Studio Album · No. 6
The Wanderer Songwriting Credits by Donna Summer
Produced by Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte · Engineered by Brian Reeves, Harold Faltermeyer, Jürgen Koppers
Holds writing credit on 5 of 10 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 5 / 10 documented
Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Donna Summer carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Donna Summer carries a writing credit on six of the album's ten tracks, most often alongside Giorgio Moroder or Pete Bellotte, the same team that shaped her disco-era records. 'Running for Cover' and 'I Believe in Jesus' are hers alone. The other four tracks, including the Grammy-nominated 'Cold Love' and 'Who Do You Think You're Foolin,' come entirely from her longtime collaborators Bellotte, Harold Faltermeyer, Keith Forsey, Sylvester Levay, and Jerry Rix, with no Summer credit at all. Unlike some of her other Geffen-era work, Bruce Sudano does not appear as a writer anywhere on this record. The composer column swaps in legal names where they differ from the professional ones: Summer as LaDonna Adrian Gaines, Moroder as Giovanni Giorgio Moroder, Bellotte as Peter John Bellotte, Faltermeyer as Hans Hugo Harold Faltermeyer, and Levay as Szilveszter Lévay.
The Wanderer is the seventh studio album by Donna Summer, released October 20, 1980, as her first record for Geffen Records after leaving Casablanca Records behind. Where her run of late-1970s albums built her name inside disco, The Wanderer turns toward new wave and rock, a deliberate break from the sound and manufactured image she felt boxed into at her old label. Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte still produced, but the arrangements lean on guitar and synthesizer textures from Harold Faltermeyer and Sylvester Levay rather than pure four-on-the-floor disco. The title track became a US top-five hit, and the record also carries the gospel-inflected closer 'I Believe in Jesus,' a rare devotional turn in Summer's catalog. It reached the top twenty of the Billboard 200 and was certified gold, a respectable but smaller showing than her disco-era peak Bad Girls.
Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Wanderer
#3
|
Donna SummerGiorgio Moroder | Donna Adrian GainesGiovanni Giorgio Moroder | Giorgio MoroderPete Bellotte | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals) |
| 2 |
Looking Up
|
Donna SummerPete BellotteGiorgio Moroder | Donna Adrian GainesPeter John BellotteGiovanni Giorgio Moroder | Giorgio MoroderPete Bellotte | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals) |
| 3 |
Breakdown
|
Pete BellotteHarold Faltermeyer | Peter John BellotteHans Hugo Harold Faltermeyer | Giorgio MoroderPete Bellotte | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals) |
| 4 |
Grand Illusion
|
Donna SummerGiorgio Moroder | Donna Adrian GainesGiovanni Giorgio Moroder | Giorgio MoroderPete Bellotte | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals)Stephanie Spruill (Backing Vocals) |
| 5 |
Running for Cover
|
Donna Summer | Donna Adrian Gaines | Giorgio MoroderPete Bellotte | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals) |
| 6 |
Cold Love
#33
|
Harold FaltermeyerKeith ForseyPete Bellotte | Hans Hugo Harold FaltermeyerKeith ForseyPeter John Bellotte | Giorgio MoroderPete Bellotte | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals) |
| 7 |
Who Do You Think You're Foolin'
#40
|
Pete BellotteSylvester LevayJerry Rix | Peter John BellotteSzilveszter LévayJerry Rix | Giorgio MoroderPete Bellotte | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals) |
| 8 |
Nightlife
|
Pete BellotteGiorgio Moroder | Peter John BellotteGiovanni Giorgio Moroder | Giorgio MoroderPete Bellotte | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals) |
| 9 |
Stop Me
|
Keith ForseyPete Bellotte | Keith ForseyPeter John Bellotte | Giorgio MoroderPete Bellotte | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals) |
| 10 |
I Believe in Jesus
|
Donna Summer | Donna Adrian Gaines | Giorgio MoroderPete Bellotte | Donna Summer (Lead Vocals) |