All language subtitles for Love.To.Love.You.Donna.Summer.2023

Donna Summer:
I know when to come in.

Crew:
I'll count, I'll count.

("Love to Love You Baby"
by Donna Summer playing)

Crew:
One, two...

One, two, three, four...

Donna (singing):
# Ohhh #

# Love to love you, baby #

# Ahhh #

# Love to love you, baby #

# Ahhh #

# Love to love you, baby #

(gasping) # Ahhh #

# Love to love you, baby #

# Ahhh #

# Love to love you, baby #

# Ahhh-ahhh... #

# Ahhh, ah... #

# Ah, ah #

# I #

# Love to love you, baby #

# I #

# Love to love you, baby #

# I #

# Love to love you, baby #

# Do it to me again
and again #

# You put me in
such an awful spin #

# In a spin, in... #

# Ahhh #

# Love to love you, baby #

# I #

# Love to love you, baby #

# Ahh, love to love you
baby #

# Ahhhh #

("I Feel Love"
by Donna Summer playing)

(crowd cheering)

# #

# Oooh #

# It's so good, it's so good
it's so good, it's so good #

# It's so good #

(sultry breathing)

# Ooh #

# Heaven knows, heaven knows,
heaven knows, heaven knows #

# Heaven knows #

(crowd cheering)

Donna (singing):
# Oooh #

# I feel love, I feel love
I feel love, I feel love #

# I feel love #

# I feel #

# Love #

# I feel love... #

(music fades)

Donna:
I have a secret life.

You're looking at me, but
what you see is not what I am.

How many roles do I play
in my own life?

Who is she?

(child exhales)

(piano keys tinkle)

(child babbling)

(strikes chord)

(sings)
# When I #

(child singing along)

# Believe #

# In miracles that happen #

You want to sing now?

(babbles)

You want me to do the camera?

- Yeah.
- Okay, you sing.

(telephone ringing)

(child singing)

(ringing continues)

Ric Gaines (on phone):
Is this Brooklyn?

Brooklyn:
(laughing) Yes.

Ric:
Oh, Brooklyn!

Mary Ellen Bernard (on phone):
How you doin' today?

Brooklyn (on phone):
Hey, Auntie Mary.

I'm calling because
I may need some help.

I'm trying to figure out
the many pieces

of who Mom really was.

- (concert crowd chatter)
- (Donna speaking indistinctly)

Brooklyn:
You know, she was complicated

and struggled with her fame,
her... her image.

And even love.

(toys rattling)

(pensive music playing)

(projector clicking)

Bruce Sudano:
What do you see?

- Beaver.
- Bruce: Yeah!

Young Brooklyn:
Hi, Beaver!

Donna:
Boo-boo. How you doing?

Fine!

- Bruce: Is it working?
- Donna: Yeah.

Uh, Mommy, can I see too?

Donna: Not right now,
go out and play dance.
I gotta get ya.

- Bruce: What's your name?
- Brooklyn.

I'm four!

Bruce:
What's your name?

- Amanda.
- Bruce: How old are you?

- Two.
- Donna: And a half.

- Bruce: When's your birthday?
- Five.

(child laughs)

- Bruce: And what's your name?
- Five!

Mimi.
Donna: Move your arms, Mimi,
as much as you can.

- I can't see.
- Donna: Well, squinch.

- (Bruce laughs)
- Donna: Come on.

Mimi Dohler: Growing up,
I was in the studio
with Mom all night long.

We'd go to sleep on the couch
in the engineering room.

It was sort of a roller coaster
ride for everyone.

She was really famous,
and everyone wanted her.

There was this element
of her always having
to be public.

But Mommy was a very private
person in a lot of ways.

Amanda Sudano Ramirez:
With Mom, a lot of her life

revolved around
privacy and secrecy.

We were never allowed
in her room.

The door was always locked.

We would find out things
by reading newspaper articles

they had clipped out
and hidden in places.

I actually remember
the first time that
we heard "Love to Love You."

Didn't even know it existed.

Brooklyn came in the room
and was like,

"Have I got a song
for you to hear!"

Donna (singing):
# Ahh, whoo... #

# Ahh, ohhh... #

Whoo! Ahhh!

(sultry breathing)

Donna: When I wrote
"Love to Love You Baby,"

I did not write it
to be a song.

I wrote it as a concept

for someone else
to write a lyric to.

(sings)
# I love to love you baby #

I just made up a voice

and kind of tried
to create a vibe.

Brooklyn:
Amanda, remember when
we were like,

"Who is this woman?"

I mean, I don't think
she had any idea

that this vibe was gonna
completely change her life.

# Ooh-ooh-ooh #

(sultry sighing)

# Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ah
Ooh-ooh... #

Donna:
"Love to Love You Baby"
was becoming like

this world symbol
of freedom, of liberation.

Things would begin to happen.

People would begin
to, like, rip their clothes off

and throw them on the stage,
and bras, underwear...

I didn't know it was going
to be, like, that racy.

The audience would get
completely uncontrollable.

And it, it...
it was kind of terrifying.

It wasn't me and it was
something I was playing.

It was a role.

Everyone, uh, that knew me
would call me up and say,

"That, that's not you, is it?"

And I would say,
"Yeah, that's me."

And they would just say,
"Nah, come on."

Interviewer:
What's hot right now? Disco?

- Uh, disco is a phenomenon. Uh--
- Yeah.

It's, it's the hottest thing
that has hit the music business.

I mean, millions and millions
of records are selling,

and Donna is the biggest.

Was it tough to get her
that first hit or does--

or did one thing happen

that... you, that you knew
that put her over the top?

- Give me an example.
- Now-- Okay, Donna,

Donna was a star in Europe.

She was not doing
disco-oriented records.

Um, she had a, an idea

and she recorded
"Love to Love You Baby,"

which was
a three-minute-and-20-second
record.

Um, they brought it to me
after it had failed in Europe,

and, uh, I listened to it
and I loved it.

And I put it out here
and nothing happened.

About a month later,
I was playing it at a party
I had at my house

and, um, someone said,
"Hey, play that again!"

I put it back on

and the record finished

and somebody said,
"Play that again."

And I said,
"The record's too short.

They keep asking for more."

So I went upstairs
and I called Germany,

where the record
was produced,

and I said,
"Give me a 20-minute version."

What we did is we came up
with a-a promotional idea.

If we can get, um,

some radio stations to
play it just at midnight

and say, "Tune in
for 20 minutes of love."

(song playing in background)

# Ahhh... #

Dara Bernard:
I was at the house
listening to it

and realized, "Wait a minute,
that's, that's Donna.

"That's my sister.

"She said she was gonna
be famous, and she did it!

She's on the radio!"

(song continues in background)

Radio DJ:
Unknown singer Donna Summer
recorded a song,

"I Love to Love You Baby."

It started a new phase
in the recording industry,
"sex rock."

Mary:
I actually believe that

it was pretty much
the gay community

that broke that record.

I heard it the first time

while I was listening
to underground radio.

Like a college station
that played stuff

that you could not play
in the daytime.

I don't know, it was probably
about 12:30, one o'clock,

and I hear this song come on.

Reporter:
A controversial record

has been making
radio executives nervous
all over the world.

It was banned recently
by the BBC in England,

and in spite of that,
it's sold over
one million albums.

Mary:
Oh, my God, this is--

I'm listening
to "Love to Love You,"

and I'm like--
and it's going on and on
and on and on and on.

And I'm like,
"Oh, my God." (gasps)

"I think this is the record
that she said that wasn't
gonna sound like her."

And Grandma said,

"I'm never going to be able
to go to church again."

She knew that I was
going to be shocked, okay?

And to say the least,
I was shocked,

because in my heart,

I always wanted her to be
a gospel singer.

For Donna singing in church,

it would give you
a vibrating feeling that,

you know, you-- it give you
something that...

well, to me, no other singer
that I heard in the church
gave me.

(organ and percussion playing)

Donna:
It started really with my dad.

He used to get me and make me
come to the living room

and he says, "Listen,
listen to this record and sing
just like this record."

(rhythmic clapping)

(singing)
# Elijah rock, shout, shout #

# Elijah rock
comin' up, Lord #

# Elijah rock, shout, shout #

# Elijah rock
comin' up, Lord #

Donna:
I listened to Mahalia Jackson
and, uh, said,

"You know, she,
somehow she has what I want."

I would just listen
and listen for hours.

Mahalia Jackson (singing):
# Elijah #

# Eliiiijah #

Donna:
Our favorite way
to spend our time

was putting on shows
on the front porch
or the back stoop.

And when the neighbors
would hear you singing,

they would stop
on their way home.

# Hallelujah! Elijah rock
shout, shout, shout #

# Elijah rock comin'... #

Ric:
Boston in the 1950s

was not a friendly city
to people of color.

We were Black.
Anything could happen to you.

Kids from the other part
of the project,

the white part,
as we used to call it,
would beat on us

and tell us we were not
welcome in their area.

One day, one of the kids
chased us back to our part
of the projects

and there was a wire strung
from one fence to another.

I saw it.
I went under it.

I turned and looked

and Donna had hit it
with her chin.

She had that little clip
on her chin

and it never went away.

# Keep tellin' everybody
that rock... #

Donna:
I felt like I was
marred for life

and there was never
going to be a way

that I would ever
be attractive,

feeling ugly,
feeling inadequate.

I was scarred.

Mahalia (singing):
# Elijah rock #

# Oh, keep #

# Comin' up, Lord #

Donna:
When I was about
eight years old,

one of the ladies
in my church got sick,

and she was supposed to sing.

The minister came to me
and he said,

"Can you sing today?"

I was petrified.
I mean, petrified.

But I got up anyway,
and, um, I stood up to sing.

And all of a sudden, this voice
came out that I didn't know.

It just came out of me.

And everyone in my family
will remember this

because they all,
everybody was in tears.

I was in tears.
My family was in tears.

Everyone in the whole church
was in tears.

And it was a striking feeling
of, "God, I'm blessed.

I know I'm gonna be famous"
and... (snaps)

("Once Upon a Time"
by Donna Summer playing)

(crowd cheering)

(singing) # Once upon a time
once upon a time #

# Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh #

# Once upon a time
once upon a time... #

Brooklyn:
Auntie Mary, Mom was a dreamer.

You know, she could shapeshift
in and out of characters.

How did this show up
in her performances?

Mary:
Donna's shows were theatrical.

There was always a story.
There was a heroine.

There was a problem.

And in the end, she overcame.

She thought in theater.

Once upon a time

in the land
of never, never

there lived
a little girl

who believed

that all things
were possible...

Mary:
I know a lot of people
won't think

that she was a forerunner,
but she really was.

She was thinking about things
outside of the box that
they wanted to keep her in.

She wasn't having it.

By her stepping out
in those areas,

it did allow
other people of color

to step out of the box
that they had her in.

Donna:
And you better get me out!
I can't breathe, I need help!

It seems like the whole
world's out there,
and I'm in here.

Please, somebody help!

- (cheering and applause)
- Johnny Carson: Yeah!

(applause continues)

Well done.

I thought that, you know,
if you really were a star,

- you had to be on
the "Johnny Carson Show."
- Johnny: Yeah.

So that was, it was always
my biggest dream.

I said, "I know I'm a star

when I've done
the 'Johnny Carson Show'."

What do you see
down the road, pictures?

And they give you
the successful recordings now?
You like the...?

Developing, you know?

I'm, I'm studying to become
a director myself,

so, so I have my own little
video studio set up at home.

Johnny:
Hey, that's super.
Somebody told me you had--

Any actors out there?

- Yeah.
- (laughter)

(static buzzes)

(indistinct chatter)

Donna:
You're not interviewing,
you're the husband.

Alright, Mary,
push over just a hair.

Mary:
When you're on the road
for a long time

or you might have a day off
between another show,

and you're stuck
in a hotel in Podunk, Iowa,

you find things to do.

And God help us.

Donna bought herself a camera,
a movie camera.

And she was expecting us
to make movies.

Crew Member:
You can do it too!

(crew laughing)

Donna:
Now you know what we
go through every single night.

(disco music playing)

Mary:
She would direct us
and do this and do that.

And we all played the game.

Some of it was funny and
some of it got us in trouble.

Donna: You better
get away from my camera.

You want to leave for
California tomorrow, don't ya?

(screams, laughter)

(crew laughing)

Mary:
And so it was like,
"I'm never doing that again.

I'm not doing it."

She's like, "Come on,
come on, Mary, come on."

And she was fun and-and, and,
and she was funny.

# music stops #

(deep exhale)

Mary (Eastern European accent):
I get vibration.

No, you're going to go far way
one day, you watch, you see.

You're going to be very,
very famous, I am telling you.

But could you just tell me
about what's going to happen
next week?

(in accent) Next week, you're
going to have to finish up

something you started
this week.

- That's, but that's so general.
- (crew chuckles)

- That's two dollars.
- Like...

- Are you married?
- No.

You will be married.

You going to take a journey!

You want to know
where you gonna go?

No, I want to know
what's going on--

(laughing)

You're going to go
far away across the seas,

in the air!

(sultry blues music playing)

# Whoo-ooh-ooh #

Mary:
When she was in high school,

she started working
with a band called The Crow.

She would sneak out a lot
at night and go sing in clubs.

# Oh, you made me feel
so bad #

Donna:
All the band was white.

I was "the crow."

Mary:
And they really wanted her
to be like

the Black Janis Joplin.
You know what I mean?

So after, I think, she heard
the way Janis Joplin sang,

she felt like, "I can do this."

(singing)
# Come on, come on, come on
come on, and take it #

# Take another little piece
of my heart now, baby #

Donna:
You know, coming out of church
and, and seeing Janis Joplin

and this wild-haired woman
with no bra on

and, and literally a jug
of whiskey in her hand.

I hadn't ever been exposed
to something like that.

I mean,
that just was not proper.

I remember getting
a spanking for wearing
red fingernail polish,

because to my father,

red fingernail polish meant

that was what whores wore,

in his mind.

We wore slips
and more slips and girdles,

and just, don't jiggle.

(sings)
# Can't understand #

# Why this whole world #

# Keeps pulling me down #

# To the ground #

There was a lot of pressure
in being a Black woman.

A lot of pressure.

Being a woman is bad enough.

And being a Black woman
was like a double whammy.

Summer of '68,
I was 19 years old.

I was in sort of a limbo state.

("Born to Die"
by Donna Summer playing)

Donna:
I originally went
out of Boston

to, uh, to pursue
a singing career

in New York with my band.

# Just a baby... #

Donna:
So here I am, I'm in New York,
and, you know,

I feel a little bit freer
than I feel in Boston.

I don't have anybody looking
over my shoulder.

Feeling like, you know,
there was a future waiting
for me somewhere.

And I just needed to discover

what key it was that was going
to turn the lock,

that was gonna open the door
to that future.

# Raised on hatred #

Donna:
There was just music
pouring out of every doorway

and you became part
of this whole tapestry
of movement

that was happening
in the country, you know,

enjoying the whole environment
of just being kind of a hippie.

# Without love... #

Donna:
I'm trying to figure out
what's going on in my life.

I lived above the Cafe Wha?

on the top floor
with a couple of people.

The director of "Hair"
came to the house with
the girl that I live with.

I happened to be singing
around the house at the time

and he heard me and he said,

"I'm having an audition
on Thursday,

would you come down?"

And that was
the turning point.

Within two weeks,
I was out of it.

I went to Germany.

(chorus singing
"Let the Sun Shine In"
in German)

(singing "Aquarius" in German)

Donna:
Being 19 years old
in Germany and coming of age,

having the hippie revolution
kind of on my heels,

and being a person
who is craving change

was a door
to an entire reality.

(chorus singing in German)

Donna:
There were really
kind of no limits,

sort of newfound freedom.

(chorus continues
singing in German)

Donna:
Being in Germany gave me
license to be myself,

and I hadn't had
that license before.

(pensive music playing)

Jack Waddell:
For the first time,

she was accepted in a way

that we were never accepted

in America.

Blacks were at a premium.

They saw you walking
down the street and said,

"Oh, we've gotta have that."

("Black Lady"
by Donna Summer playing)

Donna:
I got a lot of press
because at that time

there were very few
Black women in Germany.

You were just constantly
on display,

no matter where you went,
no matter what you did.

It was just an open door.

I was tall and very thin
at the time,

and there were a lot
of photographers there,

and I just got a lot of work.

- Brooklyn: Helmuth?
- Helmuth Sommer: Yeah?

Brooklyn:
I want to know how
you actually got together.

Helmuth:
I met Donna during
the musical "Hair."

Of course I was attracted.

Donna had the best voice,

so everybody was admiring
this gift that she had.

We were just in kind of
a love for each other.

This is the feeling
that I remember a lot.

She was really a funny girl
when she was in a good mood.

When Mimi was born,

Donna's reaction was
a little bit, um,

kind of distance.

Donna:
I was never that maternal.

I never actually thought
I would ever have kids
until I had one.

I just, it just was, it was--

there was too--
there was too much fire in me.

Mimi:
When I was born,

Mommy was ready to break out.

Her dream was just bigger.

She knew more was
on the horizon

and you
could not contain her.

So they separated
when I was two.

I pretty much stayed with
my grandparents after that.

Donna:
I went through a manner
of manic depression

to be the one to have
to say, "I'm leaving."

The guilt of that was
so strong.

I'm taking
my daughter's father away.

# #

Announcer:
Donna Summer!

(band playing
"Lady of the Night")

(singing)
# They call her #

# The lady #

# Of the night #

# She's a woman
of the world... #

Donna:
I had started to record some,

uh, what the Germans call
"Schlager" songs,

kind of corny, bubble-gummy,
for the European market.

So I had kind of developed
a little bit of a career.

("Spring Affair"
by Donna Summer playing)

(singing)
# Ooh, somethin's comin'... #

Joyce Trabulus:
I remember calling her

when she was in Munich

and saying, "Are you sexy?"

And she went,
"Uh, I don't know."

"Could we spotlight you
in 'Playboy'?"

And she went, "Oh,
absolutely not." (laughs)

You know, she was living
a very kind of quiet life

in, in Munich.

And when we brought her over
to New York,

we brought her over
as a major star.

I came up with
"The First Lady of Love"
for Donna.

That's what Neil was selling.

"You're going to make love
to this wonderful record,

'Love to Love You Baby.'"

# We've got something new #

(fans cheering)

Donna:
Neil looked out for
every aspect of my career,

that every hair is in place,
every smile is right.

"We're gonna give you
the best of everything.

You're gonna look
like you're already rich."

(indistinct chatter)

Donna:
I mean, if I was getting ready
to go on stage

and my nail polish
wasn't on my feet

and somebody was late,
he was on his knees.

I kid you not.

He taught me how to dream
on a whole other level.

(guitar beats,
jazz organ playing)

(inaudibly singing)

Donna:
I didn't have
very many friends.

Most of the people that I
was friends with at the time

were in some way involved
in the record business.

So, Casablanca, because
that was my whole world.

Susan Munao:
Neil wanted to make it
really special for Donna

so he brought her mom and dad

and her sisters and her brother

to her New York debut.

Dara:
It was opposite of the culture
of our family.

(indistinct chatter)

Dara:
She was really never
that sexy, sultry person.

But even though that persona,
they had given it to her,

that persona was the door

that took her
where she needed to go.

(Brooklyn humming)

Interviewer:
Well, Donna, obviously,
America was ready for it.

Donna: Mm-hmm.

Interviewer:
Was Donna Summer ready

for stardom,
name in lights, bodyguards?

(whispers) No.

Donna:
Yeah, I have a very hard time
not being myself.

And, uh, there are times
when you can't be yourself

and you can't be
the way you'd like to be.

And that's goofy or funny
or whatever you are
as a human being,

as a person, um, offstage.

So what I'm trying to do
more and more now

is to become myself on stage

so that when I'm offstage,
it doesn't matter.

And, um, so that the same person
you meet in this room

is the same person onstage.

("Summer Fever"
by Donna Summer playing )

(singing) # Fever #

# Summer #

# Summer fever #

# Fever #

# It's the time of love #

# The time of year #

# Temperatures rising
our bodies near #

# In fever #

# Summer #

# Summer fever #

# Fever #

Brooklyn:
Giorgio, growing up
my mom always spoke

about how important
you were to her life.

How did you guys meet?

Giorgio Moroder:
We were looking for some

American or English singers

for a demo.

Donna came and
we did the vocals

and we were very happy.

# #

Donna:
So I started working
with Giorgio,

and this is the beginning
of a great relationship.

Giorgio really took me
under his wing

even before
I had a hit record.

He was like a mentor.

He was a redeeming factor
in my life

from some of the abusive men
or men figures

that I had had in the past

or people that I'd
chosen to trust

who were not worthy
of that trust.

Giorgio was the antithesis
of that.

- You want to put a fender on?
- Giorgio: A fender, yes.

- Make it a little fuller?
- Yeah.

Giorgio:
I had, I had a very close
relationship with her.

She definitely trusted us.

And in fact, whatever we did,
we did well.

# It's so good #

Donna:
I came up with the--
with Giorgio with the...

(humming bass line)

(sings) # Oh, I feel good #

"I Feel Love."

(humming bass line)

Which just changed the face
of music for a while.

I mean, I figure it was like
maybe a year or two after
"Love to Love You Baby."

Giorgio:
"Doo, doo, doo,
doo, doo, doo, doo."

I said, "Wow, great.
This is totally new."

Donna:
When I went in to do it,

I had the sense that
I was floating.

And that's what we wanted
to maintain,

that floaty kind of,
that elation that you feel

when you're in love,
that kind of... (sighs).

Giorgio:
I think it's probably
one of the most

innovative songs around.

# I feel love... #

Pete Bellotte:
This was the very first

drum machine click trick

ever used in music.

We weren't listening to
what other people were doing

and trying to emulate.

We were forging ahead.

It sounds grandiose,

but I think others
were following.

("I Feel Love"
by Donna Summer playing)

(singing) # Ooh #

# Fallin' free... #

Giorgio:
Whatever dance songs came up
later on with electronics

is based on, on "I Feel Love."

# Ooh... #

Elton John:
I remember when "I Feel Love"

came on at Studio 54.

You just stopped in
your tracks. "What is this?"

People screamed.

It just went on and on and on

and you didn't
want it to stop.

It sounded like
no other record.

It changed the way
people thought about music.

# I feel love, I feel love #

# I feel love #

# I feel love... #

# I feel love... #

# I feel love... #

Interviewer 1:
Where do you feel
you stand now?

Donna:
I hope I stand

in a light
of legitimacy, I think.

Um, in a place where people
will respect what I do

and understand that
any, any songs that I make,

I do because I choose to and not
because that is my limitation.

Interviewer 2:
How long are you going
to maintain this, this image

that's based on
"Love to Love You Baby"?

Well, I think I've deviated
from that path already.

Um, I won't even, you know,
I hate, um, for it to sound like

I-I'm running away from anything
because I'm really not.

I think it's more like, um,
I'm growing and, uh...

it's like looking
at a flower in the bud

and you first see the bud
and you say, "Wow, fantastic,
the trees are budding."

And then you go back
and the leaves are out and
then finally, there's a flower.

And I feel that
when I came to America,

I was in the budding stage.

And, um, maybe I'm springing
a leaf about now,

and maybe one day
I'll be a blossom.

(horns honking)

(whistle blowing)

- Hey!
- Whoa!

(crowd shouting)

- Come on!
- Get out of the way!

Hey, I'm trying to
listen to my music! Hey!
I'm listening to my music!

Disco been very good to me!

Man (in car):
Yeah! Get out of the way!

Donna (in disguise):
Oh, shut up!

(disco music playing)

(singing) # If you feel it
feel it right #

# You got to feel it
every night, yeah #

# And if you
feel it, feel it right #

# You got to feel it
every night, yeah #

# Well, if you feel it
feel it so good #

# You've got to feel it
like you should feel it #

# And if you feel it
feel it good #

# You've got to feel it
like you should #

Take it down, boys.

Now, do you love somebody?

Does everybody here
have somebody they love?

- (crowd cheering)
- No?

Well, love me
for right now, okay?

Just give me a little bit
of love and let me see you
stand up.

Stand up out your seats.
Come on.

Now let's shake
those hips, come on.

Oh, yeah.

(singing)
# Do you believe in love? #

# Do you believe
in love? #

# Do you believe in love? #

# Do you believe
in love? #

# Do you believe in love? #

# Do you believe
in love? #

# Do you believe in love? #

Come on, shake your hand now.

# Do you believe in love? #

Come on.

# Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah #

# Feel it #
Whoo!

# Feel it #
Oh, yeah.

# Feel it, feel it
feel it, feel it #

Thank you for coming tonight.
I'm happy to see you.

Thank you for coming.

Thank you. I love you, too.
Thank you for coming.

Thank you so much. Whoo!

- (cars honking)
- (electronic percussion playing)

("Bad Girls"
by Donna Summer playing)

# Bad girls #

# Talking 'bout
the sad girls, yeah #

# Talking 'bout bad girls #

# The sad girls #

Donna:
When you have success
all over the world

and it's very constant,
you have it.

It's all the time,
it's everywhere you go.

It's like you never
get a break.

I didn't dream about fame
that way.

I dreamt about singing.

Whenever I dreamt about fame,
it was being on stage.

It wasn't the accolades
and all the people screaming
"I love you!"

So when that part
came into it,

it, it threw me for a loop

because I really didn't know
how to deal with that.

# Do you have enough? #

# Can you buy enough? #

# Can you sell enough? #

# Can you sell
enough? #

# Everybody sees you #

(crowd screaming)

# Bad girls #

# You ain't got nobody #

# You're lying all the time #

# Sad girl went
the wrong way in life #

# Yes, you are #

# Said you want to be a star #

Donna:
We did a demo of "Bad Girls,"

everything was done,
the song was finished.

We listened to it over
and over again, I'm like,

"There is something missing
to this song.

I think this song
needs a hook."

Said, "I got this idea,

this imagery of,
how do you haul a hooker?"

# Toot-toot, yeah
beep-beep #

You're honking your horn.
You're trying to get
her attention.

It's like, "Over here."

# Beep-beep #

# Bad girls #

# Talking 'bout
the sad girls, yeah #

# Bad girls #

# Talking 'bout
bad girls, yeah #

Woman:
Oh, my God!

# See them out on the street
at night... #

Man:
You gotta tip it down,
you gotta tip it down.

You gotta
tip it down.

# You can score
if your pocket's nice #

(indistinct party chatter)

# But you want a good... #

Donna:
Everybody sang in my family.

My father sang,
my mother sang.

# You ask yourself... #

Donna:
Every time my father
had company,

my mother had company,

my mother would call me
and my sisters

into the room to perform,

and they would just go crazy.

# They come
from near and far #

# Whoa... #

Donna:
So we had these sort of
little outlets of performing,

a bit of an idea or insight

as to what it was like to have
people applaud for you.

We did impersonations
as much as we could.

# Bad girls #

# Talking 'bout
the sad girls, yeah #

# The sad girls #

# Talking 'bout
bad girls, yeah #

(indistinct party chatter)

Thank you,
ladies and gentlemen.

We will be back tomorrow night.
See you again...

- Do you live here in California?
- I live about, I think,
40,000 feet above.

Usually in one direction
or the other.

- Oh, you're always in a plane?
- I haven't been home at all. Yeah.

I haven't been home maybe
two and a half months this year.

(dramatic disco music playing)

# Ohh! #

Brooklyn:
I'm always amazed

at the amount of songs
she released,

the press that she did,
the tours, from like
1976 to like 1980.

I don't know
how she survived it.

Mary:
During that time when
she was really first famous,

I think she knew
that was a part of the game.

I think she understood
that that came
with the territory.

And so she, she marched it.

It wasn't that
she loved it all.

She just tried to
keep her sanity.

Brooklyn:
How do you think
she felt about

the title
"Queen of Disco"?

Mary:
I know she would say,

"Hey, it's better to be
the queen of something."

You know? (laughs)

But in some ways
it was love, hate,

because, "Yeah, I love disco,
disco got me here,

but that's not all
of who I am."

Donna:
I had done all the songs
in this made-up voice,

so people thought,
"Oh, well, she's a fad."

"Oh, she can't really sing.
This girl doesn't sing.

What's the big deal
about her?"

- (indistinct chatter)
- (shutter snaps)

Donna:
You know, you can look
at somebody who's talented

and you can know that
they're capable of 20 things,

but the audience
doesn't know that yet.

And I always take it
from that point of view

that they
just don't know me yet.

That's okay.

(band playing
"MacArthur Park" )

(singing) # Spring was never
waiting for us, dear #

# It ran one step ahead #

# As we followed
in the dance #

# Between the parted pages
we were pressed #

# In love's hot fevered iron #

# Like a stripe-ed pair
of pants #

# MacArthur's Park
is melting in the dark #

# All the sweet green icing #

# Flowing down #

# Someone left my cake out
in the rain #

# I don't think
that I can take it #

# 'Cause it took
too long to bake it #

# And I'll never have
that recipe #

# Again #

# Again... #

# Ah-ha! #

- (disco playing)

- Whoo!
- Best Rhythm and Blues
Vocal Performance Female is...

(chuckles)

- ...Donna Summer.
- (crowd cheering)

Man:
All right!

And the winner is...

Donna Summer!

Donna Summer.

- Donna Summer.
- "Live and More."

- I knew it. Donna Summer.
- All right.

(band playing fanfare)

Donna (in British accent):
Now, ladies and gentlemen,

we're having a moment
of station identification.

Boop!

(TV playing in background)

We remember so well the days
of lipstick and women.

Well, those were the days
when women

used to not smear it on.

They used to molest
the lipstick.

I was always a comedian.
I was always a clown.

So becoming Donna Summer
the character,

I didn't feel very sexy
at the time, so I just
assumed it as a role.

("Love to Love You Baby"
playing on speakers)

Donna:
This time that I spent
away from home,

away from the mindset
that I grew up in,

away from what should be,
away from how I should be,

is what has made me what I am

and has given me
my individuality

away from all
of the predictable.

And so I'm unpredictable,

and that, that stresses
the crap out of people.

- (women laughing)
- Woman: Whoo!

("Love to Love You Baby"
continues playing)

Do you feel like you're
handling your success now?

- Uh, sometimes. Shaky.
- Yeah?

Donna: Shaky. I think the part
that I really have to deal
with the most is my daughter.

Interviewer:
Is she with your folks?

Donna:
She's with my parents
in, um, in Massachusetts.

And what is so hard about it
is that as much as I miss her

and as much as I want to
be with her,

as soon as she's there,
I have to go back to her way.

It's a constant adjustment.

So the first couple of days,
it's, I have to become
a parent again.

And the responsibility
of that and the weight
of that is, is immense.

Mimi:
I could tell that
she was trying hard.

She would be like, "Okay,
Mimi, let's go play outside.

I'm gonna make you
breakfast."

And I knew that that was
something that she didn't
do often.

So for me, I always felt like,
"Wow, she's really trying.

She's trying to make time.

She's trying to
carve time out."

When I would be
alone with her,

we would go to
bed or something.

I'd sleep in the bed with her

and she would just
be exhausted.

You could just see it
in her face.

It wasn't just like,
"I'm tired."

It was like
a soul weariness, though.

It almost made me sad for her.

I get to go back
to my grandparents' house
and have a normal life,

but she is getting
pulled in every direction.

Mary:
Donna was trying to navigate

being a mother
and be a good mother.

But to know that you have
a destiny in this arena

and yet you have
this responsibility that
is important to you.

There's no examples as to how
to make that balance correct.

Donna's decision to have
Mom and Dad take care of her

was one which she knew
she would be loved.

She knew she'd be nurtured,
and she knew she'd be safe.

(applause)

Donna:
I don't think you understand
what it's like

being the daughter
of someone who is always gone.

My daughter looked up at me
one day last week

and she said,
"Mommy, when are you just
going to stay home one day

and be with me?"

And I didn't realize
that I hadn't spent any time
with her for a long time.

So I sat down
and wrote this song
after she went to bed,

and I told her
tonight when it was bedtime

I would sing her a song.

("Mimi's Song
by Donna Summer playing)

# Mmmm #

# I bet you ask yourself #

# Why I'm rarely there #

# It's not because
I like being away #

# You see #

# I've made a spectacle
of myself #

# And it seems that
the whole world needs me #

# I understand
when you cry alone #

# And mama's not there
to wipe your eyes #

Mimi:
When I heard the "Mimi Song,"
it was like, "Oh, my gosh."

I was like,
"She wrote a song for me.

She really feels this way
about me."

# Someone
to make you proud #

Mimi:
There was such a great bond
that it had created, that song,

just to spend the time
with her doing what she does

and being with her.

I just remember feeling
elated as a kid.

# With so much #

# Love #

Come on, Mimi.

# 'Cause you're lovely #

# Yes, you're lovely #

# And you're beautiful #

# And you understand #

Say good night to everyone.

Good night.

(applause)

Donna:
Money and success
does not make you happy.

I know it for a fact
because for me,

the most dismal days
of my existence

were at the height
of my career.

It was like wearing
an evening gown that was
too tight, you know?

You know,
everything was popping out,
and I needed more space.

I saw the self
I was striving to be.

All of a sudden it seemed
further away than ever.

Feeling guilty
or feeling shame,

or feeling all the things
that had been part of my life.

I was molested by a minister
when I was in my teens.

It's not pain
I could have spoken about.

But it's something that I have
to always incorporate
into my reality.

Brooklyn:
Uncle Ricky,

Mom never talked about

being abused
by the pastor with me.

Did she ever talk to you
about it?

Ric: Yes.

He did a lot of damage
to a lot of people.

Did the devil's work
better than most.

I believe, I believe that, uh,

became a defining moment
in her life.

It's not easy when you don't
tell or have the ability
to tell people.

But how do you get out of it?

Donna:
There were other things
that had gone on in my life.

Things in my own sense
of morality that I felt
that I had crossed,

like that I felt God
could never forgive me
because I, I failed him.

I-I... I was decadent.

I was stupid.
You know, I was a fool.

So I just decided that
my life had no meaning.

(static buzzes)

(traffic noise,
water splashing)

Donna:
I was in New York.

I was alone
in the then Navarro Hotel
on Central Park South.

I'd been watching TV.

I just broke down and said,

"I am not going to live
another day like this."

I had not been able to sleep
and I was lying in bed.

The lines on the TV were
going up and up and up,

and after a while I think
I was-- it was almost like
being hypnotized.

(wind howling)

Donna:
And it was--
it was crushing to me.

And I thought, "You know what?

"I'm never going to be
who I am.

"You know, I'm going to be
stuck being this person.

How do I get out of it?"

And, uh, on that day, I...

I-I just said,
"I'm, I'm getting out of here.

I'm leaving, I-I gotta go."

And I put my foot
out the window.

And as I shifted my weight
to slide out the window,

my foot got caught
into this thin curtain.

And at that precise moment,

the door opened and it was
my house-cleaning lady.

And she opened
the door enough to look
right at me and go,

"Oh, Miss Summer,
I came to clean up today."

Another ten seconds,
I would've been gone.

(birds chirping)

- Bruce: The "Rolling Stone."
- Brooklyn: Yeah.

Brooklyn:
That must have been
a big deal, huh?

It was a big deal
at the time, because,
first of all, Black.

- Second of all, woman.
- Yeah. Yeah.

So, uh, it was a big "get"
at the time, and-and, uh...

Were you guys dating then
or not yet?

Yeah, no, we definitely,
yeah, we were, we were.

We were dating
from the moment we met.

(laughing) Oh, yes.

Donna (singing):
# Man stayed up all night #

# And carried on #

# And now he knows #

# He wishes #

# He'd never gone #

# And he knows... #

Bruce:
When I first met Donna
in my egocentric,

elitist songwriter mind,

I think I kind of viewed her
as a novelty.

But then we sat down
at the table,

started playing guitars,

and we just hit it off instantaneously.

All (singing):
# How much he loves you,
baby #

# Take your baby home #

# Hey-ee-ee #

Are you sure
those are the right chords?

Donna (singing):
# Man stayed out all night #

Donna: I love it.

Bruce:
I had a girlfriend
who was still in New York,

who I had been with
a few years.

Donna had this boyfriend.

I don't know where he was
that week, but he was gone.

The next week,

Donna and I just hung out
together the whole time,

barely sleeping,
just talking, writing.

Within that time,
we were bonded.

I brought this Bible with me
and, uh, Donna liked that.

She was like,
"I never met a guy
who, like, studied the Bible."

My Bible was also my stash
for my joints, you know?

(sighs)

Donna (singing):
# Someday he'll come along #

(crowd cheering)

# The man I love #

# And he'll be
rich and strong #

# The man I love #

# And when he comes my way #

# I'll do my best #

# To make #

# Him #

# Stay #

Bruce:
We had a lot in common

in terms of our drive
to succeed

and to escape
where we were from.

# I'll understand #

Bruce:
So we, we just had
this intense beginning.

I wasn't a serious
boyfriend type.

I was serious about my career.

And so was Donna.

You know, that's part
of what Donna and I

recognized in each other.

You know, I'm the kind of lady
that always meets the wrong man

at the wrong place,
at the wrong time.

I've always had that
wrong kind of luck, you know?

My man comes home fighting
and screaming and fussing,

and, and hitting me
and beating my head
upside the wall and...

you know, he doesn't
treat me good at all,

but I want him to,
I need him, you see,
my man just...

Bruce:
For all the bravado
that appeared on the outside,

there was a great deal
of insecurity underneath that.

Fear of being alone

led her into
these relationships

that in her mind were
kind of like placeholders.

# I got it bad #

# And that ain't good #

Nah, that ain't good.

- (lighter clicks)
- Dara: Peter Muhldorfer was

one of Donna's distractions.

He was a very dark character.

I have no good
memories of him.

I always felt
very protective of her

when he was in her life.

He had the same vibrant
imagination as Donna.

He was very creative
in a very dark way.

Donna:
My boyfriend Peter,

who was, uh, kind of abusive
at times and very possessive,

extremely controlling.

He would drink
and be abusive

and then he would
apologize for the abuse.

And you're going, "Well,
you know, maybe it's just me.

"Maybe I did something
to provoke him.

Maybe I shouldn't
have said that."

'Cause you really
don't want to be alone

because you're really afraid
internally yourself.

And something
in you identifies

with his fear of being alone.

The more independence
I've started to have,

the more Peter
felt threatened.

Even though there were
a lot of new people

in my life at that point,

there wasn't any one person
other than Peter who,

who I really believed
loved me.

I knew that as this wave
of success grew,

he would be more jealous
and more aggressive.

I was fearful
of the situation,

that I felt trapped by it.

I was already secretly
seeing Bruce by then

because Bruce
was like a safe haven.

I had tried my best
to get away from Peter.

Brooklyn:
Peter, I'm curious,

what was your impression
of Bruce?

You said you
kind of suspected
something going on.

Peter Muhldorfer:
When I came back
from New York,

Bruce and the guys
have been in the house.

I remember
they were writing a song.

The lyrics was "something
laying heavy on my heart."

I felt there
is something going on,

some separation,

and some plan
or something like that.

(Donna inaudible)

Peter:
And then, of course,
we had a fight.

- (dramatic music playing)
- (telephone rings)

Joyce:
I got a phone call
in the middle of the night,

um, and said to Neil,

"Call our attorney
and call the police."

Mary:
A black eye and a bruised
cheek and broken ribs.

Donna was unconscious.

I had no respect for him.

She was becoming a star.
He could not handle that.

Mimi:
My recollection of Peter is,

"This guy's crazy."

Police again coming
to our house,

me hiding in the back room

and hearing everything
that was going on

and seeing police sirens
and lights going off and...

being so happy
when mom decided to be done

with that relationship.

Peter:
I did it as a white man
with a Black woman,

and I did it with somebody
who was a star already.

She called the management
and they picked her up,

and from that moment on,
I haven't seen her anymore.

I hit her, and I never
could forgive myself.

All (singing):

# Watching Daddy dance #

# Watching Daddy dance #

Okay. I want to try it again.
You're not-- watch.

The first one was beautiful,

ones after that
got a little bit sloppy.

So do, (sings)
# Watching Dad... # You know?

Interviewer:
How did you incorporate
your family into your act?

Donna:
Well, it was easy. They sing.

And I had been
taking three other girls
on tour with me,

and I decided, "Why should I
take someone else's family
all over the world with me?"

# Watching Daddy dance #

Interviewer:
How important is it
for an international star,

someone like yourself,
how important is it
to have someone close to you?

Well... it's very--

Well, I think it's important
for everyone to have someone,

but especially in my position,
there's always the threat of

whether someone loves you
for you or whether they love you

because of, uh, the advantage

of being with,
with a person like you.

(scatting)

Mary:
I didn't think about
singing with her.

I just said, "Somebody has
to be out there with her."

She gotta have
some family out there.

There's no family out there.

They're going to chew her up
and spit her out.

("Hot Stuff"
by Donna Summer playing)

Mary:
It was really
an exciting time.

It was like being
on a roller coaster

that never took a pit stop.

(cheering and applause)

(singing) # Sittin' here eatin'
my heart out waitin' #

# Waitin' for
some lover to call #

Whoa!

# Dialed about
a hundred numbers lately #

# Almost rang the phone
off the wall #

# Lookin' for some hot stuff
baby, this evenin' #

# I need some hot stuff
baby, tonight #

# Give me a little hot stuff
baby, this evenin' #

# Gonna need your lovin' #

# I got to have
your love tonight #

# I need hot stuff #

# Lookin' for hot stuff #

# Gotta have hot stuff #

# Yeah! #

(song fades)

- (rhythmic clapping)
- Whooo!

C'mon, let's boogie!

Donna:
I just wanted to say that

I think that we need
to address

my approach to singing.

I approach it as an actress.

I'm not trying to be me.

What I am there to do
is become the character

and then sing that song

in the context
of who that character is.

- (cheers and applause)
- Thank you.

("Last Dance"
by Donna Summer playing)

(singing)
# Last dance #

# Last chance #

# For love #

# Yes, it's my last chance #

# For romance #

# Tonight #

# I need you #

# By me #

# Beside me #

# To guide me #

# And to hold me #

# To scold me #

# 'Cause when I'm bad #

# I'm so, so bad #

# So let's dance #

# The last dance #

# Let's dance the last dance #

# Let's dance
the last dance #

# Tonight #

- # Last dance #
- Whoo!

# It's my last chance
for love #

Hi!

# Yes, it's my last chance #

# For romance tonight #

# Oh, oh, I need you #

# By me #

# Beside me #

# To guide me #

# And to hold me #

# To scold me #

# 'Cause when I'm bad
I'm so, so bad #

# So let's dance
the last dance #

# Let's dance the last dance #

# Let's dance
the last dance #

# Tonight #

# Oh-ohhhh #

# Whooo-ooh-ooh-ooh! #

This album, Donna Summer,
"Once Upon a Time,"

has gotten probably the
best reviews of any new album

in the last ten years.

You, you can't believe them
when you read 'em.

They're fantastic.

It's what you call
a concept album.

It's a story.

And Donna Summer
rightly deserves them.

She's a phenomenon
in the record industry.

("I Love You"
by Donna Summer playing)

(singing) # Well, he searched
and searched #

# For nights and days #

# Till he found
the one he loved #

# And he wrapped her
in his arms again #

# And then he thanked
the stars above #

# That he found
who he'd been looking for #

# And he stared her
in the eyes #

# He said "I love you" #

# I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you #

- # Yes, I do #
- # He said "I love you" #

# I love you, I love you
I do #

Donna:
We have this expression
in music called

"the voice within the voice,"

and it's the way
you hear the note.

But there's that cry
that's in there that
touches the pain in you.

And even sometimes
if it's a happy song,
there's that cry in there

that maybe touches something
in you that's hidden
in that groaning place,

that place nobody can get to.

# She said "I love you" #

# I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you #

- # Yes, I do #
- # Yes, I really do #

# I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you #

# Yes, I do #

# They said "I love you" #

# Yes, I do #

It-It's so funny how
people write, you know?

And a lot of writers
write better under pressure.

I mean, under severe pressure.

Like it's got to be finished
yesterday, kind of pressure.

I prefer to work
in, in the way of concepts,

have an idea
and work it out to the end.

And, um,

after, you know, coming
from being the disco queen

to, you know,
to like, where am I now?

You know? What is my be--
my voice best suited for?

Um, you just have to try
a lot of things until
you find the right thing.

You have to keep going.

And I'm not-- I'm not a person
who has to sound like me.

I don't care if people
know it's me in, in some way.

I mean, I don't care if they go,
"Oh, that's Donna Summer."

I kind of almost
don't want them to.

I want them to be surprised.
"That's Donna Summer?

Wow, man,
she sounds totally different."

I think that is using
your voice as an instrument.

- Interviewer: Do you wake up
in the middle of the night--
- Yes.

- And say, "Aha!
I've got an idea"?
- Yes.

Yes. Everywhere in the house,
papers, little scrap--

"Don't throw that away!
Oh, my God. What happened to--

Oh, what happened
to the Brillo box? What ha--"
You know?

(band warming up)

- Donna: All right, let's do it.
- Bruce: Ready?

Donna:
How does it start?

"Electricity."

(singing) # Electricity... #

Bruce:
We were just jamming.

Roll tape,
set up the mics, headphones.

Bruce:
(falsetto) # I don't wanna be
the one to spoil the party #

Bruce:
You know, we would just flow.

We would pick up
one from the other.

We would add harmonies
when we find a little groove.

Bruce (singing):
# Electricity #

# Love that powers me #

# I don't ever want
this magic night to end #

# I don't know if I could
stop once we get started... #

It was never competitive.

You know,
it was completely respectful
of each other's gifts.

I was always in awe
of, um, Mommy's mind.

(scatting)

Bruce:
You know, because
of her persona, as, you know,

"Sex goddess,"
and "First Lady of Love,"

her artistry as a songwriter
got overlooked.

(rhythmic clapping)

(cheering)

("Dim All the Lights"
by Donna Summer playing)

(singing)
# Dim all the lights #

# Dim all the lights... #

Are you feelin' good?

(crowd cheering)

# ... Lights #

(cheers and applause)

# Dim all the lights
sweet darling #

# 'Cause tonight
it's all the way #

# Hey, baby
turn up the old Victrola #

# Gonna dance
the night away... #

Bruce: "Dim All the Lights"
is a song that she wrote
by herself,

and a root issue
for Donna was

when "Dim All the Lights"
was out

and is flying up the charts
and it's in the top ten,

but Neil wants to release
"Enough is Enough."

And Mommy says,
"No, please don't release
'Enough is Enough' yet.

Let's give
'Dim All the Lights' a chance
to go to number one."

She just recorded a record
with Barbra Streisand,

and, um, it will come out
October 15th.

It's called "Enough is Enough."

- Tom Snyder: That's news, huh?
- That's news, yeah.

Fellow Guest:
You did it! You got it in.

(both laughing)

Tom:
You mean, that was
the whole reason--

Is that the whole reason
you were here, huh?

No, no, you know,

just, uh,
I thought you'd like that.

("Enough is Enough"
by Donna Summer and
Barbra Streisand playing)

Donna (singing):
# Ah-ah-ah #

# Yeah... #

# Yeah... #

# If you've had enough
don't put up with his stuff #

# Don't you do it #

Barbra (singing):
# Now, if you've
had your fill... #

Brooklyn:
Did she talk about that

situation with Casablanca?

Mary:
For a long time, she
didn't actually believe it.

Here are these people who you,
you know,

you're working
with them, you love them.

You believe they have
your best interests at heart,

and they do,

because your best interest
is their best interest.

But, but,
money changes people.

Bruce:
Neil disregarded that request

and "Enough is Enough"
came out

and "Dim All the Lights"
peaked at number two.

And I think that was
the initial feeling of,

"This is not right."

Maybe this is
running its course.

(playing piano)

(singing) # Two kids hanging
in an alleyway #

# Talking 'bout the money #

# That they just found #

# Mommy's all worried
trying to make a way #

# But Daddy is gone
to tell them how #

# And it's high time #

# That we make a change #

# And it's high time #

# That we start
to rearrange it all #

(telephone ringing)

Hello? Hello, who is this?

Hi. All right.

That's bullshit.

He's profiting by me.

And I can be unhappy
only so long.

(tense music playing)

Donna:
The record business is really
like being raped and abused

over and over again

because the element
of your sensitivity

is beaten up on
and stepped on.

I wasn't justly compensated
for what I had done.

I had sold millions of records

and not been paid for them
at that point.

Bruce:
We were involved from '79

in a lawsuit
with Casablanca Records

because they were
taking advantage.

Brooklyn:
How significant was it

for particularly a Black woman
of that time to sue a label?

Bruce:
Certainly a high-profile
situation

because it was right
at the top of her career.

We went through
a major lawsuit,

and we settled,

and she went on
to be the first artist

signed to Geffen Records.

Good boy.

Bruce:
Come into the light
a little bit, Donnie.

(in British accent)
Well, this really isn't
one of my better days...

Bruce:
Can you get
right in the light?

Get your face
right in the light.

- Huh?
- Bruce: I want to see you,
get in the light.

- There we go.
- You could have filmed--

- (baby babbling)
- Is my face breaking out
over here?

Bruce: I don't know,
I'm not looking that close.

- Donna: No, go back, go back.
- Bruce: What's the matter?

Say hi!

- Hi!
- Hi.

Donna:
Do "Hard for the Money."

(sings softly)
# Hard for the money #

Donna:
Sing it loud.

- (sings louder)
# Hard for the money! #
- Good.

(singing) # She works
hard for the money #

- # So hard for it, honey #
- Young Brooklyn: Hi.

- Bruce: Hi.
- # I work hard for my money #

# So you better
treat me right #

- # All right #
- (Young Brooklyn giggles)

# I work hard, hard
hard for my money #

# Hard, hard,
hard for it, honey #

Hard for my money #

# S o you better
treat me right #

# All right #

# She works hard
for the money #

# So hard for it, honey #

# She works hard
for the money #

# So you better
treat her right #

Mary:
"She Works Hard
for the Money."

It comes along
at the right time for women.

It was kind of like
a woman's empowerment song.

She was speaking
to the worker.

# So you better
treat her right #

Donna:
It was the night
of the Grammys

and we were in Los Angeles.

I was on my way
into the ladies' room
with my manager.

As I walked in,
there was this little lady
sitting in the corner.

This sweet woman here
was sound asleep.

And I looked at her
and I thought to myself,

"Wow, she works hard
for the money."

And I thought it again
to myself,

"She works
hard for the money."

And I thought,
"She works hard for the money.

She works hard for the money."

And I thought, "Wow, that's it,

that's a song, Susan.
I'm going to sit down
and write it."

So I went in the other room
and I sat right there

and I started writing it.

She didn't even know
anything about it.

- Not until much later. Right?
- Right. That's true.

I, I say it's wonderful,
believe me.

It's like a fairy tale to me,
I can't believe it.

I really can't.

Interviewer:
You seem very proud.

I am. I'm very proud.

("She Works Hard for the Money"
by Donna Summer playing)

Susan:
She was the first
female Black artist

to ever have a video on MTV.

(singing) # She works hard
for the money #

# So hard for it, honey #

# She works hard
for the money #

# So you better
treat her right #

When people come up to you,

what song do they most
identify you with?

Is it still
"Love to Love You Baby"

in, in spite
of everything you've done?

- "Hard for the Money."
- "Hard for the Money"?

- The women, the women.
- (audience applauding)

- And the men?
- The men-- (laughs)

The men, yeah, uh,
"Love to Love You, Baby,"
probably.

They go, (in cartoon voice)
"Oh, I just remember
when you sang that song,

ooh, what was it?" You know?

- They start-- Their bodies start
moving like this, I go--
- Yeah.

- (applause)
- (Arsenio laughs)

I've got to fan myself now.
Whoo!

(bluesy piano playing)

Donna:
My life just sort of
started to quiet down.

One of the things
that happened was
that I, I married Bruce.

It was also this time
when I started becoming
the most spiritual.

I had to make a decision
about being a mother

and how much a mother
I was going to be.

There's just nothing
in my life

that was worth
more to me than my jewels.

My children are my jewels
and my husband and my family.

I love to perform,
you know, and that's
extremely important,

but it doesn't bring me
what they bring me.

Amanda:
The ranch was
the dream childhood.

It was 56 acres of dirt roads,
horses and pigs and cows.

It was full of imagination
and fun and adventure.

It was kind of the best
possible place to grow up.

Johnny Mathis (sings on record):
# Together, together #

# Together
together... #

Amanda:
I just remember
by the time I was born

that family was kind of
the most important thing.

The fame was kind of
like an offshoot.

Johnny Mathis (on record):
# Walking in
a winter wonderland #

# Gone away... #

Amanda:
She was always performing.

She lived in
an imaginary musical
at all times.

# To sing a love song
as we go along #

Mathis (on record): # Walking
in a winter wonderland #

# Walking in
a winter wonderland #

# Winter wonder
winter wonderland #

- # Winter wonder
wonder wonderland #
- (Donna mouths along)

# #

(song ends)

Mary:
I like Bruce.
I-I liked him a lot.

When they got together,
they wrote amazing music,

and I felt like
there was like,

this love connection
that was deep.

But they were just, that
was just a bumpy damn ride.

They were like
oil and vinegar.

But they came together
and made salad dressing!

Bruce:
My recollection
of our relationship early on

was that it was volatile.

We were young.

We were both confident,
cocky, aggressive,

a little stupid,

passionate.

Coming from
two different cultures,

not understanding
each other's cultures.

We were fire.

In public screaming
at each other,

"You can't
fucking talk to me like--"

(inaudibly speaking)

Mimi:
I just remember
that they had had a fight

like throwing pots.

And at that point Mom
had already called the cops.

And we all went
to my grandmother's house.

I remember wanting to, like,

run and protect her.

And I've done that before.

I was dealing with
a lot of my own abuse.

We'd be at the house
and stuff would happen there.

And it was someone related to
our housekeeper. (indistinct)

I would often be out
in the fields

because I didn't want
to be any place that
I could be trapped.

It was traumatic for me
to leave my grandparents

and go there because I knew
what might be in store.

It wasn't until I was
11 and a half, 12,

when I finally
sort of moved in full time.

And I'll have to be honest,
the only reason I stayed,

was because of you guys.

I said, "I can't leave
Brooklyn and Amanda."

Brooklyn:
I didn't know that, Mim'.

(sniffles)

(sniffles)

(exhales, sniffles)

(pensive music playing)

Mimi:
I had a lot of pent-up anger
and resentment.

I always had to be so careful
because she's Donna Summer.

And what if I say something
and then it gets out?

When I finally told Ma,
I was 19, I think.

Mom, she hyperventilated.

Uh, had to leave the room.

# #

You know, In order for you
to really communicate
with somebody

and talk to them
heart-to-heart,

you have to really
be vulnerable,

and I think Mommy had
a hard time being vulnerable.

(inaudibly speaking)

Bruce:
It was a difficult thing for
Mommy to deal with with Mimi

because of her own situation.

The sexual abuse and her own,
maybe, sense of failing.

I mean, I felt it.
How? How could I?

How did I as Dad
allow this to happen?

Brooklyn:
But I don't think you ever
said that to Mimi.

Bruce:
Probably not.
Yeah, probably not.

# #

Brooklyn:
These are all signed.

Mimi:
I always felt like
when she was painting,

she was, like,
really in her space.

Whatever she was
feeling that day

would come out
on the canvas

and really helped her
to release a lot of
whatever anxiety

and tension and whatever else
that she was feeling.

("On the Radio"
by Donna Summer playing)

Donna:
I was inspired by my children.

There was color around me.

I started finding my way back

to other creative aspects
of my own personality.

# Someone found the letter
you wrote me on the radio #

# And they told the world
just how you felt #

# It must have fallen out
of a hole #

# In your old brown overcoat #

# They never said your name #

# But I knew
just who they meant #

Donna:
You know, when I go on stage,
I don't go home with anything.

I go home empty-handed.

But when I paint,
I have a tangible product

that's the direct result
of my solo effort.

The agents aren't talking,

the record company isn't
saying, "These songs suck."

So creatively, I am completely
free to be myself.

# ...just how I've
been feeling over you #

Talk Show Host:
When you first appeared in
this country, many critics said,

"Ah, one song,
she'll be gone soon."

And you have outlasted
many of those critics.

How much satisfaction
do you take in having,

uh, turned their
predictions wrong?

Well, it's great to, you know,

to succeed when others
are not on your side.

It's even greater to know
that God's on your side

and nobody can be against you
when he is.

You know?
I think that's what--

I've always been
very strong in faith.

And, um, I mean,
the possibilities of
of a Black girl from Boston

going to Germany,
becoming successful

in the American pop field
is like a million-to-one shot.

Donna (singing):
# The sun is shining #

# Lord, for me each day #

# 'Cause I found the answer #

# And I learned #

# To #

# Pray... #

(praying softly)

- Woman: Yes, Jesus.
- Let my cup overflow.

- Let our cups overflow.
- Woman: Praise God.
Thank you, Jesus.

Oh, God, in Jesus' name,
praise God.

All: Amen!

Interviewer:
How did you become a Christian?

How did that,
how did it happen?

How did it happen?

(deep voice)
It happened one day. (laughs)

- It kind of happens to people.
- It happens, yeah. You know,

I think people get to a place
in their lives where,

especially
when you are successful

and you,
and you've reached your goals,

and you realize that there's
nothing there, it's empty.

It's the same old room.
It could be anywhere
in the world.

It could be
with anyone in the world.

It could be the same meal.

It can be the same
million coats,

it could be
a million diamond rings.

It doesn't mean anything.

You know, you get to a point
where you realize that, um,

what happens after this?

Bruce:
The born again?

As extreme as I might
have been thinking

at the time that it was,

it benefited Donna.

That little church girl was
foundational to who she was.

All these things
that she had been carrying

from being abused by a pastor
when you were a young girl.

This struggle of God
and man and sex.

Religion and spirituality

brought her a great amount
of peace.

In the last few years,

uh, my life has changed, drastically.

It has changed in a way
that I would like
to share with you.

See, about three years ago,
I gave my life to Jesus Christ.

(audience cheering)

And, no, no, no, no,
I'm not ashamed to tell it.

(singing "Forgive Me")

# Every day #

# I give you
a reason to cry #

# Because I see the hurt
in your eyes #

# But stronger yet #

# I see the love
that shines #

Bruce:
Brooklyn, you know Mommy.

Whenever she got
into anything, it was 110%.

And then she would want
to share it with everybody.

Bob Conti:
Not everybody wanted
to hear a sermon,

not everybody wanted
to be preached to.

People wanted to dance
and party.

(cheering and applause)

Yeah!

All right!

(laughs)

Whoo!

(mimics disgruntled fan)
Where's that girl,
where's that girl, huh?

I paid $12 for this ticket
and I want her to work
for it, right?

(drum beats)

Don't you realize that I had
two children in two years?

- I work so hard.
- (man whistles)

Bruce:
Donna had very loose parameters

of a script of how
her show was going to go.

There was certain patter
that she knew worked

that she would use
night after night,

but she was also
spontaneous in the moment.

("Woman"
by Donna Summer playing)

(singing) # Woman #

- # Woman #
- # Treat that man real good #

Bruce:
She could make a comment
about something in the news,

the color of the shirt
of the guy in the front row.

But now she says this thing,

"God didn't make
Adam and Steve,

he made Adam and Eve."

- # God, he made the woman #
- Woman: Yes, he did.

# God, he made the man #

Bruce:
And this was a comment

that was devastating
to many in the gay community.

- (audience cheering)
- (somber music plays)

David M.:
The Adam and Steve thing.
I find it insulting.

It was like,
I couldn't believe

that she would have said that.

(somber music continues)

For me, the relationship
that I had with your mom

was really through her music,

the songs that we all
came out to.

And as a gay man,
it rubbed me the wrong way.

And I thought, I don't need
to support this anymore.

Mary:
A lot of gay people
already feel

like the church hates them.

And so what happened was
there was another mindset.

"Oh, she became one of those,
those people who hate us."

Their perception of what
they thought she meant,

it was like,
"You shouldn't exist."

Bruce:
At some point, I think
we made a wrong decision

and that decision
was not to respond.

We kind of figured,
"Oh, it'll go away."

But it didn't go away and,
and we had to pay that price.

And, and, uh,
it-it was a big price to pay.

Brooklyn:
What happened
with this comment?

Bruce:
Well, at some point
it went from this comment

into Mommy supposedly saying

that AIDS was
God's punishment on gays,

and that just
was never the case.

(crowd chanting indistinctly)

Bobby Stewart:
I remember a situation

that she was doing
an art event in Chicago.

Protestors (chanting):
We're here, we're queer!

Bobby:
The Act Up people,
their intent was to go in

and destroy
all the art exhibit.

And Act Up was adamant
about saying, "Well, listen,

"this is a person that
we loved and adored

"and supported,

and she turned
her back on us."

Mimi:
I remember people
were canceling shows.

It was definitely
a strain on her.

It was a time when I think
she really had to learn

to rely on faith.

Mary:
That hurt her the most
because she felt like,

"They're going to think
I really said those things.

They're going to think I feel
that way about them
and I don't."

The magazine stated that I said
homosexuals were sinners

and AIDS was a divine ruling.

That is completely false.

I did not say it.
I do not believe that.

I would never say
the things attributed to me

in that article.

Bruce:
These were people
that she loved.

And for her to be viewed

as somebody who would
cause them more pain,

it's something I-I don't think
she ever got over.

(waves crashing)

Brooklyn:
Do you feel that Mom

came to terms with her life?

The struggles, the fear,
the insecurity?

Mimi:
I don't know if she
came to terms fully.

I mean, I think
she was getting better.

When you're holding
a mirror up to yourself
and you're getting to see

all these avenues of, like,
an extension of yourself,

your children kind of
growing and flourishing,

that brings something
out of you,

and it makes you have
to address certain things.

So I think she was
getting there.

I think she was working
through certain things.

(singing)

# Ahhhh #

Bruce:
Yeah, baby.

(deep voice)
Yeah, baby. Yeah, baby.

Donna:
I can see the shape
of the world.

Planet Earth below.

Brooklyn:
To be honest with you,

the fact that she got
lung cancer

was very interesting to me.

Donna (singing): # My heart
is beating faster... #

Brooklyn:
For someone who fully
used their voice

in so many ways

to not fully use their voice
in other ways.

She carried
so much for so long

that her body
couldn't do it anymore.

Donna (singing):
# Thousands of miles away #

# From who knows where #

# Who knows where... #

(Bruce singing softly)

Bruce:
There was a certain
amount of, not denial

but non-acceptance.

Donna never talked
about her dying

or what would happen
if she died.

Or that she was gonna die.

We never had
that conversation.

We never spoke those words.

The fact that
we didn't discuss it

did not make

the obvious nature of
what was happening invisible.

She didn't want
to give death power

by even speaking about it
or mentioning it.

Brooklyn:
Daddy, what day is today?

Uh, today
is December 25th, 2011,

heading into a much better
year of 2012.

- Brooklyn: Yup, amen.
- Amen and hallelujah.

Brooklyn:
Amen and hallelujah.

Mommy!

Merry Christmas.

Merry
Christmas.

("I'm a Rainbow"
by Donna Summer playing)

# #

# Is there a remedy #

# For the passions
of the soul? #

# Brother, if there is one #

# I don't really know #

(family laughing, chatting)

May I say, I want to get roasted
because I realized something.

- I've been in therapy, you know.
- (laughter)

No, seriously.

I really like making jokes
about things

and not confronting the issue.

And so tonight, I would not
like to make a joke of anything.

I would like to confront
the issue and say that I, I do
dearly love everybody here.

And regardless of the changes
that we have gone through
in this life,

I know-- hallelujah,
don't let me start preaching--

that...

we're all together
for a reason.

- Family: Amen, amen!
- And I do hope that...

that I was able to bring
something to your life

and get something from your life
that is irreplaceable.

- Woman: Amen.
- Oh!

(family cheering, clapping)

Mommy, I love you.

I'm gonna see you soon.

And I'm going to perform
for you.

# Watching raindrops
slowly falling #

# Painting pictures
on the window pane #

# Feelings my heart... #

Mimi:
There were times
in the middle of the night

when she would say stuff.

She would say, "I don't like
to be alone, Mimi."

(contemplative music playing)

(projector clicks)

Mimi:
When she woke up one night,

she was really having
a hard night.

I said,
"Ma, what's the matter?"

And she's like, "Ah, I just,
mm, I ju-- I can't sleep.

I'm just so--
I can't settle down."

I started to rub her back.

She was pretty tiny
at that point.

I put my arm across her chest
and she fell asleep.

So I scooped her up
onto my lap

and I just kept
rubbing her back.

That moment for me was like,
she was a baby.

It was like
she just was fully vulnerable.

Like, "Just hold me."

Brooklyn:
I think the most profound thing

is her allowing us
to love her.

Mimi: Yes.

Brooklyn:
Because in that moment
she couldn't give us anything.

Mimi:
No, she had to only receive.

She could only receive.

Bruce:
It wasn't until
she was on her deathbed

that she finally understood
that I really loved her.

She looks at me and she says,
"You are my heart."

All right, well...

- Brooklyn: Mm.
- Bruce: Mm-hmm.

Yeah!

("If There Is Music There"
by Donna Summer playing)

(singing)
# I'll have to go #

# Never been anything #

# In my life #

# That I wanted #

# More #

# This is #

# My greatest fear #

# That I'm losing you #

# My dear #

# It's more
than I want to give #

# But if there
is music there #

# If there is music there #

# I have to know #

# Never met anyone #

# Who could take music #

# Out of my soul #

# There's something #

# Deep inside #

# That I no longer #

# Want to hide #

# My love, you would #

# Never share #

# If there #

# Is music there #

I'm so sorry, honey.

You see, I always, I loved you.

I did love you.

- # I'm losing... #
- But I just have to go.

# ...you #

(cheering and applause)

Crew:
"Sunset People," take two.

("Sunset People"
by Donna Summer playing)

(singing)
# For sunset #

# Riot house #

Now what camera,
should I just face forward?

Crew:
Yes, facing forward
will be fine, Donna.

It's too much light.
You're bleaching away my color.

(crew laughing)

Crew:
Fix it in the mix.

Bet you've never
had your hair done
by a sailor before.

Whoosh!

(disco music playing)

- (music stops)
- 'Scuse me.

Crew:
One, two, three, four.

(rhythmic percussion
and blues horn)

Who are these places?

What are these faces?

(music stops, crew chuckles)

Donna:
You're just giving up
all your love for me.

- (crew laughs)
- (disco music plays, stops)

(laughing)

Don't let it throw you.

Come on, let me show you.

What are these places?
Whose are these faces?

(band playing
"She Works Hard for the Money")

# #

- (synthetic drums beating)
- Crew: One, two...

Crew 2: Ready to roll.

Crew (in falsetto):
One, two, one, two, three, four!

("Bad Girls" playing)

# Bad girls #

# Talking 'bout
the sad girls, yeah #

# Talking 'bout bad girls #

# The sad girls #

# Well, you see them out
on the streets at night
walkin' #

# Picking up
all kinds of strangers
if the price is right #

# Is the price ever
really right? #

# You may ask yourself #

# Who they are #

# Like anybody else #

# They come
from near and far #

# Whoa-oa-oa-oa-oa #

- # Bad girls #
- # Bad, bad, bad girls #

- # Sad girls #
- # Sad, sad, sad girls #

- # Sad girls #
- # Bad girls, well #

# Friday night
and the strip is hot #

# Sun's going down
and they're out to trot #

# Skirts up high
and their legs look hot #

# Do you have enough? #

# Can you buy enough? #

# Can you sell enough? #

# Can you sell enough
sell enough... #

# Of that dirty stuff? #

# Who are you trying
to fool? #

- # Bad girls #
- # Everybody sees you #

# Bad girls #

# You ain't got nobody #

# Sad girls #

- # Sad girls #
- # Ain't got no money #

# Struggling hard
trying for the top #

# Going the wrong way
in life, yes, you are #

# Said you wanna be a star #

# Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh #

# Whoa #

- # The bad girls #
- Man: Where do we
pick you up?

- # You are the sad girls #
- # Sad girls #

- I wanna try it hot.
- # 'Cause you and me
we're all the same #

# But you call yourself
by a different name #

# But your mama won't like it
when she finds her... #

# Girl is out at night #

- # Street walkin' #
- # Street walkin' #

# #

- # Street talkin' #
- # Street talkin' #

# #

# Street talkin' #

# Street talkin'
street talkin'... #

# Street walkin' #

# Street talkin' #

# Whoa-ah-ah-ah-ah #

# Who do you think you are? #

# Who do you think
you are? #