Donna Summer: She could sing anything, anywhere, with anyone, at any time.

[MAR 30]  Happy Sunday all!  It's really quiet this week.  Bruce's sketch version is still available on YouTube (and all the usual places), He also reshared his video for Watching Darkness Fall in honor of the No Kings protests yesterday.

[MAR 30] In Johnnyswim news, there is another review out for  the One Day musical. This one is from Edinburgh Music Review, and spoiler alert - it's another good review!

[MAR 30] Since it's the second to last day of the month (and since there is nothing else to talk about tonight  LOL), I think I'll post the Summer Fever Pick today. For the month of April we are celebrating Donna's musicals - from her appearance in Haare to  Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and everything in between. And in honor of the Summer Fever Pick, this week's YouTube clips are a playlist of  songs from musicals - either songs Donna wrote for her musicals, or songs she covered from other shows.

[MAR 22]  Happy Sunday all, and Happy Spring to my Northern Hemisphere friends! The days are getting longer and warmer, and that makes me a happy webmistress.  :-)

[MAR 22] Let's start with Donna. The same YouTuber who posted reaction videos to On The Radio and The MacArthur Park Suite has now posted a reaction video to the Once Upon A Time album. Guys, I think we are turning him into a fan.  LOL  I know this link was posted on Facebook earlier this week, and then it seemed to go away. But as of last night when I checked, it was working.

[MAR 22] There is a new book coming out Tuesday called a Night At The Disco [PAID AFFILLIATE LINK] which, as you may have guessed, is about the dance music of the 70s.  It's basically a coffee table book with tons of photos, and comments from a bunch of artists. Of course Donna is in it. The authors are Christian John Wikane - the guy behind all those awesome liner noted in the various anniversary CD releases, and Alice Harris.  Alice you might remember as Donna's friend. Remember Live & More Encore? Donna said "Everybody works, except Alice." LOL (Donna was just fooling though - Alice does work. She's got a number of books under her belt.) My local paper posted an article about the book, but it is locked behind a paywall.

[MAR 22] Bruce fans - Make The World Go Away ( a Bruce sketch) is now available in all the usual  places including a lyric video on YouTube.  Now I know some of you are saying, "Hey, this song has been out awhile now." True, but not like this. This is the original version Bruce "sketched" in his studio that was then later produced for the last album. He explains it in his Facebook reel. He also posted a little bit more on his Instagram page.  We can look forward to Bruce's new album, Sketchbook, next month.

[MAR 22] In other Bruce news, St John's University posted  an interview with him. He's an alumni of their theater program.  (I worked with so many pharmacists who were graduated of St John's that I half forget that there is more to that university than pharmacy school.  LOL)

[MAR 22] That brings us to YouTube.  There is an album out there by a band called Emergency that features Donna, her sister Linda and Roberta Kelly on backing vocals for a couple of songs.  About a month ago, someone posted the track, Little Marie from the album Get Out To The Country.  Just yesterday (or the day before) the same account added Take My Hand. A long time ago, someone else posted the 3rd track with Donna's vocals and that's The Flag. You can actually hear the whole album on YouTube if you want. Or you can even find it on Spotify if you search.  And as long as we are looking at Donna's early days, here she is on a German TV show singing Black Power, and here again in clips from Haare. Then we have Donna in a weird clip of Family Tree where it's Donna on camera but someone else's voice in the solo.  (Clearly they didn't know what they had back then!  LOL) Then finally 2 audio only clips. One from The Me Nobody Knows, and one from Godspell.  (And yes, she used the name Gayn Pierre for awhile back then.)

[MAR 15] Greetings all and Happy Ides Of March... (unless your name is Caesar that is... )  Let's jump right into the news.  In Donnaland,  Forbes wrote an article about MacArthur Park. It points out that Donna hit a career high on the Billboard Digital Song Sales Chart and of course the #1 on the Dance Digital Songs chart.  I love that the song is still getting so much attention!

[MAR 15] Moving on to Johnnyswim, the One Day musical had the official opening night on the 11th. That means reviews are finally out and the ones I've seen are good. :-) Here are a couple for you to look at, but a Google search will bring you more.  There is BroadwayWorld.com, A Youngish Perspective, and Musical Theater Review which says nice things about the music in particular. :-) A bunch of family and friends showed up in Edinburgh to support Johnnyswim on opening night. Bruce was among them and he posted a photo of a rainbow on one of his Facebook stories. So I'd say Donna was in the house too. She's be so proud!

[MAR 15] In Bruce news, he is still teasing his upcoming "cool thing" which involves Make The World Go Away (a Bruce sketch.) That's coming the 20th, so it's just a few days away.

[MAR 15] We have some Brooklyn Sudano news this week. She is in a new action movie called Protector.  Unfortunately you can't see her in the trailer - probably because her character isn't the one blowing things up and beating people up. LOL

[MAR 15] I think it's high time I announced that I am walking to fight MS again this year.  The walk is on May 16 and I get a nice walk at Jones Beach in (hopefully nice weather) with some friends and in the process I get to earn money for a great cause.  If you would like to donate, this is my link. But I also accept thoughts, prayers, etc for those who are dealing with this disease.

[MAR 15] That brings us to YouTube. This week I have some recently uploaded clips I've run into.  First up is a 1978 PM Magazine interview with performance and rehearsal clips (and a very young and cute Mimi.)  Then we have the Tony Moran Ultimate Radio edit of Valley Of The Moon,  Spring Affair from Top Of The Pops, and a medley of hits from the Danny Baker Show in 1994. Since it's Oscar night tonight, let's also enjoy Donna's performances from 1984, Papa Can You Hear Me, and 1979, Last Dance.  Then you can go check out the movie Donna was in, Thank God It's Friday, streaming in full on YouTube.

[MAR 8] Greetings all and happy Spring Ahead Day for those who suffer... I mean celebrate it.  ;-) (It's Daylight Savings Time now for those who don't know - we lost an hour of sleep last night.)

[MAR 8] In Donna-land, we are STILL celebrating MacArthur Park at the Olympics.  :-) Billboard posted an article about MacArthur Park hitting #1 on the dance charts again - that's to Alysa Liu's performance.  :-) That's Donna's 4th posthumous #1.  In other words - Donna is unstoppable.  :-)

[MAR 8] Alyssa Liu has talked about her choice of song for her program. There is a YouTube clip of her on Andy Cohen's show,  and another of her on The Tonight Show.  (I linked to the part where they talk about music selection.)

[MAR 8] Queerty.com posted an article about MacArthur Park the song and the place.

[MAR 8] Moving on to Johnnyswim. One Day The Musical has been selling out on these preview performances. I can only imagine demand going up even higher after the official opening night/press night when there will be more coverage in the press about the show. But in the meantime,  The Times has an article about the show, and Johnnyswim did an interview for BBC Radio Scotland. (Just a note on that link. When you click "listen now" you may find that it is region locked.  Here in New York, it starts to load the episode page then immediately goes to a "page not found error."  It does that with any clip I try to play on that site and with multiple browsers, so  it has to be a region thing. There is a reel on Instagram that everyone can access that will give you a taste if the interview.)

MAR 8] In Bruce news this week,  he's got Make The World Go Away (A Bruce sketch) coming out March 20 and he says it will be part of something cool.  So mark your calendars and save this link!

[MAR 8] That brings us to YouTube. This week we are celebrating the Summer Fever Pick, Crayons.  First up the complete concert from the 2008 Crayons tour filmed at Jones Beach. (This clip is in 4k and looks really good!) Then we have the Crayons EPK with Donna talking about some of the songs.  Next are in studio videos for The Queen Is Back and Mr. Music, and an Artist Confidential performance of Science Of Love (with interview.) And of course we have to see the Stor Dubine animated video for Stamp Your Feet.  Finally, a video about the making of Crayons. (Oops.... wrong kind of Crayons.  LOL)

[MAR 1] Greetings all and Happy March!  Yes, we are that much closer to Spring here - finally!  It's a new month so you know that means it's time for the new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are taking out our Crayons and having a great time coloring all over the walls with them. Oops - that might be the other kind of Crayons now that I think of it.  LOL

[MAR 1]  Let's start with Johnnyswim. One Day The Musical just opened in Edinbrugh and I believe it was sold out that first night. (I haven't seen sales for other nights yet.)  The duo also did a concert the other night and they sneaked in a bit of one of the songs from One Day.  They posted a clip on their Instagram page. If it seems familiar to you that's because they reworked Alchemy and called it You for the musical. That's an amazing love song so I can see why they would want to put it in the show!  :-) Techincally One Day is still in previews which means they can still make adjustments if they want to.  Press Night (aka Opening Night) is March 11.  At that point the show is locked in and you will start seeing reviews in the papers and online.

[MAR 1] Moving on to Donna - we are still  going crazy for MacArthur Park!  First up is an SportingNews.com article about Alysa Liu's selection of the song for her routine.  Then we have a post on Jim Joseph's blog about the Olympic performances of Ilia Malinin and Alyssa Liu that of course includes info about how Liu's skate affected the streaming figures for MacArthur Park.

[MAR 1] Discogs.com has updated their site to include the track listing for the  recently released SUmmer Time Singles Collection.  They also have a whole bunch of notes clarifying the versions used on the set.

[MAR 1] In the land of overs, REDHOUSE (who has done a bunch of Donna stuff including MacArthur Park), has a new single coming out on March 11. Tis time he is doing On The Radio. So make sure you check that out next week. And in the meantime, you can head to his site and see some of the stuff he's already released - like the aforementioned MacArthur Park.  :-)

[MAR 1] Bruce fans - check out American Songwriter's article about some of Dolly Parton's number one hits. The first one mentioned is Starting Over Again written, of course, by Bruce (with an assist from some woman he was married to at the time.  LOL).  Keep an eye on Bruce's socials. He's promising an announcement this week.  (It better be about music - if he's gonna tell us that I'm getting more snow here, I'm gonna box up all the snow I still have and ship it to him.  LOL)

[MAR 1] That brings us to YouTube. First up, the Moreno J Remix of MacArthur Park set to a montage of video clips and photos. Next we have Q's Duet Short Edit of Protection with Donna and Bruce Springsteen - or if you prefer there is a Long Edit too.  Then there is a reaction video to the MacArthur Park Suite done by the same guy who reacted to the On The Radio album.  Spoiler alert - he already loved MacArthur Park, this is his first time hearing the whole suite. And finally, someone tried to recreate the edit of the MacArthur Park Suite that Alysa Liu skated to. Some of his cuts are not quite smooth, but it's a nice attempt!

[FEB 22] Greetings all and happy blizzard for my friends in the snow zone. (For my friends outside the snow zone - you want to come over and shovel my driveway?  LOL)  Let's get right to the big news for the week - the Olympics.  Specifically, ladies' figure skating.   So we started off with the short program where Mone Chiba from Japan took fourth place skating to Last Dance.  I thought that was pretty cool in and of itself. But then we got to the ladies' free skate where American Alysa Liu took gold skating to an edit of the MacArthur Park Suite!  That blew my mind! She was not only a good skater, she seemed to be having fun out there - which is always what you want to see. I feel sorry for the ones whose nerves get the best of them to the point where they forget to have fun.  Anyway, there is a YouTube short from Mona Chiba's performance, and Alysa Liu's full skate is available on YouTube.  Congrats to all the athletes who got to participate, whether you medalled or not,  you will have memories to last a lifetime.  :-)

[FEB 22] So after the free skate, Alysa Liu had a gold medal, and Donna had ... a whole bunch of streams! On Friday night, one of the NBC anchors mentioned that  "the Donna Summer song used in the gold medal skate" has a 35% increase in streams that day.  MacArthur Park (and to a lesser extent, Last Dance and Donna's albums) have been popping up on the iTunes charts (among others.) As I type this on Sunday, MacArthur Park is #8 on the iTunes Top 100  songs for the USA.  On Shazam's viral charts for the USA, MacArthur Park  is currently at  number 1.  Oops, did I say #1? That's just for the live version from Live & More Encore.  Scroll down a bit and the MacArthur Park Suite is at #13.  So many versions - so many chances to chart!  LOL

[FEB 22] Forbes posted an article about the bump in MacArthur Park streams.

[FEB 22] Moving on to something else (although I could happily celebrate MacArthur Park all day!  LOL), FM4 Radio posted an article about how the city of Vienna was a launching pad for Donna's career.

[FEB 22] Moving on to Johnnyswim. Their musical, One Day, opens on the 27 which is just 5 short days (5 short One Days?  LOL) from now.  The Guardian posted an article about it and I'm sure we will see more this week. Oh and if you are looking for Johnnyswim merch, they recently restocked their webstore, so they might now have something that you were missing from your collection.

[FEB 22] That brings us to YouTube and you probably already know what my theme is.  LOL We're celebrating MacArthur Park! So we start with the live version from Live & More Encore. Then for those who like classic Donna, we have a live version from 1978.  And of course if you are dying to hear One Of A Kind, then you need the full suite (which is audio only).  Then we have  a performance from when Donna appeared on American Idol, and Donna's appearance on Dick Clark Live Wednesday which has both MacArthur Park and Last Dance. And what the  heck, I might as well also post Last Dance from The Midnight Special.  :-)

[FEB 15] Greetings and a belated Happy Valentine's Day to all!  First up this week, Johnnyswim is doing a show on February 22 (a week from today!)  at The Caves in Edinburgh. For tickets, head over to their website.  And don't forget that their musical is opening on the 27th.

[FEB 15] In Donna-land this week, MusicRadar.com posted an article about I Feel Love.

[FEB 15] That brings us to YouTube. (Yup, it's a quiet week.  LOL) First up is a reaction video - but unlike most reaction videos, it covers a whole album (On The Radio) instead of just one song.  Then we have a short showing the unboxing of the singles collection. (But it's literally just taking the set out of the shipping box - he doesn't open up the set on camera.  If you want to see what's in the box set, then you have to go to the official promo video. Next up is an interview from 1990 where Donna talks about her painting.  And finally for the AI fans out there, there is a video of 70s album covers that are AI animated.  Fair warning - Donna doesn't always look right, but that's AI for you.

[FEB 8] Greetings all and  happy Sunday!  I don't know about where you guys are, but where I am it's so cold outside that every time I try to play Hot Stuff, my music player automatically changes to Cold Love...   ;-)  There's not a lot going on this week other than the Olympics. (And seeing as how Bruce lives part time in Milan, I was disappointed to find out he's not competing in any of the events...   LOL)

[FEB 8] The main thing going on at the moment is that Johnnyswim is in Scotland getting ready for the opening of the musical One Day.  It opens on the 27th, so some of the press is starting to ramp up a little. WhatsOnStage.com actually posted a short clip of one of the songs called Blackbirds.  I'm sure we'll see more as we get closer to opening night.

{FEB 8] Bruce fans - he posted a throwback Facebook reel of him playing Ball Of Confusion with  Pepe Cardona, Randy Mitchell and Eddie Hokenson.

[FEB 8] That brings us to YouTube. Since we have both the Super Bowl and the Olympics going on today, I thought I'd do as much of a sports theme as I can.  So let's start with a stampyourfeet video for From A Distance which was from a 1996 Olympics album.  Then we have a Stor Dubine video for Stamp Your Feet,  Donna in a Monday Night Football ad, an audio only video for One Of A Kind (because I remember it being used on some sports recap many years ago), and the audio for the original Run With It.  And just for fun, a short with New England Patriot Christian Gonzales wearing a Donna t-shirt during a pre-game warmup.

[FEB 1] Greetings all and happy February! Also, happy Black History Month! I hope my US friends are doing well in the cold. It's a new month so you know it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are celebrating Live & More Encore.

[FEB 1] So the Singles collection is  officially out. Some people have theirs already and some are still waiting for shipping. So if yours isn't there yet, just keep hounding your mailman.  LOL I don't have a copy ... yet... but I plan to spend some time just exploring the singles in my collection. Oh who am I kidding? I'm going to play Hot Stuff on repeat until this darn cold snap eases up! (It couldn't hurt and it might help.  LOL) The official Facebook site for Donna has posted yet another reel talking about the Singles Collection.  In this one they talk about the single's sleeve art.

{FEB 1] In honor of the Singles Collection release, Donna's official YouTube channel posted a restored HD version of This Time I Know It's For Real from Top Of The Pops.  (This is what I like to see - restored clips of the real deal instead of AI slop. I'd rather watch this one clip 1000 times in a row if it meant I didn't have to encounter even click bait fake scandal AI garbage any day of the week.)

[FEB 1] Speaking of YouTube... it's Grammy night, and since we seem to know a certain  diva who has a few of those trophies, I thought we'd do Grammy clips this week.  So let's start with Donna  opening the 1984 broadcast with She Works Hard For  The Money. Then we have Donna winning Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for Last Dance, Donna singing a medley of nominated songs with Kenny Rogers,  Donna and Quincy Jones presenting Best Female Pop vocalist, Donna and Andy Gibb presenting Record Of The Year, and Donna talking about winning a Grammy for Carry On.  And finally, Donna's Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award - accepted on her behalf by Bruce and the girls.

[JAN 25] Greetings all on this very snowy (here in the Eastern part of the US) Sunday.  Shout out to the people of Minneapolis.  I miss the days when the most famous thing about you was the Mary Tyler Moore Show.  Stay strong. Part of me wants to write a big rant about the stuff going on in this country... but this is supposed to be a happy place.  So I'll put on some tunes and try to tune out the chaos for a little while just to keep my sanity.

[JAN 25] So... on to Donna land, where the beat is always strong and love is in the air.  As you know the Singles box set comes out on the 31st and Donna's official Facebook page has posted a couple of reels talking about that.  I posted this one last week, and that was followed by this one,  this one, and this one.  There is also a reel with a peek at the release.  Keep an eye out, they may post more this week. (Fingers crossed!)

[JAN 25] In Bruce news, he's posted a lyric video for Better Angels.  And over on his website, he still has some things on sale for as much as half off. So if you need a super Bruce or some CDs or something, head over there.  (And who doesn't need a Super Bruce? I got mine on a shelf next to Baby Yoda.   Don't judge me.  LOL)

[JAN 25] That brings us to YouTube.  First up a Suecase Hall for the unreleased We're Gonna Win. (It was written by Paul Jabara for the AIDS crisis, but it fits so much more than that as well.) Then we have Let There Be Peace - written for the Persian Gulf war, but it also fits so much more.  Up next is State Of Independence live (with young Mimi so we can all feel old when we remember she is a grown woman now with grown kids!) Then there is Love Is The Healer live from Divas 2000,  and finally Celebrate Me Home.  I dedicate that last one to all who are struggling with loss - not just the ones that made the news, but I know a number of people have recently experienced private losses that have left them reeling.

[JAN 18] Happy Sunday all! Welcome to your weekly escape from the real world.  Just a reminder that Summer Time: The Singles Collection is out on the 30th.  In honor of that, Donna's Facebook page posted a short reel about the release.

[JAN 18] The bigger news this week is the appearance of the Offer Nissim remix of Sometimes Like Butterflies.  You can listen here on YouTube,  but you can also get is in all the other places you get music.  It is a track on an Offer Nissim album called Let Me Tell You Something, so if you have trouble finding the Sometimes Like Butterflies mix, try searching for Offer Nissim instead of Donna Summer.  (Both are actually credited on the track, but you know sometimes search engines can be fussy.)

[JAN 18] Johnnyswim fans - as you know they are working on a musical called One Day in Edinburgh. Well, the demand for tickets has been so great that the run has been extended by 2 weeks.  So now it will be running  from February 26 all the way until April 19 at the Royal Lyceum Theater.  Broadwayworld.com has posted a number of photos from the rehearsals, and you should keep a close eye on Johnnyswim's Instagram - especially around opening night.  They have been excited about this project for as long as they have been talking about it, and I imaging opening night will be LIT.  :-)

[JAN 18] That brings us to YouTube.  And I'll look at Donna as a songwriter again - just because there is so much to look at! This time let's look at songs that Donna specifically wrote for musicals (although she did perform some of them in concert over the years.)  So first up are songs from Ordinary Girl - the musical that Donna was working on for years and years. (It was revamped into Summer: The Donna Summer Musical after Donna passed.)  So first up is My Life, and No Ordinary Love Song which were both performed in concert in the late 90s. Then there is Begin Again  that I believe leaked from a demo CD someone got a hold of.  Then from a different musical we have Dream-A Lot's Theme.  I shared the ballad version recently, but the first time we heard it was a dance version on The Journey.  (Oh heck, you know I can't resist the ballad, so here it is again.  LOL) And finally from Ordinary Girl, If There Is Music There.  Donna performed it for us for the first time in her VH1 Live & More Encore concert, and Brooklyn used it to really great effect in the Love To Love You Donna documentary.  I've loved that one since the first time I heard it.

[JAN 10] Happy Saturday all!  It's a quiet week - well in Donna-land. I don't want to think about what's going on in the real world these days.

[JAN 10] Just a reminder, the Summer Time: The Singles Collection comes out officially at the end of this month. It is available for pre-order in many places - including Amazon. [paid affiliate link]

[JAN 10] Over on Bruce's website, you can catch a deal on Super Bruce merch at the moment.  And don't forget his single Better Angels is out in all the places you can get music.

[JAN 10] That brings us to YouTube. This week we celebrate  both Mistaken Identity AND Donna as a songwriter with tracks from the album that Donna co-wrote.  So first up are 3 audio only clips:  Mistaken Identity,  Fred Astaire, and When Love Cries.  Then there is the official video for Work That Magic,  a liveandmore video for Let There Be Peace, and of course a live version (from the Walk of Fame ceremony) of Friends Unknown.

[JAN 4] Happy New Year everyone! Here's hoping for all good things for 2026!  It's a new month, so of course we have a new Summer Fever Pick. This month put on your blonde wigs as we celebrate Mistaken Identity.

[JAN 4]  First up this week - Bruce has a new single out.  It's called Better Angels and you can catch it at all the usual places.  The song has a great message to start the year off on the right foot - but sadly, I fear that the people who most need to hear it wouldn't take the message to heart.  Bruce has also updated his website with new sections about his life and his point of view. (Although I think if you are listening to his music, you already know his point of view.)

[JAN 4] In Donna land this week, apparently Weight Watchers is using I Feel Love in their TV commercials.  I haven't caught the ad yet myself on TV (I stream more than I watch regular TV), but here's something WW posted on YouTube using the song.

[JAN 4] Dutch radio NPO2 had a poll in December where people could vote for their favorite songs. They took the top 2000 songs and played them in the period of time between Christmas until New Year's Eve.  It's a really eclectic list with new artists, old artists, pop, rock, dance... you name it.  Donna made the list 4 times with I Feel Love (481), State Of Independence (755), MacArthur Park (859) and Last Dance (1947).

[JAN 4] That brings us to YouTube. This week we continue celebrating Donna as a songwriter.  Last week we did songs selected by a Billboard poll, but this time we'll look at some deeper cuts.  So let's start with Worth The Wait live in concert, an audio only clip of Dreamcatcher,  an audio only clip of Sometimes Like Butterflies,  a Stor Dubine video for I Got Your Love, an audio clip of If You're Walkin' Alone (credited as Donna Gaines), and finally I Will Live For Love (the dance version) and the ballad version. There are still plenty of songs to look at next time I decide to revisit Donna as a songwriter.  :-)

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