“So you better treat her right”; “She Works Hard for the Money” by Donna Summer

Workin' Hard for the Money     Photo: Merzperson 

In the mid-80’s I was working my husband through graduate school. When the school had a talent show, I joined the other wives in doing a rendition of “She Works Hard for the Money.”


Most of us had what I call a “just-a-job.” They weren’t particularly interesting or fulfilling; they were just a way to keep food on the table. I worked selling stamps at a little dry goods store. Others were secretaries downtown or managers at McDonald’s. The hours were bad but the pay was lousy.

But we had Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco.

You can get lots of her songs on Freegal.

Born LaDonna Andrea Gaines, she found her name in an unexpected place. Back in 1966, she got a part in the musical Hair and moved to Europe to perform in Germany & Austria. She married her fellow performer Helmut Sommer—and took the name Donna Summer.

Too bad she never recorded a disco song in German. That would have been interesting.

RIP, Donna Summer. May 17, 2012.