I remember way back at the beginning of High School the dances always seemed to conclude with one song – Last Dance by Donna Summer. It was just one of the iconic songs by the 5-time Grammy Award winning singer, who died yesterday at age 63 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Unlike some celebrities, she kept very private during her illness.
For someone who bore the mantle of ‘Queen of Disco’, she refused to let that destroy her career or box her in. That was simply because she had the chops to go beyond ‘Disco Diva’. As noted at the AP:
“I grew up on rock ‘n’ roll,” Summer once said when explaining her reluctance to claim the title.
Indeed, as disco boomed then crashed in a single decade in the 1970s, Summer, the beautiful voice and face of the genre with pulsating hits like “I Feel Love,” ”Love to Love You Baby” and “Last Dance,” would continue to make hits incorporating the rock roots she so loved. One of her biggest hits, “She Works Hard for the Money,” came in the early 1980s and relied on a smoldering guitar solo as well as Summer’s booming voice.
To celebrate her contribution to music, here are a few of her biggest hits:
MacArthur Park:
She Works Hard for Her Money:
Hot Stuff:
And, of course Last Dance:
