Donna Summer

Released: September 11, 1984

Songwriter: Donna Summer Michael Omartian

Producer: Michael Omartian

Suzanna, you better watch your mouth
Suzanna, bad things are coming out
Somebody's watching from on high
Distant love is hard to find

Always looking for the right direction, oh yeah
Move in and out without detection, yeah
How many times have others gone and spoke their mind
Out of line, it's not nice, it's not nice, it's not nice

Suzanna, Suzanna

Suzanna, what's that look on your face
Suzanna, girl you look out of place
Somebody's watching from behind
Don't tell them anything you find

Wanna live your life without correction, yeah
Move in and out looking for perfection, oh yeah
How many times you've gone and spoken out your mind
Out of line, it's not nice, it's not nice, it's not nice

Suzanna, Suzanna

How many times you've been caught talking your jive
How many times lives you've gone and ruined it's a crime, oh yeah
It's a crime, it's not nice, it's not nice, it's not nice

Somebody's watching from behind
Just be aware of what you find

Suzanna
Suzanna, what's that look on your face
Suzanna, girl you look out of place
Suzanna, what's that look on your face
Suzanna, girl you look out of place

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

Cats Without Claws

From the album

Cats Without Claws (1984)

Donna Summer popular songs

SuzannaDonna Summer

Donna Summer

Cats Without Claws