Studio Album · No. 7
Donna Summer Songwriting Credits by Donna Summer
Produced by Quincy Jones · Engineered by Bruce Swedien, Bernie Grundman, John Van Nest, Steve Crimmel, Matt Forger
Holds writing credit on 2 of 9 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 2 / 9 documented
Scored across the 9 tracks with documented writers, by whether Donna Summer carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 9 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Authorship on this record runs almost entirely through Quincy Jones and his circle. Rod Temperton and David Foster supply or co-write four of the nine songs, Jon Anderson and Vangelis contribute 'State of Independence,' Bruce Springsteen hands over 'Protection' outright, and 'Lush Life' is a Billy Strayhorn jazz standard from decades earlier. Summer's own pen appears only on 'Livin' in America,' shared with Jones, Temperton, Foster, and Steve Lukather, and 'Love Is Just a Breath Away,' shared with Temperton and Foster. The composer credits carry legal names such as Rodney Lynn Temperton, David Walter Foster, and Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou where they differ from the names on the sleeve, and Summer's own legal name, Donna Adrian Gaines, sits behind her two co-writes. It is the most outside-authored album of her career, which is exactly what she meant calling it a Quincy Jones record she sang on.
Donna Summer is the self-titled tenth studio album by Donna Summer, released on July 19, 1982, on Geffen Records. It was her first album produced entirely outside the Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte partnership that had defined her disco years, handed instead to Quincy Jones after Geffen shelved her prior Moroder-produced album, I'm a Rainbow. Jones built the record around outside songwriters and a deep bench of session players, pulling in Rod Temperton, David Foster, Jon Anderson and Vangelis, and even Bruce Springsteen, while Summer herself sang lead and co-wrote only two tracks. The lead single, 'Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger),' reached the US top ten and earned a Grammy nomination, and 'State of Independence' brought in an all-star backing choir that included Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Lionel Richie. The album was certified gold by the RIAA and later left Summer reflecting that it felt like 'a Quincy Jones album that I sang on.'
Track Listing & Credits 9 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)
#10
|
Quincy JonesRod TempertonMerria Ross | Quincy Delight Jones Jr.Rodney Lynn TempertonMerria Ross | Quincy Jones | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals) |
| 2 |
Mystery of Love
|
Bill MeyersRichard PageJohn Lang | Bill MeyersRichard PageJohn Lang | Quincy Jones | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Richard Page (Backing Vocals) |
| 3 |
The Woman in Me
#33
|
John BettisMike Clark | John BettisMichael Clark | Quincy Jones | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals) |
| 4 |
State of Independence
#41
|
Jon AndersonVangelis | John Roy AndersonEvangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou | Quincy Jones | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Michael Jackson (Backing Vocals)Stevie Wonder (Backing Vocals)Lionel Richie (Backing Vocals)Dionne Warwick (Backing Vocals)Kenny Loggins (Backing Vocals)Christopher Cross (Backing Vocals)James Ingram (Backing Vocals)Michael McDonald (Backing Vocals)Brenda Russell (Backing Vocals)Dyan Cannon (Backing Vocals)Peggy Lipton (Backing Vocals)Quincy Jones (Backing Vocals) |
| 5 |
Livin' in America
|
David FosterQuincy JonesSteve LukatherDonna SummerRod Temperton | David Walter FosterQuincy Delight Jones Jr.Steven Lee LukatherDonna Adrian GainesRodney Lynn Temperton | Quincy Jones | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Steve Lukather (Guitar) |
| 6 |
Protection
|
Bruce Springsteen | Bruce Springsteen | Quincy Jones | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Bruce Springsteen (Guitar) |
| 7 |
(If It) Hurts Just a Little
|
David BatteauDan SembelloMichael Sembello | David BatteauDan SembelloMichael Sembello | Quincy Jones | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Michael Sembello (Guitar) |
| 8 |
Love Is Just a Breath Away
|
Donna SummerRod TempertonDavid Foster | Donna Adrian GainesRodney Lynn TempertonDavid Walter Foster | Quincy Jones | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals) |
| 9 |
Lush Life
|
Billy Strayhorn | William Thomas Strayhorn | Quincy Jones | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals) |