March 3, 2023
Donna Summer’s She Works Hard for the Money is Celebrated with Expanded, Digital-Only 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
Today, Mercury/UMe releases a digital-only 40th-anniversary Deluxe Edition of Donna Summer’s all-time classic solo album, She Works Hard For The Money. Originally released June 13, 1983, when musical tastes were changing by the minute, She Works Hard For The Moneysealed Summer as a creative multi-genre force to be reckoned with following her amazing string of chart-topping disco and dance hits that helped define the sound of the 1970s. The 13-track Deluxe Edition features the original 9-song She Works Hard For The Money album plus four bonus tracks consisting of two club mixes and two instrumental tracks (full track listing below). These bonus tracks have not previously been available for digital download or streaming. Listen to or purchase Donna Summer’s She Works Hard For The Money – Deluxe Edition HERE.
This special 40th-anniversary edition of She Works Hard For The Money coincides with Women’s History Month (March) and will kick off UMe’s multi-year celebration of what would have been Summer’s upcoming 75th birthday (New Year’s Eve, 2023). The deluxe edition album also complements the upcoming release of the HBO Original documentary Love To Love You, Donna Summer. The forthcoming documentary is directed by Oscar®and Emmy®-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (“Life Animated,” HBO’s “The Apollo”) and Brooklyn Sudano, daughter of Donna Summer. The film offers a deeply personal portrait of Summer on and off the stage, featuring a wealth of photographs and never-before-seen home video footage – often shot by Summer herself – and provides a rich window into the surprising range of her artistry, from songwriting to painting, while exploring the highs and lows of a life lived on the global stage. Love To Love You, Donna Summer premiered internationally last month at the Berlinale (The Berlin Film Festival) and will premiere in the US at SXSW on March 11 before the film officially debuts on HBO/HBO Max in May 2023. For more information, please click HERE.
She Works Hard For The Money saw Summer re-establish her roots as an artist equally adept at pop, rock, soul, R&B, dance, and gospel. The propulsive, empowering title track became an anthem for working women worldwide, buoyed in no small part by its popular music video featuring Summer as a tireless diner waitress. That video makes its official debut on video platforms worldwide today, remastered and better than ever. Watch the newly remastered video for “She Works Hard For The Money” HERE.
Meanwhile, the reggae-tinged hit single “Unconditional Love”showcased Summer singing along with featured guests Musical Youth, the young British/Jamaican vocal group best known for their 1982 international No. 1 hit, “Pass The Dutchie.” On the touching ballad, “Love Has A Mind Of Its Own,” Summer dueted with noted gospel singer Matthew Ward.
Produced and arranged by Michael Omartian (Whitney Houston, Christopher Cross), She Works Hard For The Money was recorded in a trio of locations in California, including Lion Share Recording in Los Angeles, Hollywood Sound Recorders in Hollywood, and Rhema Studio in Beverly Hills. For her part, Summer wrote or co-wrote all nine tracks on the core album, most of them with Omartian.
She Works Hard For The Money has been certified gold by the RIAA. The album peaked at No. 9 on the US Billboard 200 and reached the Top 10 in Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands. The title track and aforementioned lead single, “She Works Hard For The Money,” was an international Top 10 smash hit and made an incredible chart impact upon its release in the United States, ultimately reaching No. 1 on the US R&B chart, No. 3 on the Hot 100, and No. 3 on US Club Play. The album’s next single, “Unconditional Love,” climbed to No. 9 on US R&B and No. 43 on the Hot 100, and it also reached No. 14 on the UK Singles chart. The album’s other two singles were “Stop, Look And Listen” and “Love Has A Mind Of Its Own.”
“She Works Hard For The Money” garnered Summer a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, while “He’s A Rebel” won her a GRAMMY® for Best Inspirational Performance. In addition, fans of the worldwide-popular Netflix series Stranger Things will recognize “I Do Believe (I Fell In Love)” from its prominent use in the series in 2017.