Studio Album · No. 10
Crayons Songwriting Credits by Donna Summer
Produced by Greg Kurstin, J.R. Rotem, Toby Gad, Sebastian Arocha Morton, Nathan DiGesare, Lester Mendez, Jamie Houston · Engineered by John Hanes, Greg Ogan, Joe Wohlmuth, Chris Gehringer
Holds writing credit on 12 of 12 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 12 / 12 documented
Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Donna Summer carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Crayons is Donna Summer's most hands-on writing credit in years: she co-wrote all twelve of the album's core tracks, pairing with a different producer-collaborator on nearly every song rather than working with one main writing partner. Greg Kurstin and Danielle Brisebois anchor one cluster of tracks, J.R. Rotem and Evan Bogart another, and Toby Gad supplies three songs on his own with Summer, including the single 'Fame (The Game).' Al Kasha, a veteran film songwriter decades her senior, co-wrote the dance smash 'I'm a Fire' with her, and Ziggy Marley both co-writes and guests on the title track. The spread of collaborators across the record matches Summer's own description of the album as intentionally varied, a songwriter's album built from many different rooms rather than one studio sound.
Crayons is the seventeenth and final studio album by Donna Summer, released May 20, 2008 on Burgundy Records. It was her first full album of new material in fourteen years, following 1994's covers set Endless Summer and 1991's Mistaken Identity, and it arrived after a long period spent mostly on greatest-hits packages and one-off singles. Summer worked with a rotating cast of younger producers, including Greg Kurstin, J.R. Rotem, Toby Gad, Sebastian Arocha Morton, Nathan DiGesare, Lester Mendez, and Jamie Houston, and described the record's deliberately varied styles as being like cooking with different ingredients on each track. The album reached number 17 on the Billboard 200, her highest chart placement since 1983's She Works Hard for the Money, and spun off three number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Reggae artist Ziggy Marley guests on the title track. Summer died of lung cancer on May 17, 2012, making Crayons the closing studio statement of her recording career.
Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Stamp Your Feet
#1
|
Donna SummerDanielle BriseboisGreg Kurstin | Donna Adrian GainesDanielle BriseboisGregory Allen Kurstin | Greg Kurstin | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Greg Kurstin (Instruments)Miri Ben-Ari (Violin) |
| 2 |
Mr. Music
|
Donna SummerEvan BogartJ.R. RotemMeredith Willson | Donna Adrian GainesEvan Kidd BogartJonathan Reuven RotemMeredith Willson | J.R. Rotem | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)J.R. Rotem (Instruments) |
| 3 |
Crayons
|
Donna SummerDanielle BriseboisGreg KurstinZiggy Marley | Donna Adrian GainesDanielle BriseboisGregory Allen KurstinDavid Nesta Marley | Greg Kurstin | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Ziggy Marley (Featured Vocals)Greg Kurstin (Instruments) |
| 4 |
The Queen Is Back
|
Donna SummerEvan BogartJ.R. Rotem | Donna Adrian GainesEvan Kidd BogartJonathan Reuven Rotem | J.R. Rotem | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)J.R. Rotem (Instruments) |
| 5 |
Fame (The Game)
#1
|
Donna SummerToby Gad | Donna Adrian GainesTobias Gad | Toby Gad | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Toby Gad (Instruments) |
| 6 |
Sand on My Feet
|
Donna SummerToby Gad | Donna Adrian GainesTobias Gad | Toby Gad | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Toby Gad (Instruments) |
| 7 |
Drivin' Down Brazil
|
Donna SummerDanielle BriseboisGreg Kurstin | Donna Adrian GainesDanielle BriseboisGregory Allen Kurstin | Greg Kurstin | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Greg Kurstin (Instruments) |
| 8 |
I'm a Fire
#1
|
Donna SummerAl KashaSebastian Arocha Morton | Donna Adrian GainesAlfred KashaSebastian Arocha Morton | Sebastian Arocha Morton | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Sebastian Arocha Morton (Instruments, Synthesizer)Poncho Tomaselli (Bass)Robert Castillo (Guitar)Davey Chegwidden (Percussion) |
| 9 |
Slide Over Backwards
|
Donna SummerJakob PetrénNathan DiGesare | Donna Adrian GainesJakob PetrénNathan DiGesare | Nathan DiGesare | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Hattie Mae Blanche Dubois (Featured Vocals)Tom Hemby (Guitar, Harmonica, Steel Guitar)Nathan DiGesare II (Clavinet)Angelo Petrucci (Acoustic Guitar) |
| 10 |
Science of Love
|
Donna SummerToby Gad | Donna Adrian GainesTobias Gad | Toby Gad | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Toby Gad (Instruments) |
| 11 |
Be Myself Again
|
Donna SummerLester MendezWayne Hector | Donna Adrian GainesLester MendezWayne Hector | Lester Mendez | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Lester Mendez (Instruments) |
| 12 |
Bring Down the Reign
|
Donna SummerFred KronJamie Houston | Donna Adrian GainesFred KronJamie Houston | Jamie Houston | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Agape Children's Choir (Choir Vocals)Fred Kron (Keyboards, Synth Bass)Charles Waddhams (Bass)Miri Ben-Ari (Violin)Iki Levy (Percussion)Jamie Houston (Percussion) |