Love to Love You Baby (album)

Last updated
Love to Love You Baby
Love To Love You Baby.jpg
Studio album by
Donna Summer
ReleasedAugust 27, 1975
RecordedMay–June 1975
Studio Musicland, Munich, West Germany
Genre Eurodisco [1] [2] [3]
Length35:46
Label Casablanca
Oasis
Producer Pete Bellotte
Donna Summer chronology
Lady of the Night
(1974)		Love to Love You Baby
(1975)		 A Love Trilogy
(1976)
Singles from Love to Love You Baby
  1. "Love to Love You Baby"
    Released: November 26, 1975
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
Christgau's Record Guide B− [5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [6]

Love to Love You Baby is the second studio album by American singer Donna Summer, released on August 27, 1975, and her first to be released internationally and in the United States. Her previous album Lady of the Night (1974) was released only in the Netherlands. The album was commercially successful, mainly because of the success of its title track, which reached number 2 on the US Pop charts despite some radio stations choosing not to play the song due to its sexually explicit nature.

Contents

On the US Billboard Pop Albums chart, the album peaked at number 11 and became her first top 20 studio album but also was her last until the release of I Remember Yesterday (1977). To date, it remains one of Summer's most successful records.

History

In the summer of 1974, Summer approached producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte with an idea for a song. A re-issued 45 of "Je t'aime... moi non plus" by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg was back on the charts, prompting Summer to pen her own 'racy' song. She had come up with the lyric "love to love you, baby" as the possible title for the song. Moroder in particular was interested in developing the new disco sound that was becoming increasingly popular, and used Summer's idea to develop the song into an overtly sexual disco track. The original three-minute single was released several times before it had any success – and later edited versions of the re-recorded much longer track were the versions which became a major international hit, almost a year later. He had the idea that she should moan and groan orgasmically, but Summer was initially reticent. Eventually she agreed to record the song as a demo for other singers to hear and possibly record and release. She stated she was not completely sure of some of the lyrics, and parts of the song were improvised while recording. She stated on a VH1's Behind the Music program that she pictured herself as Marilyn Monroe acting out the part of someone in sexual ecstasy. Moroder liked Summer's recording and insisted it should actually be released. Summer reluctantly agreed and the song, titled "Love to Love You", was released to modest success in Europe.

The song, however, still did not have a US release after modest success in Europe. Moroder took it to Casablanca Records and label president Neil Bogart eventually decided to release it, but requested Moroder produce a version near twenty minutes. Summer, Moroder, and producer Pete Bellotte returned with a seventeen-minute version. Casablanca signed Summer and issued the single in November 1975 as "Love to Love You Baby". Casablanca distributed Summer's work in the US while other labels distributed it in different nations during this period. With the sound asthetic and thudding four-on-the-flour kick-drum motif, Moroder and Bellotte established the template for Eurodisco. [2] [7] [8]

"Love to Love You Baby" was Summer's first single and first hit in America, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in early 1976. It also became her first number-one Hot Dance Club Play Chart hit. [9] The album (side one of which was completely taken up with the full-length version of the title track) was also released in late 1975 and was soon certified gold for sales of over 500,000 copies in the US. The song was branded "graphic" by some music critics and was even banned by some radio stations for its explicit content. Time later reported that a record twenty-two orgasms were simulated by Summer in the making of the song. In some areas of the music press, Summer would later begin to be dubbed 'The First Lady of Love'. The album made the Top 20 in both the US and the UK.

The other songs on the album had a more soul/R&B feel to them. Side two consisted of four more original songs, plus a reprise of one of them. Two of the songs, "Full of Emptiness" (which was taken from her previous album Lady of the Night ) and "Whispering Waves" were ballads, while "Need-a-Man Blues" was in a slightly more pop/disco vein, and "Pandora's Box" was more mid-tempo.

The track listing for side B differs in some European nations. In the Netherlands the album was released with the single "Virgin Mary" replacing the first version of "Full of Emptiness". On some releases in Germany, "Whispering Waves" and both versions of "Full of Emptiness" were removed. They were replaced by "Lady of the Night" and "The Hostage", both taken from the Lady of the Night album. In France, "The Hostage" was added as a bonus track at the end of side B.

Track listing

Original release

All tracks are written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte except where noted; all tracks produced by Bellotte

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Love to Love You Baby" Donna Summer, Moroder, Bellotte16:48
Side two
No.TitleLength
2."Full of Emptiness"2:22
3."Need-a-Man Blues"4:30
4."Whispering Waves"4:50
5."Pandora's Box"4:56
6."Full of Emptiness" (reprise)2:20

Alternate European track listings

All releases retained the same track listing for side one

Netherlands – Side two
No.TitleLength
2."Virgin Mary"4:02
3."Need-a-Man Blues"4:30
4."Whispering Waves"4:50
5."Pandora's Box"4:56
6."Full of Emptiness"2:20
Germany (Atlantic Release) – Side two
No.TitleLength
2."Lady of the Night"3:58
3."Pandora's Box"4:56
4."Need-a-Man Blues"3:09
5."The Hostage"4:16
France – Side two
No.TitleLength
2."Full of Emptiness"2:22
3."Need-a-Man Blues"4:30
4."Whispering Waves"4:50
5."Pandora's Box"4:56
6."Full of Emptiness (Reprise)"2:20
7."The Hostage"4:15

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Love to Love You Baby
Chart (1976)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [10] 7
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [11] 10
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [12] 16
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [13] 23
Italian Albums ( Musica e dischi ) [14] 6
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [15] 64
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [16] 9
Portuguese Albums (Musica & Som) [17] 3
Spanish Albums (AFE) [18] 8
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [19] 7
UK Albums (OCC) [20] 16
US Billboard 200 [21] 11

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [22] Gold50,000^
France (SNEP) [23] Gold100,000*
Puerto Rico—20,000 [24]
United Kingdom (BPI) [25] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [26] Gold500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donna Summer</span> American singer (1948–2012)

Donna Adrian Gaines, known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music gained a global following.

<i>Bad Girls</i> (Donna Summer album) 1979 studio album by Donna Summer

Bad Girls is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. It was released on April 25, 1979 by Casablanca Records. Originally issued as a double album, Bad Girls became the best-selling and most critically acclaimed album of Summer's career. It was also her final studio album for Casablanca Records. In 2003, Universal Music re-issued Bad Girls as a digitally remastered and expanded deluxe edition.

Roberta Kelly is an American disco and urban contemporary gospel singer who scored three hits on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart between 1976 and 1978. Her most successful US hit single, "Trouble-Maker", spent two weeks at No. 1.

<i>Thank God Its Friday</i> (film) 1978 film by Robert Klane

Thank God It's Friday is a 1978 American musical-comedy film directed by Robert Klane and produced by Motown Productions and Casablanca FilmWorks for Columbia Pictures. Produced at the height of the disco craze, the film features The Commodores performing "Too Hot ta Trot", and Donna Summer performing "Last Dance", which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1978. The film features an early performance by Jeff Goldblum and the first major screen appearance by Debra Winger. The film also features Terri Nunn, who later achieved fame in the 1980s new wave group Berlin. This was one of several Columbia Pictures films in which the studio's "Torch Lady" came to life in the opening credits, showing off her moves for a few seconds before the start of the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Feel Love</span> 1977 single by Donna Summer

"I Feel Love" is a song by the American singer Donna Summer. Produced and co-written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, it was recorded for Summer's fifth studio album, I Remember Yesterday (1977). The album concept was to have each track evoke a different musical decade; for "I Feel Love", the team aimed to create a futuristic mood, employing a Moog synthesizer.

<i>A Love Trilogy</i> 1976 studio album by Donna Summer

A Love Trilogy is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Donna Summer. It was released on March 5, 1976, eight months after her international breakthrough with the single and album of the same name – "Love to Love You Baby". The bold, sexual nature of that particular song had earned Summer the title 'the first lady of love'. By now Summer's work was being distributed in the U.S. by Casablanca Records, and the label encouraged Summer, Moroder and team to continue in this vein. A Love Trilogy uses the first side for one long disco track in three distinct movements 'Try Me', 'I Know', 'We Can Make It', and coalescing into the "love trilogy" of the title – "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It". Side two contained three additional erotic disco songs, including a cover of Barry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic". The album's artwork showed Summer floating light-heartedly through the clouds, again adding to the image of her as a fantasy figure.

<i>The Wanderer</i> (Donna Summer album) 1980 studio album by Donna Summer

The Wanderer is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, released on October 20, 1980. It marks a musical departure for Summer, being an album influenced by rock and new wave whilst previous albums all fell under the disco music category. Her inaugural release of the Geffen Records label, it became a top 20 album in the United States, with the title track reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100; other singles failed to enter the top ten. However, the record was more unsuccessful on the charts than her previous album Bad Girls, which topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks.

<i>Four Seasons of Love</i> 1976 studio album by Donna Summer

Four Seasons of Love is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. Released on October 11, 1976, this concept album became her third consecutive successful album to be certified gold in the US. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard 200. In addition, all the cuts on this album went to number one on the disco chart.

<i>Live and More</i> 1978 live album by Donna Summer

Live and More is the first live album recorded by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, and it was her second double album, released on August 28, 1978 by Casablanca Records. The live concert featured on the first three sides of this double album was recorded in the Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles, California in 1978.

<i>I Remember Yesterday</i> 1977 studio album by Donna Summer

I Remember Yesterday is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. It was released on May 13, 1977, seven months after the release of her previous album. Like her previous three albums, it was a concept album, this time seeing Summer combining the recent disco sound with various sounds of the past. I Remember Yesterday includes the singles "Can't We Just Sit Down ", "I Feel Love", the title track, "Love's Unkind" and "Back in Love Again". "I Feel Love" and "Love's Unkind" proved to be the album's most popular and enduring hits, the former of which came to be one of Summer's signature songs.

<i>Once Upon a Time</i> (Donna Summer album) 1977 studio album by Donna Summer

Once Upon a Time is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. It was released on October 31, 1977, and peaked at No. 26 on the US Billboard 200, number thirteen on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 24 on the UK Albums Chart. The entire album charted as one entry at No. 1 on the Hot Dance/Disco chart. Once Upon a Time includes the singles "I Love You", "Fairy Tale High", "Once Upon a Time" and "Rumour Has It". The album did not spawn a hit single as popular as "I Feel Love".

<i>Lady of the Night</i> (album) 1974 studio album by Donna Summer

Lady of the Night is the debut studio album by American singer Donna Summer, released in the Netherlands on February 26, 1974, by Groovy Records. The album contains such European hits as "The Hostage" and "Lady of the Night".

Peter John Bellotte is a British songwriter and record producer most noted for his work in the 1970s with Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer.

<i>On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II</i> 1979 greatest hits album by Donna Summer

On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II is the first greatest hits album by American singer Donna Summer, released on October 15, 1979. It was her fourth consecutive double album, and also made her the first person ever to take three consecutive double albums to the number one spot on the U.S. album chart. This would become Summer's third multi-platinum album to date.

<i>Im a Rainbow</i> 1996 studio album by Donna Summer

I'm a Rainbow is the ninth studio album recorded by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. The album was recorded in 1981 and scheduled to be released on October 5 of that year but was shelved. It was not released until fifteen years later, on August 20, 1996 by Casablanca and Mercury Records. There was no promotion for the album. No singles or music videos were released. AllMusic gave the album a positive review, naming it her most personal record.

<i>The Donna Summer Anthology</i> 1993 compilation album by Donna Summer

The Donna Summer Anthology is a double CD compilation album by the American singer Donna Summer, released by Polygram Records in 1993. The compilation featured the majority of Summer's best known songs right from the start of her success to the then present day. Summer had originally made her name during the disco era in the 1970s and in the decade that followed had experimented with different styles. Most of the tracks on this compilation are the original album versions of the songs, which were sometimes edited down for their release as a single. Included for the first time are two remixed tracks from her then unreleased album I'm a Rainbow, which had been recorded in 1981 but was shelved by her record company. The album also featured the Giorgio Moroder-penned and produced song "Carry On"', marking the first time Summer and Moroder had worked together since 1981. Summer and Moroder, together with Pete Bellotte had written the vast majority of her 1970s disco hits. Four years later, "Carry On" would be remixed and become a big dance hit. It also won Summer a Grammy for Best Dance Recording, her first win since 1984 and her fifth win in total.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love to Love You Baby (song)</span> 1975 single by Donna Summer

"Love to Love You Baby" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from her second studio album, Love to Love You Baby (1975). Produced by Pete Bellotte, and written by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder, Summer, and Bellotte, the song was first released as a single in the Netherlands in June 1975 as "Love to Love You" and then released worldwide in November 1975 as "Love to Love You Baby". It became one of the first disco hits to be released in an extended form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cold Love</span> 1980 single by Donna Summer

"Cold Love" is a song by American singer Donna Summer, released as the second single from her album The Wanderer. The song was written by Harold Faltermeyer, Keith Forsey and Pete Bellotte and produced by Bellotte and Giorgio Moroder. It peaked at No. 33 in the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 49 in Cash Box. Summer earned a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

<i>The Ultimate Collection</i> (2003 Donna Summer album) 2003 compilation album by Donna Summer

The Ultimate Collection is a greatest hits three-CD compilation of recordings by American singer Donna Summer released in the Netherlands in early 2003.

<i>Ooh La La</i> (Suzi Lane album) 1979 studio album by Suzi Lane

Ooh, La, La is the debut and only studio album by American singer, Suzi Lane, released in 1979 through Elektra Records. The album was produced by Giorgio Moroder who was also producing Donna Summer at that time. Lane said she met Summer at the recording studio and that she was influenced by the "high-energy electronica" sound pioneered by Moroder and Summer. The title track along with the song "Harmony" reached number one on Billboard magazine's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The dance hit was number one for one week then remained on the chart for six months.

References

  1. ↑ "Donna Summer". The Daily Telegraph . 17 May 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 Sturman, Janet (2019). The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture. London: Sage Publications. ISBN   978-1-4833-1775-5.
  3. ↑ Jones, Alan; Kantonen, Jussi (2000). Saturday Night Forever: The Story of Disco. London: Mainstream Publishing. ISBN   1-55652-411-0.
  4. ↑ Freedberg, Michael. "Love to Love You Baby > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  5. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved March 13, 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  6. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 682.
  7. ↑ Lawrence, Tim (2003). A history of American Dance Music Culture, 1970—1979. Durham and London: Duke University Press.
  8. ↑ Horn, David (2012). Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World. Volume VIII Genres: North America. New York and London: Continuum. ISBN   978-1-4411-6078-2.
  9. ↑ Krettenauer, Thomas (2017). "Hit Men: Giorgio Moroder, Frank Farian and the eurodisco sound of the 1970s/80s". In Ahlers, Michael; Jacke, Christoph (eds.). Perspectives on German Popular Music. London: Routledge. ISBN   978-1-4724-7962-4.
  10. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W: Australian Chart Book. p. 300. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  11. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Donna Summer – Love to Love You Baby" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4140a". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Donna Summer – Love to Love You Baby" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  14. ↑ Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Album 1964–2019 (in Italian). ISBN   978-1094705002.
  15. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  16. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Donna Summer – Love to Love You Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. September 18, 1976. p. 53. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  18. ↑ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  19. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Donna Summer – Love to Love You Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Donna Summer | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Donna Summer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Donna Summer – Love to Love You Baby". Music Canada.
  23. ↑ "French album certifications – Donna Summer – Love to Love You Baby" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved November 24, 2021.Select DONNA SUMMER and click OK. 
  24. ↑ Josantonio Mellado Romero (October 24, 1981). "International Pop Enhances Cross-Culture Surge". Billboard . Vol. 93, no. 42. p. LA-28. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  25. ↑ "British album certifications – Donna Summer – Love to Love You Baby". British Phonographic Industry.
  26. ↑ "American album certifications – Donna Summer – Love to Love You Baby". Recording Industry Association of America.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.