The Wanderer (Donna Summer album)

The Wanderer
Studio album by Donna Summer
Released October 20, 1980
Recorded 1980
Genre Rock
Length 39:17
Label Geffen
Producer Giorgio Moroder
Pete Bellotte
Donna Summer chronology
On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II
(1979)		 The Wanderer
(1980)		 I'm a Rainbow
(1981)
Singles from The Wanderer
  1. "The Wanderer"
    Released: September 1980
  2. "Cold Love"
    Released: November 1980
  3. "Who Do You Think You're Foolin'"
    Released: February 1981
  4. "Looking Up"
    Released: 1981
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Robert ChristgauA− [2]
Rolling Stone [3]

The Wanderer is the eighth studio album by Donna Summer, released in 1980. It was her first release on Geffen Records and became a Top 20 album in the United States, with the title track single reaching the #3 on Billboard's Hot 100.

This album had been out of print but was re-released on December 9, 2014, on the Driven by the Music label (remastered/bonus tracks).

Background

Summer had made her name the previous decade as the most successful female artist of the disco genre, releasing a vast selection of hit singles and albums on Casablanca Records. During this period however, Summer had felt that the label had exploited her and made her portray a sexually orientated image ("The First Lady of Love") with which she never felt comfortable. The label had also taken over other elements of Summer's personal life, to the point where she felt she had no control over her life or career. Having come out of a period of depression and rediscovering her Christian faith, Summer had made the decision to break away from Casablanca and file a lawsuit against them. After the lawsuit was eventually settled, Summer became the first artist to be signed to the newly established Geffen Records.

By 1980, banners reading "disco sucks" were seen everywhere and disco records became flops. Summer decided to leave the disco sound behind. The album was co-written and produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, who had produced the vast majority of Summer's hits since their partnership with her began in 1974. Production for The Wanderer was rushed, Geffen wanted to get new product out because of Casablanca's plans to release Walk Away, another greatest hits collection. "We would have liked to do more tweaking, and have more time for production. But we just had to let it go," said Harold Faltermeyer about the recording of the album.

"Cold Love" gained Summer a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Summer's rediscovered Christian faith was documented in the gospel song "I Believe In Jesus", for which she also received a nomination for Best Inspirational Performance. As a child Summer had sung in gospel choirs, so this song was a chance for her to go back to her roots.

The album peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Album Chart - selling 600,000 US copies - and the title track hit number 3 on the US singles chart. However, two follow-up singles - "Cold Love" and "Who Do You Think You're Foolin'" - barely reached the Top 40. The album and its singles attained limited success on the UK charts. None of the singles cracked the UK Top 40.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Wanderer"  Giorgio Moroder, Donna Summer3:47
2."Looking Up"  Pete Bellotte, Moroder, Summer3:57
3."Breakdown"  Bellotte, Harold Faltermeyer4:08
4."Grand Illusion"  Moroder, Summer3:54
5."Running for Cover"  Summer4:01
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Cold Love"  Bellotte, Faltermeyer, Keith Forsey3:38
7."Who Do You Think You're Foolin'"  Bellotte, Sylvester Levay, Jerry Rix4:18
8."Nightlife"  Bellotte, Moroder4:00
9."Stop Me"  Bellotte, Forsey3:44
10."I Believe in Jesus"  Summer3:37
CD bonus tracks (2014)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Who Do You Think You're Foolin' (Stereo Edit)"  Bellotte, Sylvester Levay, Jerry Rix4:00
12."Cold Love (Edit)"  Bellotte, Faltermeyer, Keith Forsey3:18

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1980) Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4] 54
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[5] 16
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[6] 18
Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[7] 8
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[8] 15
UK Albums (OCC)[9] 55
US Billboard 200[10] 13

Single

Year Single Chart Position
1980 "The Wanderer" UK singles chart 48
US Billboard Hot 100 3
Sweden 9
1981 "Cold Love" UK single chart 44
US Billboard Hot 100 33
"Who Do You Think You're Foolin'" US Billboard Hot 100 40

Certifications

Country Provider Certifications
United States RIAA Gold[11]

References

  1. ↑ Carpenter, Bil. "The Wanderer > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "The Wanderer > Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  3. ↑ Marsh, Dave (March 19, 1981). "Donna Summer: The Wanderer : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-12-09. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  4. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Donna Summer – AThe Wanderer". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Donna Summer – The Wanderer". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  7. ↑ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  8. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Donna Summer – The Wanderer". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Donna Summer | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Donna Summer – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Donna Summer. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  11. ↑ Gold & Platinum: Searchable Database. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on 2010-07-22.
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