selective
Perceptive, receptive, affective, reflective
A runner with the pack, no he'd never do that

He got tolerance he got confidence he's significant
And he's a connoisseur and a social stir he's magnificent
So fair and square he reciprocates
And every way he stimulates
His quality of voracity is great

A runner with the pack, no he's not like that
A runner with the pack, no he's not like that
Cause he's inventive, attentive, protective, selective
Perceptive, receptive, effective, reflective
(you know the he's)
A runner with the pack, no he'd never do that

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’m a Rainbow

From the album

I’m a Rainbow (1981)

Donna Summer popular songs

A Runner with the PackDonna Summer

Donna Summer

I’m a Rainbow