DONNA Summer, You always have a place to stay, in the old neighborhood, with me.

Every day for the past couple of weeks, she's done her stuff while I take a shower. Sometimes she does it while I'm cleaning house, or fixing something that broke.  She's been known to start fights ('cause she's a strong woman , and a bad girl, who believes in herself) with some roommates. She's been causing problems in my house since I was but a small kid. Whose favorite footwear alternated between flip flop sandals and roller skates. Much to the boisterous and fisticuff-y  disappointment and loud resistance of my older brothers. I still hear how you couldn't see anything but spinning vinyl fly out the windows when we were at it. Ah- the good ole days. I got her back, though, and she had mine. She knew that. I was too young to go to clubs and shake my groove thang but I had an imagination and that could be more potent if you ask me. I made a tape for a friend once who dj's and put one of her songs on there, explaining how she and Giorio Moroder crafted a sound so unique till this day it's still emulated and is the standard for disco soul. Giorgio went on to work with the HUMAN LEAGUE, he was a fan of theirs.  Success never sounded so damn good. I'm sure he's remembering and missing her now as well. You still got that tape? -I still want it back. (just kidding, I made it for you).
    She had her ups and downs, like all that rose during that era with Disco music as their banner. She was their queen and rose to the highest heights. There were rumors, she had said some anti-gay stuff.  It had blown over for the most part in recent decades. She had recorded some stuff that charted fine. People still mainly knew her as the 70's disco queen. She had enough hits to not have to record anything else, ever,really. She sounded great just up till recently, a little while ago on her televised specials she still looked great
    I have so many memories crammed with music. I have many memories filed under just Donna. I  remember  I was helping my parents paint and I was left alone in a room devoid of furniture for fifteen minutes, I don't remember a room ever looking like that up till then. It was weird and cool. It sounded different too. And on the tape player "Dim all the lights" came on. It echoed all over the barren walls and it was like magic. I can never forget that afternoon with the sunset orange coming through the curtain-less window. It was very symbolic, and made quite and impression. I don't know what to make of the fact that the album concept was about hookers, though.
    My musical tastes are so varied and colorful it can boggle the mind. I am truly a fan of all kinds of music. It is just sad to have one little piece of my memories slip into a record sleeve and put back on the shelve. And she will now always be there in my record collection and in my heart, really. I'll always crave new music, but so few makes it to the soundtrack of your life like my friend reminded me earlier today. Thank you Donna, truly.

LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948 – May 17, 2012)

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