"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 Feel Love" was released as the B-side to the single "Can't We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over)", which reached number 20 on the US Billboard R&B chart. Two months later, the single was reissued with the sides reversed. "I Feel Love" reached number one in countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It reached number three in West Germany and number six on the US Billboard Hot 100.[1]
For Summer's fifth album, I Remember Yesterday (1977), the production team wanted each track to evoke a different musical decade, such as '40s swing, '60s girl groups, and '70s funk and disco. For the final track, "I Feel Love", the team wanted to create a futuristic mood.[9] Whereas most disco recordings had been backed by orchestras,[10] the team produced "I Feel Love" with a modular Moog synthesizer borrowed from the classical composer Eberhard Schoener, aided by Schoener's assistant, Robby Wedel. Wedel demonstrated how to synchronize the elements using a click track, a feat Moroder described as "a revelation".[9] Wedel's help with the technically complex synthesizer proved essential, and Moroder described him as the "unsung hero" of the project.[9]
"I Feel Love" was recorded on a 16-track tape recorder, with the various parts played on a sequencer.[11][12] As the Moog went out of tune quickly, it had to be recorded in bursts of 20 or 30 seconds before being retuned.[9] To create the hi-hat sound, the team took white noise generated by the Moog and processed it with an envelope.[13] As the Moog could not create a satisfactory kick drum sound, the kick was played on a drum kit by session drummer Keith Forsey.[9] Aside from the vocals, the kick drum is the only element of the song not played by a machine.[9]
The lyrics were written by Bellotte.[9] Summer recorded her vocal in one take.[9] In contrast to the deeper chest voice of most disco vocals, Summer sang in head voice.[13]
"I Feel Love" was the first song to combine repetitive synthesizer loops with a continuous four-on-the-floor bass drum and an off-beat hi-hat, which became a main feature of techno and house music ten years later.[2][14]
Unusually for a disco track of the era, Moroder composed the backing track and bassline before the melody. He introduced variety by altering the key at regular intervals and layering Summer's vocals.[15] Each note of the bassline is doubled by a delay effect. The unmodified bassline plays through the left channel and the slightly delayed repetition through the right, creating a flickering, strobe-like effect.[13]
"I Feel Love" is in the key of C major, with electronic dance flavor, and choruses and interludes. The album version has a length of 5:53. It was extended to 8:15 for release as a 12" maxi-single,[16] and is included on the 1989 compilation The Dance Collection: A Compilation of Twelve Inch Singles.
According to the singer David Bowie, during the recording of his Berlin Trilogy, his collaborator Brian Eno "came running in" and told him he had heard "the sound of the future". According to Bowie, Eno accurately predicted that "I Feel Love" would change the sound of club music for the next 15 years.[17]
Record World said the song "establishes a mood first, then builds on it" and praised the "captivating" synthesizer.[18] The critic Vince Aletti wrote that "the pace is fierce and utterly gripping with the synthesizer effects particularly aggressive and emotionally charged". He predicted that the track "should easily equal if not surpass" the success of "Love to Love You Baby" in the clubs.[19]
Robert Moog, the creator of the Moog synthesizer, was critical, saying:[20]
That sequencer bass that's chugging along through the whole thing has a certain energy to it but also a certain sterility because it's always the same ... Warm, lyrical vocals but essentially it sounded like [Summer] was fighting the sequencer. When the sequencer stopped, I felt that I could hear the audience sort of coming alive and breathing a sigh of relief ... When [the song] is played live, what does [the band] do? The audience expects a musician to be doing something and if he's not doing as much as they expect, it's more showbiz than music.
Sales
"I Feel Love" peaked at number six on the BillboardHot 100 chart the week of November 12, 1977. It reached number nine on the Soul Singles Chart in October 1977. Its 1995 remix peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play.
In the United Kingdom, "I Feel Love" peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart in July 1977, a position it maintained for four weeks. The 1982 and 1995 remixes of the song peaked at number 21 and number eight on the UK Singles Chart respectively, and sales of these physical singles totaled 956,400.[21] According to the Official Charts Company, together with digital sales, "I Feel Love" has sold 1.07 million copies in the United Kingdom as of June 2013, making it Britain's 103rd best-selling single of all time.[22]
Elsewhere, "I Feel Love" also topped the charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy and the Netherlands, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in Canada, West Germany, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland.[23]
Legacy
In a 2017 feature on the song's 40th anniversary for Pitchfork, the journalist Simon Reynolds reflected that "I Feel Love" had a significant impact on music across all genres for the next decade, including rock-leaning genres such as post-punk and new wave, and subsequent sub-genres of the electronic dance music style the song had pioneered, including Hi-NRG, Italo disco, house, techno, and trance.[24] Reynolds also posited "If any one song can be pinpointed as where the 1980s began, it's 'I Feel Love'."[24]
In 1996, Mixmag named "I Feel Love" the 12th-great dance single, writing: "Whenever, however you hear this tune, it's guaranteed to make you smile, shut your eyes and trance out. The first electronic disco masterpiece, disco diva Donna and Moroder's finest, trippiest moment."[25] In 2013, Mixmag named "I Feel Love" the 19th-greatest dance track.[26] In 2006, Slant named it the greatest dance song, writing:
No longer would synthesizers remain the intellectual property of prog-classical geeks. And, separated from its LP context and taken as a Top 10 single, it didn't just suggest the future, it was the future. Cooing ascending couplets of an almost banal ecstasy, Summer's breathy vocals still dwelled in the stratosphere of her own manufactured sensation.[27]
In 2011, The Guardian's Richard Vine ranked the release of "I Feel Love" as one of 50 key events in the history of dance music, writing that it was "one of the first [songs] to fully utilise the potential of electronics, replacing lush disco orchestration with the hypnotic precision of machines".[28]In 2015, Time Out named it the 12th-best "party song", writing: "Sometimes a song comes along that’s so innovative that it changes the shape of the musical landscape for decades, whilst also getting you to shake yo bootay. This timeless, Giorgio Moroder–produced disco anthem from 1977 did exactly that, becoming the first purely electronic jam to make it big and pretty much inventing dance music in the process."[29] In 2023, Pride Life Global ranked it as one of the best gay anthems.[30]
In 1978, disco and Hi-NRG DJ Patrick Cowley created a 15:43 remix of "I Feel Love" which became a popular "underground classic", available only for members of the Disconet remix service.[77] Cowley used loops to keep the bass-line going for extended passages of overdubbed effects and synthesiser parts.
In mid-1980, Cowley's mix was released with the title "I Feel Love / I Feel Megalove" and subtitle "The Patrick Cowley MegaMix", but only on a limited vinyl pressing by the DJ-only subscription service Disconet.[77] Since this pressing was not available to the general public for commercial sale, it became highly sought after by collectors. In 1982, it was released as a 12" single in the UK market by Casablanca, backed with an 8-minute edited version.[78] With this wider release, "I Feel Love" became a dance floor hit again, five years after its debut. A further-edited 7" single reached number 21 on the UK Singles Chart.
The Patrick Cowley mix was out of print until it was released on the bonus disc of the 2003 UK edition of The Journey: The Very Best of Donna Summer and the Ben Liebrand compilation album Grand 12-Inches. It also exists on the 2013 double disc I Feel Love: The Collection.
Following 1993's The Donna Summer Anthology and 1994's Endless Summer: Greatest Hits, both released by PolyGram, "I Feel Love" was re-released on the PolyGram sublabel Manifesto in a newly remixed form as a single in 1995, including mixes by Masters at Work and production duo Rollo &Sister Bliss of UK electronic group Faithless – and also new vocals by Summer. The single became a UK number 8 hit,[54] the second time the song had entered the Top 10,[54] and the '95 Radio Edit was later included as a bonus track on PolyGram France's version of the Endless Summer compilation. The 1995 release also peaked at number 80 in Australia.[80]
In 2013, a remix by Dutch DJ Afrojack was released together with remixes by other DJs of other Donna Summer songs.[81]
Reception
James Masterton for Dotmusic complimented the 1995 remix for "not to tinker too much with the near-perfect realisation of the original", adding that it "still sounds as fresh as the day it was made".[82] Alan Jones Music Week felt the Masters At Work mixes of the track are "a trifle disappointing", while praising the Rollo & Sister Bliss remix. He explained, "The Rollo & Sister Bliss mix grows and grows, picking up vocals and some nifty and airy synth riffs along the way, building into a superb house stomper. A masterful piece of work, and one that will surely launch the new Manifeste label in style."[83] Rupert Howe from NME wrote, "La Summer needs no introduction, 'I Feel Love' being one of the greatest moments in the long and cocaine-riddled history of D-I-S-C-O — a sequins-and-spangles surge of Moroder-produced dancefloor dynamite with a chorus offering more uplift than a wardrobe full of wonderbras."[84] The Record Mirror Dance Update stated, "The big guns are brought out to remix the classic disco anthem – Rollo and MAW".[85]
Bronski Beat included a medley of "I Feel Love" with "Johnny Remember Me" on their gay-themed album The Age of Consent in 1984. The album charted in many markets and went platinum in the UK and Canada, with gay anthems "Smalltown Boy" and "Why?" hitting the top 10 in the UK, Australia, Germany, France, and several other European markets, as well as being popular on U.S. dancefloors. Jimmy Somerville left Bronski Beat in 1985 and went on to have success as lead singer of The Communards and as a solo artist.
English electronic duo Messiah released its version of "I Feel Love" in 1992, featuring singer Precious Wilson on vocals. This version was a top-20 hit, peaking at No. 19 on the UK Singles Chart.[99] In the US, it was released as a single in 1994 and reached No. 15 on the BillboardDance Club Songs chart in early 1995, spending a total of 10 weeks on the chart.[100]
Singaporean-born British singer-violinist Vanessa-Mae released a cover of "I Feel Love" in December 1997. It peaked at number 41 on the UK Singles Chart, and spent two weeks on the chart.[102] The song was the second single from Vanessa-Mae's 1997 album Storm.[103]
Track listings
CD1 (CDEM503)
"I Feel Love" (Single Version) - 4.23
"Storm" (Single Version) - 3.48
"Classical Gas" (Stradosphere Mix) - 8.15
CD2 (CDEMS503)
"I Feel Love" (Single Version) - 4.23
"I Feel Love" (Klubbheads vs Rollercoaster Mix) - 8.29
British singer Sam Smith released a cover of "I Feel Love" on November 1, 2019.[106] Smith described it as a queer anthem and the "highest song" they had ever sung.[107] The song was planned for inclusion on Smith's third studio album, Love Goes, but was removed after Smith delayed the album release.[108]
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric piano, synthesizers, and electric rhythm guitars.
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.
Giovanni Giorgio Moroder is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance music. His work with synthesizers had a large influence on several music genres such as hi-NRG, Italo disco, synth-pop, new wave, house and techno music.
"MacArthur Park" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb that was recorded first by Irish actor and singer Richard Harris in 1968. Harris's version peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number four on the UK Singles Chart. "MacArthur Park" was subsequently covered by numerous artists, including a 1970 Grammy-winning version by country music singer Waylon Jennings and a number one Billboard Hot 100 disco arrangement by Donna Summer in 1978. Webb won the 1969 Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the Richard Harris version.
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.
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.
"Last Dance" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from the soundtrack album to the 1978 film Thank God It's Friday. It was written by Paul Jabara, co-produced by Summer's regular collaborator Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, and mixed by Grammy Award-winning producer Stephen Short, whose backing vocals are featured in the song.
"One More Try" is a song by American club music singer-songwriter Kristine W, released in 1995 by Champion Records as the second single from her debut album, Land of the Living (1996). The song received positive reviews from music critics, but narrowly missed the Top 40 on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 41. In the US, it reached number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, and numbers 78 and 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. In the Netherlands, "One More Try" was a top-20 hit, peaking at number 16. Its music video was directed by British director Lindy Heymann, who had previously directed the video for the singer's debut single, "Feel What You Want". Kristine W wrote the song after taking some friends to see her hometown and discovering her old junior high school had been condemned.
The discography of American singer Donna Summer includes 17 studio albums and 89 singles, plus several other releases. Her first single, "Wassermann", a German version of the song "Aquarius" from the musical Hair, was released in Europe in 1968 under her maiden name, Donna Gaines. She would become known as Donna Summer from 1974 onwards. Her first full-length album under that name was Lady of the Night.
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.
"No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" is a 1979 song recorded by American singers Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer. It was written by Paul Jabara and Bruce Roberts, and produced by Giorgio Moroder and Gary Klein. The song was recorded for Streisand's Wet album and also as a new track for Summer's compilation double album On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II. The full-length version was found on Streisand's album, while a longer 11-minute edit (the 12" version) was featured on Summer's album. The longer 12" version features additional production by frequent collaborator Harold Faltermeyer, and incorporates a harder rock edge.
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".
"On the Radio" is a song by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, produced by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder, and released in late 1979 on the Casablanca record label. It was written for the soundtrack to the film Foxes and included on Summer's first international compilation album On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II.
Peter John Bellotte is a British songwriter and record producer most noted for his work in the 1970s with Giorgio Moroder and 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.
"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.
"Love's Unkind" is a 1977 song written and produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, with lyrics and vocals by Donna Summer. It was recorded for the Donna Summer album, I Remember Yesterday, which combined modern disco beats with sounds of previous decades. "Love's Unkind" was released as a single in Europe in November 1977, reaching number three in the UK, and number 32 in the Netherlands. Though never released as a single in the USA, it topped the dance chart as part of the I Remember Yesterday album, as at that time entire albums could count as one entry on that particular chart. The lyrics are of high school crushes and love triangles.
"Love's About to Change My Heart" is the third single from Another Place and Time, the 1989 album by Donna Summer. The song was released on August 14, 1989 by Atlantic Records and Warner Bros. Records. It was written and produced by British production team Stock Aitken & Waterman. Released as the second single in the US, the song was a hit on the dance charts, but failed to repeat the Top 40 success it enjoyed in Europe.
"Chase" is a 1978 instrumental composition by Italian music producer Giorgio Moroder. It was released as a single during 1978 from his Academy Award-winning soundtrack album Midnight Express (1978), and was a disco instrumental that was subsequently extended and released as a maxi single. It made the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1979, peaking at number 33, and the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 48.
"Right Here, Right Now" is a song recorded by Italian producer Giorgio Moroder, featuring the vocals of Kylie Minogue, for Moroder's studio album Déjà Vu. The song had a minor impact on singles chart in Europe and attained the top position of the US Dance Club Songs.
↑ Pitchfork Staff (August 22, 2016). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 13, 2022. It's a funny thing, the way a '70s dance-music craze that near-miraculously swept up middle America has endured via a cosmopolitan smash like "I Feel Love":...
↑ "Donna Summer: I Feel Love" (in German). Zentrum für Populäre Kultur und Musik. May 8, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
↑ "Donna Summer biography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 12, 2011. Eschewing the strings and typical disco excess, 'I Feel Love' was the first major pop hit recorded with an entirely synthesized backing track; its lean, sleek arrangement and driving, hypnotic pulse laid the groundwork not only for countless Euro-dance imitators, but also for the house music revolution of the 1980s and '90s.
↑ Frankel, Eddy. "The 100 best party songs". Time Out. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2022. (The article has been reworked several times over the years, moving "I Feel Love" up to number 5 and then removing the song entirely.)
↑ "Get Your Pride On! 20 Anthems to Help You Live the Dream". Pride Life Global. Pride Life Global Ltd. September 2023. p.87.
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