Donna Summer

Released: July 19, 1982

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Quincy Jones

Night after night
I keep holding on
You say you love me
Then you leave me so lonely
Baby I dont believe a word youre sayin'
I think its all some evil game youre playin'

Still all day long all I do is think about you
You got me believin' that I can't live without you
Well if you want it, here's my confession
Baby I can't help it, you're my obsession

Protection, that's what I need
I need protection, baby, from your love
Protection, that's what I need
I need protection, baby, from your love

I wait at home by the telephone
When I call your house, baby, you're not there
Knock on the door and I rush down the stairs
When I open up, baby, you're not there
When were together
When were together and you put your arms around me

You keep my mind
Forever, ever in doubt
You want me believin'
That, baby, I can't live without

Protection, that's what I need
I need protection, baby, from your love
Protection, that's what I need
I need protection, baby, from your love

We stand alone, at my window
And stare out, at the shadows down below
I feel your fingers on my face
I want to stay, I want to run away

Protection, that's what I need
I need protection, baby, from your love
Protection, that's what I need
I need protection, baby, from your love

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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Donna Summer

From the album

Donna Summer (1982)

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Donna Summer

Donna Summer