Early success and notoriety

While singing back-up for groups such as Three Dog Night, she met producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. With these producers, Summer signed a contract in the Netherlands and issued her first album, Lady of the Night, which included the European hit, The Hostage. The single made #1 in France and Belgium, and #2 in the Netherlands. Its follow-up, the title track of the album, also gained some degree of European success.

In the summer of 1975, Summer approached Moroder and Bellotte with an idea for a 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 a raunchy disco track. 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 to give to someone else (possibly singer Penny McLean). She has stated that she was not completely sure of some of the lyrics, and parts of the song were improvised during the recording (she later stated on a VH-1 Behind The Music program that she pictured herself as Marilyn Monroe acting out the part of someone in sexual ecstasy). Moroder was so astounded with Summer's orgasmic vocals and her imaginative moans and groans that he insisted she should release the single herself. Summer reluctantly agreed and the song, titled Love to Love You, was released to modest success in Europe. When it reached America and the hands of Casablanca president Neil Bogart, however, he was so ecstatic over the demo that he requested Moroder to produce a twenty-minute version of the song. Summer, Moroder and producer Pete Bellotte cut a seventeen-minute version, renamed it Love To Love You Baby, and Casablanca signed Summer and issued it as a single in November 1975. Casablanca distributed Summer's work in the US while other labels distributed it in different nations during this period.

Love To Love You Baby was Summer's first big hit in America, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in early 1976 and becoming her first Number-One Hot Dance Club Play chart hit. 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 US copies. The song was branded graphic by some music critics and was even banned by some radio stations for its explicit content. Time magazine later reported that a record 22 orgasms were reached in the making of the song. In some areas of the music press, Summer was dubbed the first lady of love. Two moderately successful, Gold-selling concept albums followed - A Love Trilogy which featured the single Could It Be Magic and Four Seasons Of Love which featured the discofied Spring Affair as well as Winter Melody. However, none of her singles during this period cracked Billboard's Top 40. Summer was becoming increasingly known among Disco fans but appeared to be a one-hit wonder otherwise with no substantial Pop success. Her albums all had a high sensual/fantasy content, although Summer felt uneasy with her image.

The 1977 album I Remember Yesterday, another concept album, showed the Summer/Moroder/Bellotte team combining the Disco sound with sounds of the past, present and future. The song representing the future, I Feel Love , originally released as a B side to the R&B ballad Can't We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over), became a landmark recording, finally giving Donna another Pop and R&B hit - reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number one in the UK and various other European countries. I Feel Love earned her a second US Gold 45 as well. The song was arguably the first song to use techno and electronic sounds in dance music. A version of I Feel Love released in 1982, with additional overdubs by Disco lightman turned synthesist and producer, the late Patrick Cowley, took the eight-minute and thirteen-second extended version and overlayed new elements, causing an underground sensation. Summer released another album in 1977 called Once Upon A Time, a concept album telling a modern-day rags to riches story through the means of electronic disco which, at the time, was regarded by some fans as some of her best work.