(Continued from Part One)
Donna recorded the double album Once Upon a Time, which told the story of a woman going from rags to riches, roughly based on her own life. Although she didn't score a huge hit from the album, she should have. Her release "I Love You" was largely neglected at the time, although for millions of her fans today, they consider the song one of her career best. It is thus one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*, included here with "Rumour Has It".
The title song also stands out.
"Fairy Tale High" was another huge Disco hit.
In 1978, Donna starred in the movie Thank God It's Friday and recorded "Last Dance" for the soundtrack album. Although Donna had experienced success previously, "Last Dance" represented her breakthrough, a #3 smash in the summer. Both the single and album went Gold and the song earned an American Music Award for Favorite Disco Single.
Donna won a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance on "Last Dance", while songwriter Paul Jabara earned Golden Globe and Academy Awards for Best Original Song.
Summer released the single "MacArthur Park" from her album Live and More. She scored a #1 song of three weeks in the United States and another Gold record.
Live and More rose to #1 on the Album chart, making Donna the first female artist to own both the #1 single and the #1 album at the same time. The album sold over two million copies in the U.S. alone. Summer won an American Music Award for Favorite Disco Album and she was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "MacArthur Park" at the Grammy Awards.
"Heaven Knows", another studio single from the album, also went Gold and reached #4 in the United States.
Donna received another American Music Award for Favorite Disco Female Artist and she was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist.
Donna performed at the Music for UNICEF Concert, televised around the world. For her next album, Moroder recruited Harold Faltermeyer after working with him on the "Midnight Express" Soundtrack. Faltermeyer co-wrote several songs, played keyboards and arranged the album.
In 1979, Summer released the double album Bad Girls and lead single "Hot Stuff". Donna achieved the #1 single and album simultaneously once again. "Hot Stuff" presided at #1 for three weeks to finish the year as one of The Top 10 songs. It sold over two million copies and earned Summer a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
"Bad Girls" also went Platinum and peaked at #1 for five weeks.
Bad Girls has sold over three million copies and was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards.
"Dim All The Lights" achieved a third Gold single from the album. Though it didn't add to her total of #1 songs, it is one of The Top #2 Songs of the Rock Era*.
Summer won American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist and she earned a trophy for Favorite Pop/Rock Single (for "Bad Girls"), with the album nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Album. She was also nominated for Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best Disco Recording. Donna performed eight sold-out concerts at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.
Donna continued her hot streak with the duet "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)", recorded with Barbra Streisand. The Platinum single gave Summer four #1 hits in a calendar year, something no other female artist had ever achieved. Summer had chalked up six Top 5 hits in that period, one of just three artists in the Rock Era (the Beatles and Drake are the other two) to achieve that monumental feat. The compilation album gave Donna her third straight #1 album.
More from Donna Summer in Part Three!
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