Bad Girls (Donna Summer album)

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 (before the release of On The Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II). 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.

Bad Girls
Studio album by
Donna Summer
ReleasedApril 25, 1979
RecordedDecember 1978 — March 1979
StudioRusk Sound Studios
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length71:28
LabelCasablanca
Producer
Donna Summer chronology
Live and More
(1978)		 Bad Girls
(1979)		 On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II
(1979)
Singles from Bad Girls
  1. "Hot Stuff"
    Released: April 13, 1979
  2. "Bad Girls"
    Released: June 23, 1979
  3. "Dim All the Lights"
    Released: October 5, 1979
  4. "Sunset People"
    Released: July 11, 1980
  5. "Our Love"
    Released: August 22, 1980
  6. "Walk Away"
    Released: September 1, 1980

Bad Girls reached the top of the US Billboard 200, where it stayed for six weeks: for one week on June 16, 1979, and then for five consecutive weeks, from July 7 to August 4, 1979. Bad Girls also topped the Billboard R&B Albums chart for three weeks, from June 23 to July 7, 1979, and all cuts from the album topped the Disco Top 80 for seven weeks, from May 26 to July 7, 1979.[2] It contained the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls", and the number-two hit "Dim All the Lights". Summer also achieved further success when she became the first female artist to have two songs in the top three of the Billboard Hot 100, when on the week of June 30, 1979, "Hot Stuff" fell to number two and "Bad Girls" rose to number three.

Bad Girls was universally acclaimed and was certified platinum—now double platinum—by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) within just a week of its release. At the 1980 Grammy Awards, Bad Girls was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and "Hot Stuff" won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Additionally, "Dim All the Lights" was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and "Bad Girls" was nominated for Best Disco Recording.

Bad Girls is widely considered one of the greatest disco albums.[3] It was ranked by Rolling Stone's list of the Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time at number 23, where the magazine wrote, "The late great Queen of Disco pulls out all the stops for an album that sums up Seventies radio, from ladies-choice smooch jams to filthy funk."[4] In a BBC Music review of the album, Daryl Easla wrote, "Bad Girls is a fantastic reminder of when [Summer] was the Britney, Christina, Mary J and Missy of her day all rolled into one."[5] Part of the song Our Love, also available as a B-side, was copied by New Order on Blue Monday.[6]

Background

Having made her name in the preceding years as "the queen of disco," Summer set to work on her new album with long-time partners Giorgio Moroder[7] and Pete Bellotte, as well as various others she had not worked with before. By this time, although disco music was still popular, other styles such as punk and heavy metal were also doing well on the charts, so the team decided to incorporate a rockier sound into some of the songs. Other songs had a more soul/R&B feel to them, and in all it was probably Summer's most diverse album to date. The fusion of rock and disco was particularly evident, and synthesizers were used to augment the sound for a more electronic and dance oriented electro music in the first two songs on the album – "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls", which also became the first two singles to be released from the album. Both were huge hits and made number one on the American singles chart. The former also won Summer a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and became popular again in the 1990s when it was featured in The Full Monty and again in the film The Martian. "Dim All the Lights" was the third single and also became a huge hit, peaking at number two in the U.S.

Release and reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[9]
PopMattersfavorable[10]
Q[11]
Rolling Stonefavorable (1979)[12]
Rolling Stone (2003)[13]
Virgin Encyclopedia[14]
Yahoo! Musicfavorable[15]

Bad Girls was universally acclaimed by music reviews. As well as the winner of the aforementioned Grammy Award for "Hot Stuff" (Best Female Rock Vocal Performance). The song "Bad Girls" was also nominated for Best Disco Recording. "Dim All the Lights" was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and the album itself was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The album was also nominated for "Favourite Pop/Rock Album" at the American Music Awards of 1980. The single took an American Music Award for "Favorite Pop/Rock Single", while Summer took awards for "Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist" & "Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist". In 2020, the album was ranked at 283 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.[16]

Bad Girls would be Summer's final studio album for Casablanca Records, who ended 1979 with the release of a greatest hits double-album. For her next studio album, Summer wanted to branch out into other formats of music but since she and Casablanca could not come to an agreement on her musical direction, Summer opted to sign a new deal with Geffen Records, the then-new label formed by David Geffen. Her first album with Geffen Records was more rock/new wave oriented. In the meantime, Casablanca chose to release more singles from the Bad Girls album into 1980: "Sunset People" and "Walk Away", the latter of which became a moderate hit reaching the top 40. Casablanca/PolyGram also released a special edition compilation entitled Walk Away – Greatest Hits 1977–1980, which featured a selection of her hits from the Bad Girls period and the preceding years. In 2003 Universal Music, owners of the Casablanca/PolyGram back catalogue since 1998, re-issued Bad Girls as a digitally remastered and expanded deluxe edition.

Commercial performance

The album was certified double platinum for sales in excess of 2 million copies in the U.S. on December 1, 1993 (double albums are certified per disc by the RIAA rather than per complete unit). It also became her second consecutive number-one album in the U.S., also spending three weeks at number one in Canada on the RPM 100 national albums chart.[17] It has sold over 4 million copies worldwide.[18]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte except "My Baby Understands" by Donna Summer and Juergen Koppers.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hot Stuff"
5:14
2."Bad Girls"
4:55
3."Love Will Always Find You"
  • Bellotte
  • Moroder
3:59
4."Walk Away"
  • Bellotte
  • Faltermeyer
4:27
Total length:18:35
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Dim All the Lights"Summer4:40
6."Journey to the Center of Your Heart"
  • Bellotte
  • Moroder
4:36
7."One Night in a Lifetime"
  • Bellotte
  • Faltermeyer
4:12
8."Can't Get to Sleep At Night"
4:45
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."On My Honor"
  • Summer
  • Faltermeyer
  • Bruce Sudano
3:34
10."There Will Always Be a You"Summer5:07
11."All Through the Night"
6:01
12."My Baby Understands"Summer4:03
Total length:18:45
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Our Love"
  • Summer
  • Moroder
4:51
14."Lucky"
  • Summer
  • Moroder
  • Esposito
  • Hokenson
  • Sudano
4:37
15."Sunset People"
  • Bellotte
  • Faltermeyer
  • Forsey
6:27
Total length:15:55
Deluxe edition — Disc 1 (bonus track)
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
16."Bad Girls" (demo version)Summer4:00
Total length:75:28
Deluxe edition — Disc 2: 12" Singles & More
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Feel Love"
  • Bellotte
  • Moroder
  • Summer
 8:12
2."Last Dance" (from the soundtrack Thank God It's Friday)Paul Jabara 8:11
3."MacArthur Park Suite" ("MacArthur Park"/"One of a Kind"/"Heaven Knows"/"MacArthur Park (Reprise)")
 17:35
4."Hot Stuff"
  • Bellotte
  • Faltermeyer
  • Forsey
 6:47
5."Bad Girls"
  • Summer
  • Esposito
  • Hokenson
  • Sudano
 4:57
6."Walk Away"
  • Bellotte
  • Faltermeyer
 7:16
7."Dim All the Lights"Summer 7:14
8."No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (duet with Barbra Streisand)
  • Roberts
  • Jabara
Gary Klein11:44
9."On the Radio" (long version; from the original soundtrack Foxes)
  • Moroder
  • Summer
Moroder7:35
Total length:79:31

Personnel

Musicians

Production
  • Producers: Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte
  • Arranged by: Harold Faltermeyer
  • Recording Engineer: Jürgen Koppers, Steven D. Smith
  • Assistant Engineer: Carolyn Tapp
  • Mixing Engineer: Jürgen Koppers
  • Original Mastering Engineer: Brian Gardner at Allen Zentz Mastering, Hollywood[19]
    • recorded and mixed at Rusk Sound studios, Hollywood; January – March 1979[20]
  • Production manager: Budd Tunick
  • Art direction: Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff
  • Design: Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff, Jeri McManus
  • Photography: Harry Langdon Jr.

Charts

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[43] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France — 200,000[44]
Germany — 250,000[45]
Greece (IFPI Greece)[46] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[47] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[49] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 4,000,000[18]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
  1. Graff, Gary (January 1, 1998). "Donna Summer". In Graff, Gary; du Lac, Josh; McFarlin, Jim (eds.). MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. p. 544.
  2. "Gene J2P and P2J Ver 1 - Billboard 1979-05-26.pdf" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. May 26, 1979. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  3. Terich, Jeff (2014-08-21). "10 Essential Disco Albums". Treble. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  4. Sheffield, Rob; Stone, Rolling (2012-06-22). "Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  5. Easlea, Daryl. "BBC - Music - Review of Donna Summer - Bad Girls - Deluxe Edition". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  6. Nicholson, Barry (2015). "New Order - How We Wrote 'Blue Monday'". NME. New Musical Express. Archived from the original on 2017-01-07. Retrieved 31 August 2016. It really was a gift, and it was quite ironic – and quite sad, really – that we stole it off a Donna Summer B-side. It is a weird song. It's become one of Manchester's greatest records.
  7. "Giorgio Moroder – his 20 greatest songs, ranked!". the Guardian. 2019-03-28. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  8. Ruhlmann, William. Review: Bad Girls. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-03-27.
  9. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 13, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  10. Malone Jr., Melvin. Review: Bad Girls. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2010-03-27.
  11. Columnist. "Review: Bad Girls". Q: 138. November 2003.
  12. Holden, Stephen (July 12, 1979). "Donna Summer: Bad Girls : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-10-13. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  13. Hunter, James (August 21, 2003). "Donna Summer: Bad Girls : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  14. Larkin, Colin. "Review: Bad Girls". Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music: March 1, 2002.
  15. Walls, Richard C. Review: Bad Girls. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2010-03-27.
  16. "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  17. RPM Magazine – Bad Girls
  18. "Donna Summer: The Disco Queen's Life and Career in Pictures". The Hollywood Reporter. May 17, 2012. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021. It became the best-selling album of Summer's recording career, selling 4 million copies worldwide, (...)
  19. Discogs – Allen Zentz Mastering profile, contact info, and discography
  20. Discogs – Bad Girls 2-vinyl LP 1979 Polygram (NBLP-2-7150) New Zealand
  21. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W: Australian Chart Book. p. 300. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  22. "Austriancharts.at – Donna Summer – Bad Girls" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  23. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4418a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  24. "Dutchcharts.nl – Donna Summer – Bad Girls" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  25. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Donna Summer". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 250. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  26. "Offiziellecharts.de – Donna Summer – Bad Girls" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  27. Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Album 1964–2019 (in Italian). ISBN 978-1094705002.
  28. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  29. "Charts.nz – Donna Summer – Bad Girls". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
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  31. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  32. "Swedishcharts.com – Donna Summer – Bad Girls". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  33. "Donna Summer | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
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  35. "Donna Summer Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  36. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 431. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  37. "The Top 100 Albums of 1979". RPM. Vol. 32, no. 13. December 22, 1979. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved January 28, 2022 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  38. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1977" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
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  40. "Top Selling Albums of 1979 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
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  42. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1979". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  43. "Canadian album certifications – Donna Summer – Bad Girls". Music Canada.
  44. Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP). Fabrice Ferment (ed.). "TOP – 1979". 40 ans de tubes : 1960–2000 : les meilleures ventes de 45 tours & CD singles (in French). OCLC 469523661. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2023 – via Top-France.fr.
  45. "West Germany - The Year in Review - Bellaphon". Billboard. December 8, 1979. p. G-4. Retrieved September 19, 2021 – via Google Books.
  46. John Carr (February 9, 1980). "Greeks Grind To Foreign Product" (PDF). Billboard. p. 32. Retrieved September 19, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  47. "New Zealand album certifications – Donna Summer – Bad Girls". Recorded Music NZ.
  48. "British album certifications – Donna Summer – Bad Girls". British Phonographic Industry.
  49. "American album certifications – Donna Summer – Bad Girls". Recording Industry Association of America.
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