Happy 45th Anniversary to Donna Summer’s sixth studio album Once Upon A Time, originally released October 31, 1977.
In 1968, a nineteen-year-old singer from Boston named LaDonna Gaines became a cast member of a German adaptation of Hair. She moved to Munich, Germany, where she stayed after the production ended its three-month run. She appeared in other musicals and worked at a recording studio singing backing vocals. It was there she met music producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. The re-christened Donna Summer, along with the two producers, teamed up and recorded some of the most important and influential records of the disco era.
By the fall of 1977, disco music was at its peak and Summer was its reigning queen. Once Upon A Time was her sixth studio album and her third consecutive concept album (the previous two were 1976’s Four Seasons Of Love and 1977’s I Remember Yesterday). This record was unique at the time because it was a double LP disco album and what music critic Robert Christgau called “the first disco opera.” Buying a double album of any genre was a risky proposition because of the hefty price tag. Also, there was a chance that the LP contained one side of good music and three sides of filler. Fortunately, that’s not the case with Once Upon A Time.
This album made me feel as though I was listening to the soundtrack of a musical. Each song flowed smoothly as if it were one continuous track, and I could see myself watching it unfold onstage. The album concept is a re-telling of the classic rags-to-riches tale. Think Cinderella’s story scored by Moroder, who also penned the lyrics with Summer and Bellotte.
The double LP provided Summer with the opportunity to showcase her broad range and pave the way for the musical direction in which she was headed. Sides one, two, and four are mostly disco tracks. Side three, however, ventures into different territory featuring the soulful ballad “A Man Like You.” Despite peaking at #26 on the US Billboard 200, #13 on the Top R&B Album chart, and #1 on the Hot Dance/Disco chart, Once Upon A Time did not yield many hit singles. The underrated “I Love You” was the only single to reach the top 50 of the Hot 100 at #37.
As with her previous LPs, the album was recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich. It was also her last to be recorded at the studio. What set Once Upon A Time apart from her other albums is the subtle American pop music influences of select songs. While the album has Moroder’s signature electronic sound throughout, Summer’s sound had evolved. She moved into another stratosphere and was much more than just the Queen of Disco. The following year, in the summer of 1978, Summer released the single “Last Dance” and became one of the biggest pop stars in the world.
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