“Last Dance” was one of those disco/pop staples that the late, great Donna Summer (1948-2012) brought to the top of the charts worldwide in the second half of the seventies. This evergreen was penned by the late singer/songwriter Paul Jabara (1948-1992). “Last Dance” was included on the soundtrack of the 1978 disco movie, Thank God It’s Friday. Starring alongside Ms. Summer were talented newcomers including Jeff Goldblum and Debra Winger plus The Commodores, the famous soul/r&b group.

Jabara put “Last Dance” in the capable hands of songwriter/arranger Bob Esty who provided him a couple of smart ideas to complete the song. Here’s how Esty reminisced about the song’s recording in a recent interview on the popmatters.com website:

“I did the arrangement on piano, my favorite track was (Diana Ross’) ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,’ which was slow in the beginning. I thought that Ashford & Simpson were a great team to think of [making the beginning slow]. Taking that idea, I started ‘Last Dance’ slow, because Paul wrote it slow, and then increased the tempo. It had to come to life! I wrote the bridge that begins with ‘Will you be my Mr. Right’ and ends with ‘all that I ask is that you dance with me’. Then I thought to myself, maybe I could go back to the ballad halfway through, even though the DJs would kill me!”

The gifted music-maker Giorgio Moroder was also Ms. Summer’s first producer and cut her vocals. Meanwhile, Esty produced the instrumental track featuring a bunch of session aces including David Foster playing synthesizers. The entire backing track was made in just one day, rhythm section in the morning and the string and horn parts played later on. Thanks to Esty’s top-notch arrangement, the fantastic playing and Ms. Summer’s classic vocal performance, “Last Dance” turned out as total ear-candy and rightly achieved its evergreen status. The song won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for “Best Original Song” as well as a Grammy for “Best R&B Vocal Performance Female.” It also skyrocketed on the charts to #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100, #5 on the R&B chart and #1 on the Dance chart.

One of Ms. Summer’s final public performances of “Last Dance” was on Foster’s Hitman Returns extravaganza in 2011. She talked with Foster about the original recording before tearing the theatre down with a rousing rendition.

Listen

Lead Vocals: Donna Summer
Keyboards: Bob Esty
Synthesizers: David Foster

Arranged by Bob Esty
Produced by Giorgio Moroder & Bob Esty

Lyrics

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
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 this last dance tonight

Last dance
Last dance for love
Yes, it’s my last chance
For romance tonight

Oh oh I need you by me
Beside me, to guide me
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 oh I need you by me
Beside me, to guide me
To hold me, to scold me
‘Cause when I’m bad
I’m so, so bad

So c’mon baby
Dance that dance
C’mon baby
Dance that dance
C’mon baby
Last dance tonight

Yeah yeah

written by Bruce Roberts & Sam Roman

“Whenever There Is Love” is a refined adult contemporary ballad co-written by renowned singer/songwriter Bruce Roberts who also sang the song as a duet with his friend and international superstar, the late Donna Summer.

“Whenever There Is Love” was included in the soundtrack of the 1996 movie, “Daylight,” starring Silvester Stallone. The production of the song was handled by super-producer David Foster, another old friend of both Roberts and Summer. The track was released as a single with the bonus of some dance remixes by Junior Vasquez but it didn’t chart on Billboard’s Hot 100 while an accompanying music video got some airplay on MTV.
The evocative arrangement by Foster is pretty typical of his work of the nineties with a prominent use of keyboards, synthesizers, guitars and programmed drums to support the singers’ heartfelt performances. The song sports a very nice melody that Foster enhances especially towards the end with a powerful crescendo and the use of a gospel flavoured choir.
Another very good reason to listen to “Whenever There Is Love” is to appreciate once again Summer’s legendary voice well complemented here by Roberts’ intense vocal performance.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/whenever_there_is_love.mp3|titles=Whenever There Is Love|artists=Donna Summer – Bruce Roberts]

Lead Vocals: Donna Summer & Bruce Roberts
Keyboards: David Foster

Produced by David Foster & Bruce Roberts

Lyrics

Like the welcome of spring
like the light that you bring
to skies that were empty and gray
just your breath in the night
can make it alright
when you sigh as you’re drifting away
oh baby
All that is simple and good
lives in the places you stood
the things that are pure and true
paint a picture of you
and you are all I can think of
whenever there is love
whenever there is love
whenever there is love

Like a brief desert rain
like the air that remains
making everything suddenly new
oh baby and like the light in your eye
s
as if you and I made a world that was only for two
oh tell me baby
If you are lost I will find you
no matter where you go
if you fall I’ll be behind you

written by Donna Summer, David Foster & Rod Temperton

“Love Is Just A Breath Away” is a pop/r/b song recorded by the late Donna Summer for her 1982, self titled album. The international music diva composed this track with two top songwriters, David Foster and former Heatwave member, Rod Temperton. That song and the whole “Donna Summer” album were masterfully produced by the legendary Quincy Jones who was about to enter the studio to work on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

“Love Is Just A Breath Away” presents a wonderful vocal performance by the late superstar who especially shines on the song’s up-tempo refrain. The tune was arranged by Foster with David Paich of Toto and the two talented music makers gave the instrumental track a tad of a Eurodisco/Giorgio Moroder flavour playing a multitude of synthesizers and programmed drums with some rhythm guitar courtesy of Steve Lukather. “Love Is Just A Breath Away” was also the b-side of Summer’s “State Of Indipendence” single and it was covered, in 1985, by r&b singer Carol Lynn Townes on her debut album, “Satisfaction Guaranteed.”

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Love_Is_Just_A_Breath_Away.mp3|titles=Love Is Just A Breath Away|artists=Donna Summer]

Lead Vocals: Donna Summer
Synthesizers: David Foster, David Paich
Sunthesizer Programming: Steve Porcaro
Guitar: Steve Lukather

Arranged by David Foster & David Paich
Produced by Quincy Jones

Lyrics

Deep in the night, when you’re
Away from me
I’m reachin’ out just to touch you
In my dreams
Countin’ the hours ’till you’ll be
Here again
So hard to wait, got to have you
Close to me
’cause baby

You, turn my nights to day
When your love, love is just a
Breath away

Somethin’ inside has taken
Over me
So baby, can’t you see you
Captured my heart
I can’t disguise the things you
Make me feel
I should have known this was
Magic right from the start

‘Cause baby, you turn my nights to day
When your love, love is just a breath away
We, we don’t have a word to say
Our hearts can speak a thousand ways
When love is just a breath away

Take me, take me into paradise
Show me
All the love that’s in your eyes
Light up my life

You, you turn my nights to day
When your love, love is just a breath away
We, we don’t have a word to say
Our heart can speak a thousand ways
When love is just a breath away
You, you turn my nights to day
When your love, love is just a breath away

written by Diane Warren (Unbreak My Heart), Seal (Crazy), Giorgio Moroder & Donna Summer (On The Radio)

David Foster’s CD/DVD “Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends” was just released in March 2011 and is the magnificent follow-up to 2008’s wildly successful “Hitman: David Foster & Friends” CD/DVD. The first “Hitman” was a huge PBS hit and was broadcasted hundreds of times with great ratings.

We can easily predict that the new “Hitman Returns” will follow the same happy destiny.

Again, Foster has created a perfect show made of wonderful music performed by a spectacular cast that includes legends like Donna Summer, Chaka Khan, Kenny Loggins,  Seal, Natalie Cole, EWF plus some of today’s biggest superstars like Martina McBride, Neyo and Lara Fabian. He also included some of the best up and coming talents like Charice, Ruben Studdard and newcomer Jachie Evancho. Every detail is perfect, the arrangements are sublime and the executions top notch. The house band for the event presents some of the best players in the world like John Robinson on drums, Nathan East on Bass and Dean Parks on guitar. The bulk of the track list is made of songs that Foster has either co-written, produced or played on during his incredible career like Loggins’ “Heart To Heart,” Khan’s “Through The Fire,” EWF’s “In The Stone” or Gary Wright’s “Dream Weaver.” There are also special duets like a medley of hits sung by Donna Summer and Seal. Under Foster’s incredible guidance, the two singers start with a rendition of Toni Braxton’s mega hit, “Unbreak My Heart,” but eventually start a great dance jam singing Seal’s hit “Crazy” and Summer’s evergreen, “Last Dance.” Honestly, just this medley would be worth the price of “Hitman Returns: David Foster & Friends.”

Other highlights are a heartfelt homage to the late Michael Jackson by Neyo and Charice on “Earth Song”, a breathtaking cover of Michael Bublè’s “Home” by Studdard and another special duet by Seal and Michael Bolton on a medley of “When A Man Loves A Woman” and “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” We thought that the first “Hitman” show was a once in a lifetime event, but Foster proved that lightning does strike twice. “Hitman Returns” is more sheer evidence of his unmatched talent and positive energy. Check it out!

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/08-Unbreak-My-Heart-Crazy-On-The-Radio-Medley.mp3|titles=Unbreak my heart|artists=Seal & Donna Summer]

Lead Vocals: Seal & Donna Summer
Piano: David Foster
Electric Guitars: Dean Parks & Tariq Akoni
Bass: Nathan East
Drums: John Robinson
Percussion: Rafael Padilla
Keyboards: Mo Pleasure & Boh Cooper
Sax: Gary Bias
Trumpet: Robert Burns
Trombone: Reggie Young
Backing Vocals: Nita Whitaker, Amy Keys & Judith Hill

Produced & Arranged by David Foster
Co-Produced by Jochem van der Saag

Lyrics

Don’t leave me in all this pain
Don’t leave me out in the rain
Come back and bring back my smile
Come and take these tears away
I need your arms to hold me now
The night are so unkind
Bring back those nights when I held you beside me

Un-break my heart
Say you’ll me again
Undo this hurt you caused
When you walked out the door
And walked out of my life
Un-cry these tears
I cried so many nights
Un-break my heart
My heart

Take back that sad word good-bye
Bring back the joy to my life
Don’t leave me here with these tears
Come and kiss that pain away
I can’t forget the day you left
Time is so unkind
And life is so cruel without you here beside me

Un-break my heart
Say you’ll love me again
Undo this hurt you caused
When you walked out the door
And walked out of my life
Un-cry these tears
I cried so many nights
Un-break my heart
My heart

Don’t leave me in all this pain
Don’t leave me out in the rain
Bring back the nights when I held you beside me

Un-break my heart
Say you’ll love me again
Undo this hurt you caused
When you walked out the door
And walked out of my life
Un-cry that tears
I cried so many, many nights
Un-break my

Un-break my heart
Come back and say you love me
Un-break my heart
Sweet darlin’
Without you I just can’t go on
Can’t go on….
CRAZY

In a church,by the face,
He talks about the people going under.

Only child know…

A man decides after seventy years,
That what he goes there for, is to unlock the door.
While those around him criticize and sleep…
And through a fractal on a breaking wall,
I see you my friend, and touch your face again.
Miracles will happen as we trip.

But we’re never gonna survive, unless…
We get a little crazy
No we’re never gonna survive, unless…
We are a little…

Cray…cray…cray…

…Crazy yellow people walking through my head.
One of them’s got a gun, to shoot the other one.
And yet together they were friends at school
Ohh, get it, get it, get it, get it no no!

If all were there when we first took the pill,
Then maybe, then maybe, then maybe, then maybe…
Miracles will happen as we speak.

But we’re never gonna survive unless…
We get a little crazy.
No we’re never gonna survive unless…
We are a little…
Crazy…
No no, never survive, unless we get a little… bit…

Oh, a little bit…
Oh, a little bit…

Oh…
Oh…

Amanda decides to go along after seventeen years…

Oh darlin…
In a sky full of people, only some want to fly,
Isn’t that crazy?
In a world full of people, only some want to fly,
Isn’t that crazy?
Crazy…
In a heaven of people there’s only some want to fly,
Ain’t that crazy?
Oh babe… Oh darlin…
In a world full of people there’s only some want to fly,
Isn’t that crazy?
Isn’t that crazy… Isn’t that crazy… Isn’t that crazy…

Ohh…
But we’re never gonna survive unless, we get a little crazy.. crazy..
No we’re never gonna to survive unless we are a little… crazy..
But we’re never gonna survive unless, we get a little crazy.. crazy..
No we’re never gonna to survive unless, we are a little.. crazy..
No no, never survive unless, we get a little bit…

And then you see things
The size
Of which you’ve never known before

They’ll break it

Someday…

Only child know….

Them things
The size
Of which you’ve never known before

Someday…
Someway…
Someday…
Someway…
Someday…
Someway…
Someday…

ON THE RADIO

Someone found a 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.

Oh, I was so surprised and shocked, and I wondered too
if by change you heard it for yourself
I never told a soul just how I’ve been feeling about you
but they said it really loud
they said it on the air
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio whoa oh oh now, now

Don’t it kinda strike you sad when you hear our song
things are not the same since we broke up last June
the only thing that I wanna hear is that you love me still
and that you think you’ll be comin’ home real soon
whoa oh yeah yeah
and it made me feel proud when I heard you say
you couldn’t find the words to say it yourself
and now in my heart I know I can say what I really feel
’cause they said it really loud
they said it on the air
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio

If you think that love isn’t found on the radio
well tune right in you made find the love you lost
’cause now I’m sitting here with the man I sent away long ago
it sounded really loud they said it really loud
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio whoa oh oh
on the radio, radio, radio (fade)

Donna Summer and David Foster first crossed paths in 1982 when Quincy Jones enlisted the Canadian musician to work on the singer’s self-titled album. For that project, Foster co-wrote and arranged two songs, “Livin’ in America” and “Love Is Just a Breath Away.” Fourteen years later, Foster produced “Whenever There Is Love,” a duet between the former disco queen and singer/songwriter Bruce Roberts who co-wrote this power ballad for the movie soundtrack of Sylvester Stallone’s “Daylight.”

Finally, at the dawn of the new millennium, Foster and Donna Summer got together again to work on the title track for the animated movie “Pokemon 2000 The Power of One” soundtrack. Again we’re talking about a grand ballad, this time co-written by former Take 6 member Mervyn Warren, but with a gospel feel that makes it a bit different and enjoyable. Foster’s trademark ingredients are here; his dramatic, keyboard-driven arrangement and the effective use of acoustic and electric guitars, courtesy of maestros Steve Lukather and Dean Parks, that enhance the singer’s powerful performance at the song’s climax. There’s also a good dance remix of “The Power of One” that went to #2 on Billboard’s dance chart.

Another Foster production entitled “One” found it way on the “Pokemon 2000 The Power of One” soundtrack. It’s performed by newcomer Denise Lara. “One” is another nice ballad that could easily attract Foster’s collectors.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/the_power_of_one.mp3|titles=The power of one|artists=Donna Summer]

Lead Vocals: Donna Summer
Keyboards: David Foster
Guitar: Steve Lukather
Acoustic Guitar: Dean Parks
Synthesizers Programming: Nathan DiGesare & Felipe Elgueta
Arranged by David Foster & Nathan DiGesare
Produced by David Foster
Co-produced by: Nathan DiGesare and Bruce Sudan

Lyrics

You must always remember

Life can be a challenge
Life can seem impossible
It’s never easy
When so much
Is on the line
But you can make a difference
With courage
You can set things right
A gift to dream
And make dreams real
Is yours and mine

The power of one
Begins with believing
It starts in the heart
Then flows through the soul
And changes the world
Imagine how life will be
When we stand in unity
Each of us holds the key
To the power of one

Each of us is chosen
There’s a mission just for you
Just look inside
You’d be surprised what you can do

The Power of one
Begins with believing
It starts in the heart
Then flows through the soul
And changes the world
Imagine how life will be
When we stand in unity
Each of us holds the key
To the power of one

One by one
We can make the world
A much better place

The power of one
Begins with believing
It start in the heart
Then flows through the soul
And changes the world
Imagine how life will be
When we stand in unity
Each of us holds a key
It’s inside of you and me
Each of us holds the key
To the power of one

The power of one