Donna Summer / 1983 / Listening notes A direct message, delivered with momentum She Works Hard for the Money brought Donna Summer into a defining 1983 recording. The official Summer musical timeline connects the song’s inspiration with Onetta Johnson, a working woman whose encounter with Summer became part of the song’s history. The recording makes … Read more
Donna Summer / 1979 / Listening notes More than one kind of disco record Donna Summer’s Bad Girls was released by Casablanca in 1979, with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte credited as producers. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame library catalogue lists a sequence that includes Hot Stuff, the title track, Dim All the … Read more
Donna Summer / 1978 / Listening notes The dance floor begins with a pause Last Dance belongs to Donna Summer’s 1978 story, documented in the official Summer musical timeline. Its structure makes a strong argument for listening beyond the section that memory usually supplies. The slower opening is essential to the effect of the dance … Read more
Donna Summer / 1977 / Listening notes Repetition that keeps changing the feeling Released in 1977, I Feel Love is preserved in the US National Recording Registry. The Library of Congress essay on the recording provides historical context for Donna Summer’s work with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte and its electronic setting. The recording makes … Read more
Donna Summer / 1970s / Listening notes A singer at the meeting point of places and sounds Donna Summer’s path connected Boston, musical theatre in Europe and a studio partnership with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. The official Summer musical timeline places that collaboration in the story leading to Love to Love You Baby in … Read more
Diana Ross / 1981 / Listening notes A duet built around shared space Diana Ross and Lionel Richie recorded Endless Love, the title song of a 1981 film. Motown’s artist history records its nine weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. Beyond that chart achievement, the recording offers a simple lesson in … Read more
Diana Ross / 1980 / Listening notes A precise groove and an unmistakable personality For the 1980 album diana, Diana Ross worked with Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. The collaboration produced Upside Down and introduced her voice to the sharply articulated rhythmic world associated with Chic. Motown’s artist history documents the partnership and the success … Read more
Diana Ross / 1976 / Listening notes Two moods connected by one voice Love Hangover appeared on Diana Ross’s 1976 self-titled album. Classic Motown’s album history places the track within a moment when an album recording became a single in its own right. For the listener, its enduring attraction is the way it moves between … Read more
Diana Ross / 1970 / Listening notes Building a song as a dramatic scene Diana Ross’s 1970 Ain’t No Mountain High Enough was created with Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Motown’s history records it as her first solo US number-one single. The recording makes a useful starting point for understanding how a familiar song can … Read more
Diana Ross / 1970 / Listening notes A familiar voice steps into a new frame Diana Ross left the Supremes in 1970 and began a solo career that would move through soul, pop, disco and screen work. Motown’s artist history identifies Ain’t No Mountain High Enough as her first solo number-one record. The change was … Read more