Tuesday, March 29, 2016

"Unconditional Love" by Donna Summer

Song#:  1595
Date:  09/03/1983
Debut:  82
Peak:  43
Weeks:  8
Genre:  R&B, Reggae



Pop Bits:  Summer returned to the Pop Top 10 for the third time in the 80s with the title track to her album She Works Hard for the Money. The single would reach #3 at Pop while hitting #1 at R&B. Unfortunately, this second single couldn't find an audience at Pop at it withered away before getting into the Top 40. However, R&B was receptive and it reached #9. The song features a guest vocal appearance by the British teen reggae group Musical Youth. They scored a #10 hit late in 1982 with "Pass the Dutchie."

ReduxReview:  This is a cute song featuring some cute kids that also appear in a cute video with a cute Summer. Unfortunately, cute doesn't add up to much. I wasn't a fan of this song when it came out and I'm still not. It's fine for an album track, but not for a single. Granted, there was no song on the album as strong as the title track, but there were better choices than this track for release. I'm sure the whole Musical Youth factor played a part in getting this issued - why not capitalize on a hot new act that just scored a Top 10? There is logic there, but it just didn't work.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  The She Works album contained the song "He's a Rebel." It's not a remake of The Crystals' 1962 #1 hit, but a contemporary Christian song co-written by Summer. Although it was not issued as a single, it did capture the attention of the Grammy folks who awarded Summer with a trophy for Best Inspirational Performance. It was her third Grammy and first win in four years.

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