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Friday, May 18, 2012

Someone Left My Cake Out In The Rain

Sure, sure, Whitney Houston was a very talented singer - but she had nothing on Donna Summer. Donna Summer was legend. And now that icon is gone. If you haven't heard the news, Donna Summer is dead. The Queen of Disco.

Before discovering Rock n' Roll, long hair and sneering, my sister and I caught the fever. Disco Fever. There were kiddie discotheques popping up all over our neighborhood. To give you an idea, there was one McDonald's - four Disco dance halls. They had matinees for stupid kids like me.

None of the girls had boyfriends - so, none of the girls had a dance partner. We danced with each other like lesbians. My sister and I practiced all summer at sleep away camp and I nearly twirled her into the camp fire once. But at the discotheque, there were always a few Hispanic boys that got their pick of girls with "feathered" back hair a la Farrah Fawcett. Those boys were hustlers and yes, they did dress like John Travolta.

Ironically, I've never seen Saturday Night Fever. It was rated R. Besides, I wasn't big on the Bee Gees. They looked like hairy gorillas but sang like fairies - it was creepy.

In all honesty, it was my sister who was the big Donna Summer fan. If memory serves me right, I believe her favorite song was "Heaven Knows." That too, is ironic since she passed away over thirteen years ago. Heaven knows what she's doing up there now. Probably asking Donna Summer for an autograph.

So move the coffee table and the sofa to the side, break out the strobe light, keep the wine flowing and shake that booty in honor of the Queen.


14 comments:

  1. Nami- I'm always saddened to hear about your sister- but you write about her in a way that makes her seem so lively and alive. I hope your living room dance was a blast!

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    1. Our living room was a blast, alright. Lego Blast - wonder if the boys could put together a Lego Disco ball?

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  2. We spent entire summers (no pun intended) making up dances to her record - me, Beth, Stephanie and Lori - and showing them to my mom. I must admit I insisted they were perfect. When I was pregnant - and I kid you not - When I played my Donna Summer tape in the car, my Noah would dance around in my belly. He LOVED him some Donna. RIP

    ~The G is silent

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    1. Why play Mozart In Utero - Donna Summer is so much funner!

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  3. Oh, this is a beautiful tribute to Donna Summers and a wonderful way of remembering again your sister!

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    1. Thanks! After all this time, my sister is still helping me make friends.

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  4. Your sister was obviously awesome. I bet she is getting Donna Summer and Robin Gibbs autograph right now. And dancing, of course.

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    1. Unless she's teamed up with Andy Gibb already. He was the cuter one.

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  5. My iPod's got loads o' Donna Summers on it (and, okay, some Bee Gees too) and not a single Whitney Houston song. So I'm right there with ya. Toot toot, hey, beep beep.

    Such a wonderful memory of your sister and a fabulous story. I wish I had sweet memories of my own sister. She's still around, mind you. She's just really mean.

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    1. Well, sister rivalry was big with my mom and her big sis - but they ironed things out late (an' I mean real late) in life. Better late than never, until then, hope you two find your way back to each other - just say it really loud on the radio!

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  6. Sometime in my late twenties, I fell in love with 70’s music. For whatever reason, I just couldn’t stomach modern music. My peers seriously thought I was one French fry short of a happy meal. I love the Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Eagles, Fog Hat, The Doobie Brothers, The Wings and the list keeps on going. Ah man, those were the days.....

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    1. Music before the cut and paste of Pro Tools was truly music. Just like television cops in the vein of Colombo and Kojak and Sgt. Pepper Anderson.

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  7. I never saw the movie either, I wasn't even allowed to watch PG movies when I was a kid!

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