On the Radio (Donna Summer song)
Encyclopedia
"On the Radio" is a single
by Donna Summer
released in 1979 on the Casablanca
record label. It was written for the soundtrack
to the film Foxes and included on Summer's first international compilation album On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2
. It was released as a single and became, in January 1980, her tenth top ten hit in the U.S. when it reached number five, it also became her 8th and final consecutive top 5 single. Summer performed it on many television shows such as American Bandstand
.
The song was released in three formats: the radio 45rpm single; the 5+ minute version included on Summer's Greatest Hits double album package, and a DJ Promo 7+ minute version released on 12" single (and included on the Foxes film soundtrack album)
. This last version was later released on the Bad Girls
CD digipack double CD release. The Foxes soundtrack also includes an instrumental version of the song in a ballad tempo and crediting Moroder as a solo artist.
What is interesting about these three versions is that while the first two included all written lyrics, the DJ Promo omitted the final verse, opting instead to repeat the third. Only the first "short" version ended with the famous "on the radio - adio - adio" echo vocal effect.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
released in 1979 on the Casablanca
Casablanca Records
Casablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the venture...
record label. It was written for the soundtrack
Foxes (soundtrack)
Foxes is the soundtrack to the 1980 film of the same name, starring Jodie Foster, Scott Baio, Sally Kellerman, Randy Quaid as well as The Runaways' lead singer Cherie Currie...
to the film Foxes and included on Summer's first international compilation album On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2
On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2
-Charts:AlbumSingle- Certifications :...
. It was released as a single and became, in January 1980, her tenth top ten hit in the U.S. when it reached number five, it also became her 8th and final consecutive top 5 single. Summer performed it on many television shows such as American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
.
The song was released in three formats: the radio 45rpm single; the 5+ minute version included on Summer's Greatest Hits double album package, and a DJ Promo 7+ minute version released on 12" single (and included on the Foxes film soundtrack album)
Foxes (soundtrack)
Foxes is the soundtrack to the 1980 film of the same name, starring Jodie Foster, Scott Baio, Sally Kellerman, Randy Quaid as well as The Runaways' lead singer Cherie Currie...
. This last version was later released on the Bad Girls
Bad Girls (album)
Bad Girls is the seventh studio album by American pop singer Donna Summer, released April 25, 1979 on Casablanca Records. Originally issued as a double album, it incorporates such musical styles as disco, soul, and rock...
CD digipack double CD release. The Foxes soundtrack also includes an instrumental version of the song in a ballad tempo and crediting Moroder as a solo artist.
What is interesting about these three versions is that while the first two included all written lyrics, the DJ Promo omitted the final verse, opting instead to repeat the third. Only the first "short" version ended with the famous "on the radio - adio - adio" echo vocal effect.
Official versions
- "On the Radio" - (Single version) - 4:00
- "On the Radio" - ("On the Radio: Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & 2" version) - 5:50
- "On the Radio" - ("Foxes" soundtrack and 12" single version) - 7:34
- "On the Radio" - (Piano instrumental version from "Foxes" soundtrack) - 4:27
Personnel
- All vocals and lyrics by Donna SummerDonna SummerLaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
- Music written by Giorgio MoroderGiorgio MoroderHansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
- Produced by Giorgio Moroder
Chart positions
| Chart (1979/80) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch GfK GfK The GfK Group, established in 1934 as Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung is Germany's largest market research institute, and the fourth largest market research organisation in the world, after Nielsen Company, Kantar Group, and IMS Health... chart |
27 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
20 |
Cover versions
- In 1983, a ballad version by countryCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Emmylou HarrisEmmylou HarrisEmmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
was included on her album White ShoesWhite ShoesWhite Shoes was a 1983 Emmylou Harris album, composed of an eclectic collection of material. A rockish version of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", a country remake of the Donna Summer hit "On the Radio", and a version of Sandy Denny's "Like an Old Fashioned Waltz" were all included...
. - The song was later covered by SelenaSelenaSelena Quintanilla-Pérez , known simply as Selena, was a Mexican American singer-songwriter. She was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Top Latin Songs chart, including seven number-one hits...
. - In 1999, Swedish singer-songwriter BossonBossonBosson is a Swedish singer-songwriter. He first gained nationwide fame in Sweden when he imitated Michael Jackson in the first season of Sikta mot stjärnorna, performing Black or White and winning his semi-final...
included a cover of the song on his album The Right TimeThe Right Time (Bosson album)-Singles:Baby Don't Cry#Baby Don't Cry #Baby Don't Cry #Baby Don't Cry #Baby Don't Cry We Live#We Live #We Live #We Live...
. - EnglishEnglish peopleThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actress-singer Martine McCutcheonMartine McCutcheonMartine McCutcheon is an English singer, television personality and Laurence Olivier Award-winning actress. McCutcheon had minor success as one third of the pop group Milan in the early 1990s; however, it was her role as Tiffany Mitchell in BBC's EastEnders that made her a household name in the UK...
released a cover version in 2001, reaching as high as number seven on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. - In 2006, the song was recorded by FilipinoFilipino peopleThe Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
singer Regine VelasquezRegine VelasquezRegina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez , better known as Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez, is a Filipino singer, actress, record producer and TV host...
on her Covers Vol. 2 album. - In 2008, it was recorded by Filipino singer Jaya on her Cool Change album.
- In 2010, alternative rockAlternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band HypnogajaHypnogajaHypnogaja is an American rock band from Los Angeles, CA. The group is composed of vocalist Jason "ShyBoy" Arnold, keyboardist Mark Nubar Donikian, drummer Adrian Barnardo and guitarists Bryan Farrar and Abe Parker.-Formation:...
released an acoustic version. The recording won the 2010 Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Male Vocal (by Hypnogaja's ShyBoy). - In 2010, Jennifer LopezJennifer LopezJennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
recorded a version of the song with French DJ/producer David GuettaDavid GuettaPierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...
for her 2010 album Love?Love? (album)Love? is the seventh studio album by American recording artist and actress Jennifer Lopez. The album was released on April 28, 2011. Produced during the pregnancy of her twins Emme and Max, Love? is Lopez's most personal album to date, taking inspiration from the birth of her twins and her own...
. Lopez had previously performed the song in character as slain Tejano singer SelenaSelenaSelena Quintanilla-Pérez , known simply as Selena, was a Mexican American singer-songwriter. She was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Top Latin Songs chart, including seven number-one hits...
in the Gregory NavaGregory NavaGregory Nava is a film director, producer and screenplay writer, of Mexican and Basque heritage.-Education:...
biopic of the same nameSelena (film)Selena is a 1997 American biographical drama film about the life and career of the late Tejano music star Selena, a recording artist who was well known in the Mexican-American and Hispanic communities in the United States and Mexico before she was shot to death at the age of twenty-three.The movie...
. - German Singer Michelle covered the Song under the Name "Tanja Tomas" in 2006 on her Album "My Passion"
Live cover performances
- Alexandra BurkeAlexandra BurkeAlexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
performed this song on the UK talent show The X Factor season fiveThe X Factor (UK series 5)The fifth UK series of The X Factor was broadcast on ITV in 2008. The series started on 16 August and was won by Alexandra Burke on 13 December, with new judge Cheryl Cole emerging as the winning mentor. Auditions in front of producers were held in April/May, with callbacks in front of the judges...
.\ - Katelyn TarverKatelyn TarverKatelyn Marie Tarver is an American singer/songwriter/actress. She is known for her current role as Jo Taylor on the Nickelodeon series Big Time Rush and as Natalie on the ABC series No Ordinary Family.-Singing career:...
performed this song on the reality series, American Juniors. - In 2005, American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
season 4 finalist Vonzell SolomonVonzell SolomonVonzell Monique Solomon , nicknamed Baby V, is an American singer and aspiring actress who finished in third place in the fourth season of the televised singing competition American Idol. She also appeared in the independent movie Still Green.-Biography:Born in Baxley, Georgia, Solomon's family...
performed the song on the Final 3 producer's choice night. Despite the praise she received, she was eliminated the following night. - In 2006, On The Radio was performed on Australian IdolAustralian IdolAustralian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
season 4 by eventual runner-up Jessica MauboyJessica MauboyJessica Hilda Mauboy , is an Indigenous Australian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. In 2006, Mauboy was the runner-up on the fourth season of Australian Idol, she had auditioned for the talent show in Alice Springs to pursue a recording career...
on the Final 8 Disco theme night. The performance was well received by the judges and audience and she was declared safe on the following verdict show.