What You Didn't Know About Donna Summer

To her entourage, she was always 'The Queen'
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted May 18, 2012 9:29 AM CDT
What You Didn't Know About Donna Summer
In this May 21, 2008 file photo, Donna Summer performs during the finale of "American Idol."   (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)

The passing of Donna Summer has inspired a range of thoughtful retrospectives; now ABC News points out a few little-known facts about the Queen of Disco.

  • She stopped singing the orgasmic "Love to Love You Baby" in 1979 as she re-devoted herself to Christianity. "If I were to do that song like I did it in the old days, the fire department would have to be at the show," she said.

  • She was inspired to write "She Works Hard for the Money"—on a piece of toilet paper—after seeing a sleeping bathroom attendant at a Grammys party.
  • "I Found the Answer," by Mahalia Jackson, inspired her to sing at age 8.
  • Among her favorite songs, and the one she chose to sing when she was alone: "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye.
  • Those around her never stopped calling her "the Queen." "It started off as a joke but now they do it and it just sounds like part of my name," she said.
Click through for the full list. (More Donna Summer stories.)

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