|
|
Post by Dianna on May 17, 2012 11:55:11 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by erik on May 17, 2012 12:08:10 GMT -5
I saw this too. To me, her untimely demise is much more devastating than Whitney Houston's, because I heard Donna so much on the radio when I was growing up; and while most of her material may have been squarely in the disco genre, it never seemed to get old or overplayed.
Such a sad loss for anyone who appreciated the crazy diversity of the music of the 70s (IMHO).
|
|
|
|
Post by fabtastique on May 17, 2012 12:34:37 GMT -5
Such a loss, a greatest vocalist often overlooked due to the stigma attached to disco  |
|
|
|
Post by erik on May 17, 2012 13:06:42 GMT -5
Quote by fabtastique:
That probably has more to do with listeners' prejudices than with her or the Disco genre itself (IMHO).
|
|
|
|
Post by philly on May 17, 2012 15:21:07 GMT -5
Just head this. Yet another icon passes away.... I recall Donna expressing regret about her sexy image, and the "Hot Stuff" lyrics from her reign as disco queen as not being congruent with her subsequent born again christianity. She also credited her faith with overcoming drug addiction. |
|
|
|
Post by rick on May 17, 2012 17:05:09 GMT -5
Just head this. Yet another icon passes away.... I recall Donna expressing regret about her sexy image, and the "Hot Stuff" lyrics from her reign as disco queen as not being congruent with her subsequent born again christianity. She also credited her faith with overcoming drug addiction. First off, I learned the news about Donna Summer from a friend today and it has left me in a sad place today. As far as what Donna may have about the lyrics to "Hot Stuff," she may have said that, but I saw her at the Hollywood Bowl in the summer of 2008 upon the release of her last CD, "Crayons," and she sang "Hot Stuff" for everything she had. I remember that there was unfortunate period in the early to mid-80s when Donna was reported to have said that AIDS was God's retribution on the gay lifestyle. I seem to recall that Donna denied having said that or was taken out of context. My feeling is that if she did ever say anything remotely like that, she got over herself and regretted it. She worked with enough gay people in her life that I doubt she had hate in her heart for gay people Can remember during the summer of 1979 when the album "Bad Girls" was burning up the charts. Went to see her at the Universal Amphitheatre, which was then an outdoor venue. She was at the peak of her popularity. I saw two rows behind Barbra Streisand and it was just a couple months before "Enough Is Enough (No More Tears)" would be released. She had an incredible voice. Many people have said that she could sing anything, but, unfortunately, she did get tagged as the "Queen of Disco," even when she could rock or sing standards, too. I have a VHS tape of "Grammys' Greatest Moments" on which Donna Summer reflects on the time she was to sing for the opening of the show. The song was "She Works Hard for the Money" and the Grammys were being held at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium. Donna was stuck in traffic and so she had to get out of her car and run to the Shrine and was very out of breath. But you'd never know from her performance. She gave a lot of fans so much joy. And her music will continue to do so for years to come. Here is what was posted on The Second Disc (i especially like the comments section) -- theseconddisc.com/2012/05/17/in-memoriam-donna-summer-1948-2012/ |
|
|
|
Post by philly on May 17, 2012 18:43:23 GMT -5
she said she was also subject to a rumor that she was really a man  Sir Elton John has lashed out at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame officials for failing to induct Donna Summer earlier this year (12), branding the snub a "total disgrace".
The I Feel Love hitmaker was shortlisted for the honour as part of the class of 2012, but she was overlooked in favour of artists like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Donovan, Beastie Boys and Guns N' Roses - and the Rocket Man is angry his good friend Summer, who died on Thursday (17May12), was left out.
Paying tribute to the late star in a statement to Eonline.com, Elton says, "I'm so sad. This woman was the queen of disco and so much more. Her records sound as good today as they ever did.
"That she has never been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace, especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted. She is a great friend to me and to the Elton John Aids Foundation and I will miss her greatly." But Elton, she didn't write any of her hits!  |
|
|
|
Post by Dianna on May 17, 2012 20:31:21 GMT -5
When I think of the 70's and disco music, this is how I knew it. You don't hear this one too often on the radio anymore.. and yes, timeless and not played out.
|
|
|
|
Post by rick on May 17, 2012 22:27:09 GMT -5
 But Elton, she didn't write any of her hits! I don't have the time to research this now, but she wrote quite a number of her songs with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. I believe that would include songs such as "Hot Stuff," "Bad Girls," "Dim All the Lights," "Sunset People," etc. Of course, she didn't write "MacArthur Park," which was written by Jimmy Webb. I did see her at the Hollywood Bowl when she was promoting her album "Crayons," and I believe she wrote most, if not all, of the songs on that album. I also remember that back in early 1980, Donna Summer wrote a song called "Starting Over Again" and Donna's single was played on the radio, but that Dolly Parton also released a version of the song. I believe Dolly's version received more attention/airplay. But, I take your point, Philly. The type of songs that Donna wrote and became famous for are not what the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame seem to be looking for. As for Donna Summer's comments about AIDS in the 1980s, here is what Wikipedia has about it -- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Summer " Controversy
In the mid 1980s, Summer was embroiled in a controversy. She had allegedly made anti-gay remarks regarding the then-relatively new disease, AIDS, which as a result had a significantly negative impact on her career and saw thousands of her records being returned to her record company by angered fans. Summer, by this time a born-again Christian, was alleged to have said that AIDS was a punishment from God for the immoral lifestyles of homosexuals.[10][11] However, she denied that she had ever made any such comment and, in a letter to the AIDS campaign group ACT UP in 1989, she said that it was "a terrible misunderstanding. I was unknowingly protected by those around me from the bad press and hate letters... If I have caused you pain, forgive me." She went on to apologize for the delay in refuting the rumours and closed her letter with Bible quotes (from Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians).[12]
Also in 1989, Summer told The Advocate magazine that "A couple of the people I write with are gay, and they have been ever since I met them. What people want to do with their bodies is their personal preference."[13] A couple of years later she filed a lawsuit against New York magazine when it reprinted the rumours as fact just as she was about to release her album Mistaken Identity in 1991.[14] According to a Biography television program dedicated to Summer in which she participated in 1995, the lawsuit was settled out of court though neither side was able to divulge any details. " |
|
|
|
Post by erik on May 17, 2012 22:47:09 GMT -5
Quote by rick re. "Starting Over Again": In a sense, yes, though it did better on the country chart, going Top 10 I believe; on the Hot 100, I think it only got as high as #38. Quote re. Donna's songwriting: Short Comment: |
|
|
|
Post by rick on May 18, 2012 18:55:27 GMT -5
Erik, you understand that is not condoning the RR Hall of Shame, right? The New York Times' obituary for Donna Summer (Here is the link to the full article -- www.nytimes.com/2012/05/18/arts/music/donna-summer-queen-of-disco-dies-at-63.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120518 contained quotes from the head of R 'n' R Hall of Sh(F)ame -- J on Landau, the chairman of the nominating committee at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, also issued a statement — an unusual one in which he said it was unfortunate that the hall had never inducted her.
“There is absolutely no doubt that the extraordinary Donna Summer belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Mr. Landau wrote. “Regrettably, despite being nominated on a number of occasions, our voting group has failed to recognize her — an error I can only hope is finally and permanently rectified next year.”
End of quote from NY Times' article. I don't mean to take away from the sadness surrounding the passing of Donna Summer, but I do think that the Times is correct that it is unusual for the Hall to admit that they made a mistake and hope to rectify it. And, please all of you know that I mean this sincerely, my mind went to what would happen when the day arrives with all hope many years from now that our Linda leaves us will the Hall issue a statement about "rectifying" that "error"?  |
|
|
|
Post by erik on May 18, 2012 20:12:04 GMT -5
Quote by Jon Landau:
I know it's not an endorsement of them, don't get me wrong. My comment was a response to their snobbery.
Quote by Rick:
I cannot agree more with your feelings, Rick, believe me. In the case of Donna, I think it's another case of them not recognizing greatness just because the person behind that particular greatness gained most of her appeal in a genre they routinely slammed. Mine may be the minority opinion here, but I don't think Disco ever did anything negative to rock and roll's appeal in the 70s; if anything, at least on the radio, I remembered how well it co-existed, being able to hear both Donna's and Linda's hits sometimes in the same set of songs.
|
|
|
|
Post by rick on May 18, 2012 21:52:24 GMT -5
[quote author=erik[/quote] I cannot agree more with your feelings, Rick, believe me. In the case of Donna, I think it's another case of them not recognizing greatness just because the person behind that particular greatness gained most of her appeal in a genre they routinely slammed. Mine may be the minority opinion here, but I don't think Disco ever did anything negative to rock and roll's appeal in the 70s; if anything, at least on the radio, I remembered how well it co-existed, being able to hear both Donna's and Linda's hits sometimes in the same set of songs.[/quote] Thank you, Erik. If you are in the minority, I am there with you. While playing Linda Ronstadt on my stereo in college, there were plenty of disco records on the turntable, too. Of course, we all remember those who were of the opinion that "Disco Sucks," but I like to think that as those people matured, they had a fond memory for the songs of that era. Here is what Donna's duet partner on "Enough Is Enough (No More Tears)", Barbra Streisand, had to say about Donna's passing -- barbra-archives.com/news/index.html |
|
|
|
Post by erik on May 18, 2012 22:18:50 GMT -5
Quote by Rick:
Same here. Of course, the people making those "Disco Sucks" statements were more than twice as old as I was when it was happening. I would hope that I wouldn't have felt the same as those people did had I been their age. Disco may have had a repetitious, metronomic beat, but you could dance to it, which I think was the whole point of that style anyway, and which, to this very day, I can see absolutely nothing wrong with. Donna helped prove that in spades (IMHO).
|
|
|
|
Post by the Scribe on May 18, 2012 22:47:55 GMT -5
Big shame.
|
|
|
|
Post by rick on May 21, 2012 6:06:51 GMT -5
|
|
