queen of disco: gloria gaynor or donna summer?

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Donna Summer has several disco hits...encore..hot stuff...bad girls...she works hard for the money...and so on....she would deserve to be queen of disco but none of her hits equal the one hit that Gloria Gaynor has had with I will survive...which encompasses disco music...i was listening to bad girls recently and thinking bout this...who is the real queen of disco?

― sonic, Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:20 (twenty-three years ago)

several of Donna Summer's hits surpass I Will Survive

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Gloria Gaynor had more than one hit also

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:24 (twenty-three years ago)

Loleatta Holloway?

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:29 (twenty-three years ago)

Donna Summer is more like its robo-overlord

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Encore?

Donna Summer had Giorgio Moroder, you do the math.

― Sean (Sean), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:31 (twenty-three years ago)

several of Donna Summer's hits surpass I Will Survive

-- James Blount

Creatively or in popularity? Because I beg to differ on the popularity scale...I will survive is the ultimate disco anthem

― sonic, Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:32 (twenty-three years ago)

I vote for Patti LaBelle if not only for "Lady Marmalade," but Donna Summer beats Gaynor based on the sheer volume of hits to her credit.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Ultimate disco anthem = "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, surely.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Gloria Gaynor had more than one hit also

True (her "How High the Moon" is one of my favorite disco tunes), but "I Will Survive" is the only one that most people remember.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Well..Patti Labelle counts more as an r'n'b artist..although she's had a few uptempo singles such as lady Marmalade, new attitude, and so on

― sonic, Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:37 (twenty-three years ago)

"We had to invent disco because the rhythms of funk were too sophisticated for white folks to dance to." -- Gloria Gaynor.
I'd be offended if it wasn't so utterly and painfully true.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Disco wasn't invented though; it just evolved into itself from a million other preexisting forms.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:39 (twenty-three years ago)

considering how much Greg Errico had to do with creating the rhythms of funk it's a little odd to suppose they were too sophisticated for white folks

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Gaynor's "Never Can Say Goodbye" remake got heavy play in Burger King commercial, so plenty of people are familiar with it

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:47 (twenty-three years ago)

Still, I Feel Love is miles ahead of anything by Gaynor.

― Siegbran (eofor), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:48 (twenty-three years ago)

http://www.armeinius.com/v3.0/discoball/graphics/pix/studio.jpg

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:49 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm saying Grace Jones.

― Ian SPACK (Ian SPACK), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Donna Summer had Giorgio Moroder, you do the math.

So did Gloria, on her "comeback" single (around early 2000, I think.)

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:52 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm saying Sylvester

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:53 (twenty-three years ago)

My first post here--and it's disco!

I always liked "I Might Not Be Here When You Want Me" by Loleatta Holloway, very great. Who was it did the disco version of Eddie Floyd's "Knock on Wood"? That seems a nice reworking of the music that went into disco. But of the two divas here, I'd go with Donna Summer, because she had Moroder, and because she was more identifiably disco. However, in my opinion Chic is the ultimate disco group and "Good Times" is the ultimate disco song, although I love lots of other songs in the genre. Chic alone in critique of disco lifestyle (hate that word) while providing disco thrills?

First disco song, what is that? Eddie Kendricks? Detroit Emeralds? Is the first Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band disco music?

― Jess Hill (jesshill), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Who was it did the disco version of Eddie Floyd's "Knock on Wood"?

Amii Stewart. (I had to look her up to confirm spelling) I haven't heard her version since hearing it on the radio as a kid, but I've never forgotten it.

― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 00:55 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll vote for Cory Daye (of Dr. Buzzard) as my fave disco vocalist, but Donna Sumemr is so obviously the queen of the shit it isn't even funny. "I Feel Love" is the most popular disco record ever made because it's the one that's been ripped off the most (i.e. by every single trance track in existence) (yes I'm being overgeneralist have fun poking holes in my arguments!)

― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 01:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Right, Amii Stewart!

Yeah, Cory Daye is amazing.

― Jess Hill (jesshill), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 01:13 (twenty-three years ago)

I have to say, I've always been just a wee bit mystified by what I think has become something of a cult around "I Feel Love." Don't get me wrong, I love Donna Summer (she wins this battle, easy--though Gloria's "Never Can Say Goodbye" is one of my five fave disco-era tracks, for sure), I like the song a lot, and I can understand how it's important, too (probably her most "important" moment), fusing as it does Munich machinery, bubblegum simplicity, and good ol' American disco-porn--and yeah, paving the way for trance, and impressing the hell out of Eno and Bowie in the process! But it's also a deliberately cold record (one of its charms, agreed), and I like a whole bunch of other Donna Summer records better, stuff where her voice actually has a personality. I mean, she has a great voice, but you wouldn't know it from "I Feel Love." Off the top of my head I'm thinking: "Hot Stuff" (Stones do Euro-klezmer-disco), "Could it Be Magic" (Manilow does Euro-opera-disco), "I Remember Yesterday" ("jazz" if it was invented by August Darnell and Stony Browder rather than Louis Armstrong or whoever the hell invented jazz), "Last Dance" and "Macarthur Park," two of the very few songs in rock 'n' roll history which get show music down right, the perfect duet "Heaven Knows," the (pre-Jesus) statement of faith, "On the Radio".... There are even a couple icy-electro moments I slightly prefer to "I.F.L." (or let's say which stand equal to it anyway): the amazing "Our Love" (without which I'm guessing early Depeche Mode wouldn't even exist), "The Wanderer" (coolest Elvis imitation by a black chick ever)...and oh yeah, the 3 hour mix of "Love to Love You Baby" is still pretty outrageous as well.

Anyway, I think "I Feel Love" is amazing too, but it seems in retrospect to overshadow so much other great stuff she did.

― dan fitz (danfitz), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 03:08 (twenty-three years ago)

You're OTM re "I Feel Love." I love it, but it's not as heart-meltingly sublime as I'd like it to be.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 03:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Jocelyn Brown

― Andy K (Andy K), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 03:29 (twenty-three years ago)

What kind of a motherfucking question is that? Jesus wept

― dave q, Wednesday, 26 February 2003 10:31 (twenty-three years ago)

Is there a drag-queen Gloria Gaynor impersonator named Gloria Gaybar? Cuz there totally should be.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 10:36 (twenty-three years ago)

haha @ gloria gaybar. honestly I really hope I never hear "I Will Survive" again.

― j0e (j0e), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 11:23 (twenty-three years ago)

http://www.80stvthemes.com/ra/51999/BOYARDEE.ra

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 14:48 (twenty-three years ago)

It's been years since I've heard it so I could be imagining things, but did "Our Love" have the same rapid-fire drumming effect as "Blue Monday"? I'm swearing the answer is yes. In fact, wouldn't they segue into eachother well?

― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 16:05 (twenty-three years ago)

You're absolutely right! I never thought of that.

― dan fitz (danfitz), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 16:10 (twenty-three years ago)

As repugnant a person as she is, it has to be Donna Summer.
But only because she had Giorgio Moroder. Without him, her records were downright embarrassing.

― russ t, Wednesday, 26 February 2003 16:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Repugnant? Care to elaborate?

― dan fitz (danfitz), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 16:32 (twenty-three years ago)

dave I got the BB "Here Comes the Night" 12" the other day

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 17:10 (twenty-three years ago)

Taana gardner or grace Jones

― Jens (brighter), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 21:51 (twenty-three years ago)

As far as I'm concerned, the Village People are the TRUE Queens of Disco.

― Lola Falana, Thursday, 27 February 2003 04:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Dan Fitz - yes I do, actually...

Born again Christian = repugnant.

Simple.

― russ t, Thursday, 27 February 2003 10:34 (twenty-three years ago)

seven months pass...

As a regular contributor to this board, I feel that every day should have a new thread about Donna Summer, although dave q, fucking insane genius that he is, said it best upthread.

― adaml (adaml), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 18:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Whenever did Gloria Gaynor release an album even remotely as fully realized as "Bad Girls"?

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 21 October 2003 23:26 (twenty-two years ago)

*cough*

Geir OTM.

― adaml (adaml), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 04:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Ooh, that felt weird.

― adaml (adaml), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 04:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Yay Donna and Giorgio!

― Sean (Sean), Wednesday, 22 October 2003 04:34 (twenty-two years ago)

eight years pass...

Gloria headlines free Coney Island tribute to Donna tom'w night:

http://www.brooklynconcerts.com/seaside.html

― Pangborn to be Wilde (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 11 July 2012 20:25 (thirteen years ago)

thirteen years pass...

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/08/gloria-gaynor-donated-22k-to-republican-campaigns-fec-filings-show/

― jaymc, Wednesday, 27 August 2025 23:01 (nine months ago)

Well that explains the Kennedy Center honor

― Dumpy's Rusty Nuts Gimmick Poster (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 27 August 2025 23:37 (nine months ago)

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