Donna Summer - Bad Girls (1979)

 


"Bad Girls" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from her 1979 seventh studio album of the same name, released as the second single from the Bad Girls album on June 23, 1979, through Casablanca Records. The song was produced by Summer's regular collaborators Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, and co-written by Summer and the Brooklyn Dreams.

"Bad Girls" became a worldwide success, peaking within the top-ten in seven countries, including Spain and New Zealand. In the United States, it spent five weeks at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, from the weeks of July 14, 1979 to August 11, 1979; and sold over two million copies, simultaneously becoming, alongside "Hot Stuff", her most successful single. The single, which was the second-biggest song of 1979, also helped the Bad Girls album to reach the multi-platinum status in the US. Summer placed three songs in the Top 12 of the Billboard 1979 year-end charts.


Background[edit]

The inspiration for Summer to write the song came after one of her assistants was offended by a police officer who thought she was a street prostitute. A rough version of the song had originally been written a couple of years before its release. Casablanca Records' founder Neil Bogart, upon hearing it, wanted Summer to give it to Cher for her upcoming album.[1] Summer refused and put it away for a couple of years.

"Toot Toot! Ah! Beep Beep!," the chanted vocal refrain in the song originates from the Latin boogaloo track "Bang Bang" by the Joe Cuba Sextet (1966). The chant in "Bang Bang" was incorporated into the song after a gig Joe Cuba's sextet played for a black audience that wasn't particularly receptive to mambo or cha cha cha; the audience started chanting as the pianist in the group played a riff.[2]

A 12" version of the song was released as a medley with "Hot Stuff". Although "Hot Stuff" was extended for the 12" version, "Bad Girls" remained in the four minutes, fifty-five seconds album version. A demo version of the song was released on the "deluxe edition" of Bad Girls.

Awards and nominations[edit]

The song was nominated and won the award for "Favorite Pop/Rock Single" and "Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist" at the American Music Awards in 1980. Summer was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 22nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1980.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Donna Summer - I Feel Love (1977) - Roller Disco Skating Version

Image
Not only one of the landmark records of the disco era, Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" also anticipated the emergence of techno -- sleek, pulsating, and sensual, its signature galloping bass line and sequencer-driven rhythm established the sonic blueprint for virtually all of the dance music to follow in its wake. Written by Summer in tandem with her longtime production team of Giorgio Moroder and Peter Bellotte, upon its 1977 release "I Feel Love" heralded a massive shift from the lushly orchestral disco records popular during the middle of the decade toward a harder-edged, electronic approach -- completely computer-generated, the song's futuristic sheen combines with its dreamily orgasmic vocal to create an experience that's both clinically remote and primally erotic. Summer's second Top Ten hit, "I Feel Love" ranks alongside Brian Eno's Another Green World and Kraftwerk's Trans Europe Express among the era's seminal electronic r
Read more

The Manhattan Transfer - Twilight Zone / Twilight Tone (1979) - Nightlife Dancefloor Disco Version - with Janis Siegel on lead vocals

Image
 When I heard this song on the radio, I thought it was sung by a black African-American queen of the disco, named, Catherine Russell , then I thought Dianne Marie Harvey , then Ednah Holt from Ednah Holt & Starluv , next thing I thought "Twilight Zone / Twilight Tone" was sung by a black American disco queen, Melba Moore , then I thought Suzi Lane, then I also thought Diva Gray . I wish this song, "Twilight Zone / Twilight Tone" would have been sung by Miquel Brown , Joyce Cobb or Debbie Jacobs , but none of those black disco queens wanted to sing it, so instead Janis Siegel wanted to sing this disco tune in a powerhouse disco style. I like this shorter version better without the Halloween sci-fi spoken narrations from "The Twilight Zone" , plus it's more nightlife disco than the full original that's too experimental. Manhattan Transfer "Twilight tone" Lyrics and composition: Jay Graydon, Bernard Herrmann, Alan Paul Here's wh
Read more

Ellie Hope and Liquid Gold

Image
Ellie Hope and Liquid Gold     Two of the "disco-era's" biggest hits came from a group that  never  appeared in America. The U.K. based  Liquid Gold  consisted of Wally Rothe (drums), Ray Knott (bass), Syd Twynham (lead guitar) and Ellie Hope (vocals).          Ray met Ellie in 1976 when both auditioned as replacements for  Babe Ruth.  Babe Ruth had four albums between 1972-1975. Ray and Ellie contributed to  Babe Ruth's  last album  "Kid Stuff,"  before it disbanded.      Ray and Ellie then recruited Syd and Wally to form the  Dream Coupe.  The four played local bars and pubs doing mainly cover tunes while continuing to write there own material and seeking out a recording contract. Producer Adrian Baker happened to catch the group and was so intrigued by Ellie's vocals that he signed the group to Creole records and a one year contract.      As the newly christened  Liquid Gold  they played a few shows in London until their first record was released in O
Read more