Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)

Last updated
"Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)"
Donna Summer - Melody of Love.jpg
Single by Donna Summer
from the album Endless Summer: Donna Summer's Greatest Hits
ReleasedOctober 31, 1994 (1994-10-31) [1]
Genre
Length4:16
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Donna Summer
  • Welcome Productions
Donna Summer singles chronology
"Carry On"
(1992)		"Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)"
(1994)		"Any Way At All"
(1994)
Music video
"Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)" on YouTube

"Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)" is a song by American singer and songwriter Donna Summer. It was released on October 31, 1994, by Mercury and Casablanca Records as a new track and the lead single for her 1994 hits compilation album, Endless Summer: Donna Summer's Greatest Hits . The song was written by Summer, David Cole, Robert Clivillés and Joe Carrano, and produced by Summer and Welcome Productions. It just missed the top 20 in the United Kingdom and was a top-40 hit in Belgium. The song was formed with several remixes and was her tenth number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. [5] In Australia, the single peaked at number 79 in December 1994. [6] It was awarded the ASCAP Dance Song of the Year prize in 1996. [7]

Contents

Critical reception

Alex Henderson from AllMusic complimented Summer, that "still sounds incredibly fresh" on the song. [8] Larry Flick from Billboard magazine stated that it "proves that her voice is stronger now than ever. She soars with spine-tingling power over a pop-house arrangement that nicks an idea or two from several of her vintage disco hits, while injecting a modern house sensibility that ensures active club exposure." [2] In a separate review, Flick added that "it places Summer at the center of a swirling, disco-soaked house arrangement", noting that "the simple but oh-so-sweet tune gallops at a hearty and insinuating pace". [9] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton described it as a "rather anodyne piece of disco". [10] Pan-European magazine Music & Media remarked that co-written by David Cole and Robert Clivillés, "Summer returns to '70s disco which first made her famous. Vocally taking untenable hurdles, she could be Whitney's twin sis." [3]

Alan Jones from Music Week gave the song a score of four out of five, commenting, "Simple piano chords and muted horns usher in Donna's first for a while, but it's just the calm before the storm, as the song explodes in contemporary house style, with pumping bass and her extraordinary voice as durable as ever." [4] Andy Beevers from the Record Mirror Dance Update gave it a full score of five out of five, stating that the disco veteran "returns in fine style". [11] Another Record Mirror editor, James Hamilton, named it a "typical vintage style but apparently brand new David Cole co-composed song" in his weekly dance column. [12] Jordan Paramor from Smash Hits opined that 'Melody of Love' "begins as a lurvely ballad, but blink and it's metamorphosed into another boppy bundle of disco pap." [13]

Music video

A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by South African director and writer Ralph Ziman. [14] It features Summer in a black dress singing the song and dancing on a balcony. There are musical notes disclaimed under the song's lyrics throughout the video. Other scenes show four dancing men, accompanied with saxophonists, pianist and violinists. David Morales’ Classic Club Radio Edit was used in the video.

Track listings

Charts

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Single Releases". Music Week . October 29, 1994. p. 23.
  2. 1 2 Flick, Larry (November 12, 1994). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard . p. 89. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 46. November 12, 1994. p. 16. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Jones, Alan (October 22, 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles" (PDF). Music Week . p. 18. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  5. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 249.
  6. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  7. ↑ "ASCAP Congratulates The Winners of the 1996 Rhythm & Soul" (PDF). Billboard . June 15, 1996. p. 10. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  8. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Donna Summer – Endless Summer: Donna Summer's Greatest Hits". AllMusic . Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  9. ↑ Flick, Larry (October 15, 1994). "Dance Trax: Summer Shines With Her New 'Melody Of Love'" (PDF). Billboard . p. 30. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  10. ↑ Masterton, James (November 6, 1994). "Week Ending November 12th 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  11. ↑ Beevers, Andy (October 29, 1994). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 8. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  12. ↑ Hamilton, James (October 29, 1994). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 11. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  13. ↑ Paramor, Jordan (October 26, 1994). "New Singles". Smash Hits . p. 53. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Donna Summer: Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)". IMDb . Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  15. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 271.
  16. ↑ "Donna Summer – Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 11, no. 47. November 19, 1994. p. 24. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  18. ↑ "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 12, no. 3. January 21, 1995. p. 21. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Donna Summer Melody Of Love (Wanna Be Loved)" (in Dutch). top40.nl. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Donna Summer - Melody Of Love (Wanna Be Loved)" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 06 November 1994 - 12 November 1994". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  23. ↑ "The Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week . November 26, 1994. p. 15. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  24. ↑ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). November 5, 1994. p. 8. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Donna Summer Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  26. ↑ "The RM Club Chart of the Year" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). December 24, 1994. p. 10. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Billboard 1995 The Year In Music" (PDF). Billboard . December 23, 1995. p. YE-42. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
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