The Wanderer and She Works Hard for the Money

Summer's first Geffen release, 1980's The Wanderer, was something of a departure, in some ways closer to a rock/new wave affair. The title track, and accompanying singles Cold Love and Who Do You Think You're Foolin'? saw Summer attempting to reach the same audience dominated by contemporaries like Blondie and Pat Benatar. The million-selling title track was another Summer smash, hitting #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning her yet another Gold single in the States. The album, however, was something of a commercial disappointment in the US, selling only 600,000 copies. It peaked at number thirteen and fell rapidly off the charts though it nevertheless earned a Gold album certification in the US. A second release, I'm a Rainbow, a dance-oriented double album which also featured elements of soul, R&B, period British techno-pop and even synth-based disco, was shelved by Geffen (although two of the tracks would surface during the 1980s on the Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Flashdance film soundtracks) because he believed Summer needed fresh production. Reluctantly, Summer left Moroder after seven years of collaboration, and began work with Quincy Jones.

In 1982 she released Donna Summer, and the new production from Quincy Jones got her back in the Top 10 of the Pop, R&B, and Dance charts with the Grammy-nominated Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger). A second single, State Of Independence, on which Michael Jackson sang background along with a veritable who's who of the music world, became a sizable international hit (#1 in The Netherlands) but missed the Top 40 in the States. State Of Independence had been originally written and performed by the duo Jon & Vangelis (Jon Anderson and Vangelis Papathanassiou), on their second album The Friends of Mr. Cairo, released in 1981. One more single from the album followed, The Woman In Me, later recorded by Ann Wilson & Nancy Wilson of the rock group Heart.

In 1983, Summer scored her biggest triumph since Bad Girls with the release of the She Works Hard for the Money single and album. One of the most played songs of all time, the Grammy-nominated track became a pro-feminist anthem and was a staple on BET and MTV, making her the first black female artist to have a video air in heavy rotation on the latter channel. The infectious recording was also - surprisingly - Donna's biggest-ever R&B hit (number-one for three weeks). Released on PolyGram's Mercury Records, the success of the She Works Hard For The Money album permanently poisoned Summer's relationship with Geffen. Album liner notes on the Cats Without Claws album pointedly alluded to thank(ing) David for staying out of the kitchen this time. A second single from the She Works Hard For The Money album, the reggae-flavored Unconditional Love featured vocals by black British boy band Musical Youth) but stopped short of the Top 40. Despite the album hitting the Top 10 and attaining a Gold album certification from the RIAA in the US, She Works Hard for the Money marked the end of Summer's record-selling prime.

Her subsequent Geffen releases saw Donna in decline and did not fare well. 1984's Cats Without Claws (which sold a mere 400,000 copies in the US) and 1987's All Systems Go (which bombed, only briefly making the Billboard album chart) stalled on the charts with no major hits. Summer left Geffen in 1988 to sign with Atlantic Records. Rumors have circulated among fans that as well as the I'm a Rainbow album, Summer had more unreleased material turned down by Geffen during her time with them. Her disco style was emulated by such singers as Claudja Barry, Irene Cara, and the late Laura Branigan and Miquel Brown, among others. These somewhat lesser known singers together filled the void as Disco Queens - especially with gay audiences. (In fact, it is worth noting that during this period the gay community realized its own heritage as purveyors of disco music as opposed to the greater straight rock fan base, and therein may lay some of the reason for disco's demise.) Her pop culture position would be usurped entirely in 1985 by Madonna, who would echo both Summer's early sex-vixen persona and her mainly dance-music style.