Donna Summer discography

None

The discography of American singer Donna Summer includes 17 studio albums and 89 singles, plus several other releases. Her first single, "Wassermann", a German version of the song "Aquarius" from the musical Hair, was released in Europe in 1968 under her maiden name, Donna Gaines. She would become known as Donna Summer from 1974 onwards. Her first full length album under that name was Lady of the Night. Summer has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Billboard list her as the 14th greatest female soloist of all time (51st overall). She has scored three number one albums on the US Billboard 200, sixteen number one hits on the US Dance Club Songs and four chart topping singles in the Billboard Hot 100, Bad Girls remains the biggest selling album of her career with over 4 million copies sold worldwide. Summer holds the record for most consecutive double albums to hit number one on the Billboard charts (3) and first female to have four number one singles in a 12 month period; three as a solo artist and one as a duet with Barbra Streisand.

Summer's debut album, Lady of the Night, was released only in the Netherlands by Groovy Records. This was followed by her first international release, Love to Love You Baby, issued by Giorgio Moroder's Oasis Records in association with Casablanca Records in the United States and Canada. (At this time Summer would again become based in the United States, having lived in Germany for several years previously.) "Love to Love You Baby" was her first single in the US; it was recorded on Oasis Records, which would join with Casablanca Records to release it in the US. Casablanca would assume responsibility for recording and distributing Summer's albums during the 1970s and in the process became one of the premier labels of that decade. While Casablanca would become the main label responsible for managing Summer, Groovy continued to distribute her work in the Netherlands and other labels were used to distribute her work in other countries, such as GTO in the United Kingdom, Atlantic in Germany and France, Polar in Sweden and Durium in Italy. From 1977's Once Upon a Time album, Casablanca would take over the distribution of Summer's albums in most countries (though her releases in the Netherlands would be issued by Philips and (until 1978 and 1979 respectively) would continue to be issued by Atlantic in Germany and France). As a result, some of her former labels released hits compilation albums in an attempt to cash in on losing her: GTO even scored a Top 5 placing in the United Kingdom with The Greatest Hits of Donna Summer. Summer remained with Casablanca, who helped make her one of the biggest stars in music and "The Queen of Disco" until the end of 1979, when she left due to personal and professional disputes with them and filed a lawsuit against them. Summer subsequently became the first ever artist to be signed to David Geffen's Geffen Records and, after refusing to release her second album recorded for them (in 1981), they requested that she no longer work with long term collaborator Giorgio Moroder, who had produced and co written the vast majority of her hits in the previous decade. From the following album (issued in 1982), her Geffen work outside North America would be distributed by Warner Bros. Records, the umbrella company to Geffen. By 1983, Casablanca had been bought out by PolyGram Records, who informed Summer that she still owed them an album as per her legal settlement with Casablanca. She delivered the album She Works Hard for the Money, which PolyGram chose to release on its Mercury Records imprint as opposed to Casablanca, Summer's former label. Following this, she released another album with Geffen a year later, but they reportedly refused to release much of her material in the remainder of the decade and, after they refused to release her album Another Place and Time in 1988, Summer left the label. However, Warner Bros. released the record in Europe the following year where it became a success, resulting in Summer being signed to their Atlantic label in North America. She remained signed to Atlantic and Warner Bros. until the early 1990s. In 1990, Geffen Records was sold to MCA Records, which was owned by alcoholic beverage maker Seagram; although Summer was no longer an artist on Geffen Records. In 1998, PolyGram and its imprints were purchased by Seagram, which merged the company with its MCA Records label and imprints to create the gigantic Universal Music Group. This had the result of Summer's MCA, Oasis, Casablanca, Geffen, and Mercury releases now being owned by one conglomerate, Universal Music. This catalogue of Summer's material stretches from 1971 to 1987 for Universal Music Group. Summer again signed to PolyGram's Mercury label, who released two hits compilation albums, her 1994 Christmas album and the previously unreleased second Geffen album from 1981. Mercury also re released some of Summer's Warner Bros. albums in the 1990s. By the end of the decade, she was signed to Sony's Epic Records, who released a live album. Her final album, in 2008, was released by Sony's Burgundy Records. After 1987, Donna Summer owned the masters to her recordings released by Geffen/Warner Bros, Atlantic Records, Epic Records and Burgundy Records releases.

All albums were released internationally unless otherwise stated. The record labels given are those used to release the records in the US (unless of course they were not released in that country). As explained in the previous paragraph, other labels were sometimes used to distribute Summer's work in other countries (most notably for the Casablanca/Geffen/Atlantic albums). From Once Upon a Time through to the end of the Casablanca albums, this label was used to distribute Summer's work in most nations.

YearTitlePeakRecord label US Casablanca Soundtrack album by various artists with music written and produced by Giorgio Moroder (although different lyricists were used, Summer herself being credited with the lyrics on this track). The song previously appears on Summer's 1979 compilation album On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2 in both its full length and edited versions (with the track being credited as "written and recorded for the motion picture 'Foxes'"). The edited version was released as a 7" single in late 1979 and a 12" single with a longer instrumental part and the omission of the final verse (replacing it with a repeat of the second verse) was also available. It is in fact the 12" version featured on this soundtrack, which also features an instrumental of "On the Radio" credited to Moroder alone. "On the Radio" became a Top 5 hit for Summer. "Highway Runner" 1982 Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Music from the Motion Picture) Silver Wave Film soundtrack featuring one song by Summer. "The Power of One" 2000 Pokémon 2: The Power of One (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture) The original German cast recording of the musical "Hair." Donna Gaines is credited as a joint lead vocalist on some songs ("Wassermann"/"Luft"/"White Boys"/"Schweben Im Raum"/"Finale") and sings as part of the ensemble on the others listed. "Wassermann" was also released as a single in Germany, making it her first single release. "Donna" "Manchester" "Ich Bin Ein Farbiger" "Ich Hab Kein " "Luft" "Ich Bin Reich" "Bergab" "Haar" "Hare Krishna" "Wo Geh' Ich Hin" "White Boys" "Schweben Im Raum" "3500" "Die Letzten Sterne" "Finale" "Light Sings" 1971 The Me Nobody Knows (Original German cast recording) Giorgio Moroder The first collaboration between Summer and Moroder for 11 years. The song was released as a single in Germany and, some years later, in a remixed form in other countries, winning the Grammy award for Best Dance Recording in 1998. "La Vie En Rose" 1993 Tribute to Edith Piaf</small> 1968 "Wassermann" b/w "Finale"(Donna Gaines und Ensemble) — — Haare (Hair) 1969 "If You Walkin' Alone" b/w "Can't Understand"(Donna Gains) — —align=left rowspan=3 1971 "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" b/w "So Said the Man" (Donna Gaines) — — 1974 "Denver Dream" b/w "Something's in the Wind" — — "The Hostage"b/w "Let's Work Together Now" — 2 Lady of the Night "Lady of the Night"b/w "Wounded" 40 4 1975 "Love to Love You" b/w "Need A Man Blues" — 13 align=left rowspan=2 "Virgin Mary" b/w "Pandora's Box" — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. Released in Germany only. Released in the Netherlands, Belgium and France only. Released in the Netherlands only. None of the above singles were released outside of just a few countries in Europe. "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" and "The Hostage" were released in the United Kingdom, but were not UK hits. Summer scored hits in the Netherlands with "Let's Work Together Now", "Lady of the Night", and "Love to Love You" (later named "Love to Love You Baby").

These singles were all released commercially in at least one format in one country. Promotional formats may have also been released in that country/those countries or in others. Several of the singles from this era are in fact from albums by various artists on which Summer appeared. PolyGram released the 1994 compilation album Endless Summer, so the two singles from that album (both newly recorded tracks) were released on Mercury, as were the 1999 and 2000 re releases of "Last Dance" and "I Feel Love" respectively. The remixes of "I Feel Love" and "State of Independence" were released by the former UK based Manifesto label, a division of Universal (who had owned the rights to much of Summer's back catalogue for some time). Summer signed to Sony in 1999 and both her singles from that year were released by their Epic label. Summer's final album (2008's Crayons) and the singles from it were released by Sony's Burgundy Records. Universal released 2005's "I Got Your Love", originally featured two years earlier in the television series Sex and the City. The final Donna Summer single, "To Paris with Love" was released on her own Driven by the Music label. The posthumous remix album released in 2013 (entitled Love to Love You Donna) and its singles were released by Verve Records, by then part of Universal Music Group, who had long since owned the rights to Summer's Casablanca/PolyGram recordings from 1975 to 1983. YearTitlePeak chart positions Album <small>US(with Kygo) — — — 74 — — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. Released commercially in France only. Released commercially in North America only. Released commercially in the United Kingdom only. Not released commercially in the United Kingdom. Did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number nine on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. Not released commercially in North America.

Year Title 1975 "Lady of the Night" 1975 "Love to Love You Baby" 1976 "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It" 1976 "Could It Be Magic" 1976 "Spring Affair" 1976 "Autumn Changes" 1976 "Winter Melody" 1977 "I Remember Yesterday" 1978 "Last Dance" 1978 "Fairy Tale High" 1979 "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" 1979 "Bad Girls" (not official TV appearance) 1979 "Sunset People" 1979 "My Man Medley" 1980 "The Wanderer" 1982 "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" 1982 "State of Independence" 1982 "The Woman in Me" 1983 "Romeo" 1983 "She Works Hard for the Money" 1983 "Unconditional Love" 1984 "Supernatural Love" 1984 "There Goes My Baby" 1987 "Dinner with Gershwin" 1987 "Dinner with Gershwin (Remix)" 1987 "All Systems Go" 1987 "Love Shock" 1989 "This Time I Know It's for Real' 1989 "This Time I Know It's for Real (Remix)" 1989 "Love's About to Change My Heart" 1989 "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" 1990 "When Love Takes Over You" 1991 "Work That Magic" 1994 "Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)" 1994 "Endless Summer Medley" 1995 "I Feel Love (Remix)" 1996 "Whenever There Is Love" 1999 "My Prayer for You" 1999 "I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)" 1999 "I Will Go with You (Con te partirò) (Big Red Remix)" 2008 "Stamp Your Feet" 2008 "Mr. Music" 2008 "The Queen Is Back" 2009 "Fame (The Game)"