Donna Summer Proves That She Was One of the ‘Bad Girls’
Donna Summer proved that she wasn’t boxed into one genre.
Donna Summer’s story began far from the discotheques she would later dominate. Growing up in Boston, Massachusetts, her passion for singing was so intense that it propelled her to Munich, Germany, in 1968. There, her career took shape over eight years as she immersed herself in the local theater scene and worked as a session vocalist, recording several singles that did not appear on albums.
Throughout these professional triumphs, Summer’s personal life also evolved. Her marriage to Brooklyn Dreams keyboardist Bruce Sudano and a growing interest in spiritual matters began to reshape how she viewed her artistic identity. These changes were reflected in how she managed her public persona.
“Love to Love You Baby” marked a defining moment for the disco genre, showcasing its potential through Donna Summer’s captivating performance. Despite some American critics dismissing it as a mere novelty, the track’s impact and enduring appeal have proven them mistaken. During this period in Germany, Summer met Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte.
This meeting sparked a fruitful collaboration starting with her debut album Lady of Night in 1974. A year later, Love to Love You Baby was released, paving her way back to the United States through Casablanca Records. From 1976 to 1978, Summer captured the American audience with a series of successful singles and albums and solidified her status as a leading figure in disco music globally.
Initially promoted by Casablanca Records as the “First Lady of Love,” this image helped market her music effectively but eventually overshadowed her singing and songwriting skills. By the time she released Bad Girls, her seventh album, in 1978, Summer was ready to demonstrate her full capabilities beyond the constructed persona, promising an era of continued artistic growth and innovation.
Under the guidance of Moroder and Bellotte, with additional input from talents like Bob Conti, Harold Faltermeyer, Keith Forsey, and Brooklyn Dreams, Summer transitioned from the orchestral flourishes of her previous project, Once Upon a Time, to a more grounded reflection on urban realities. Maintaining a thematic continuity with her earlier work through the lens of modern womanhood, Summer shifted from fairy-tale analogies to drawing inspiration from the bustling life of Los Angeles.
The album is notable for its thematic and musical diversity. From the gritty narrative of sex workers in the title track to the tender strains of unrequited love in “Lucky,” Summer’s lyrical sensitivity shines through. Even when she steps back as a writer on other tracks, she ensures that compositions like “Hot Stuff” and “Sunset People” align with her vision for a lyric-driven record.
Its eclectic soundscapes distinguish Bad Girls. It ventures beyond disco into rock & roll—a genre Summer had flirted with during her collaboration with Brooklyn Dreams on “Heaven Knows.” The album weaves together a fabric of aggressive rock-funk-disco fusion in “Dim All the Lights,” experimental electronics in “Our Love,” and resonant AOR balladry in “All Through the Night.” This ability to navigate across genres underscores Summer’s stature as a pop music pioneer.
Summer’s vocal delivery across these varied musical styles— in high-energy tracks like “Journey to the Centre of Your Heart” or more subdued numbers like “On My Honor”—is executed with precision and emotive power. Her adaptability across different musical forms throughout Bad Girls demonstrates her expansive artistic range and solidifies her legacy as an influential force in shaping the contours of popular music.
Preceding the album’s release was the hit single “Hot Stuff,” which set the stage for Bad Girls’ triumphant chart performance upon its release later that month. With this album, Donna Summer didn’t just deliver another collection of songs; she offered an evocative reflection on contemporary life through a masterful blend of sounds and stories.
As the 1970s waned, Donna Summer’s career trajectory pointed toward a horizon brimming with potential as the 1980s dawned. Yet, the onset of the decade brought its challenges. Despite the sustained success of her album Bad Girls, tensions culminated in a breakdown of her professional relationship with Neil Bogart, founder of Casablanca Records, following the release of her compilation in 1980.
Transitioning from Casablanca, Summer embarked on a new chapter with Geffen Records, a nascent label established by industry titan David Geffen. Throughout the 1980s, she remained predominantly under Geffen’s banner, where she continued to expand on her innovative musical blend that had begun at her previous label.
Reflecting on Bad Girls, it is evident that the album marked a divergence from disco and an extension of Summer’s broader pop explorations that had characterized her formative years in music. This album set the stage for further artistic developments defining Summer’s subsequent work.
The pinnacle of Summer’s achievements during this era was underscored by her groundbreaking success at the GRAMMY Awards. Her lead single, “Hot Stuff,” won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 1980—a newly created category that year—making Summer not only the first woman but also the sole woman of color to clinch this award amidst competitors like Carly Simon, Rickie Lee Jones, and Bonnie Raitt. This victory was followed by nominations in 1982 and 1983, positioning Summer among an exclusive group of pioneering Black woman artists such as Joan Armatrading, Melba Moore, Nona Hendryx (of Labelle), and Tina Turner, who gained recognition in what had been predominantly white musical categories.