Donna (10cc song)
"Donna" is the first single by British art pop band 10cc. Released in 1972, it peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart.[1] The song was written by Lol Creme and Kevin Godley.
| "Donna" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by 10cc | ||||
| from the album 10cc | ||||
| B-side | "Hot Sun Rock" | |||
| Released | 23 September 1972 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:53 | |||
| Label | UK Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Lol Creme Kevin Godley | |||
| 10cc singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Overview
"Donna", a parody of doo-wop songs[2] (see also "Donna" by Ritchie Valens), was originally written as a potential B-side to the song "Waterfall". The song features sharp contrasts between falsetto in the chorus (Creme) and deep monotone vocals (Godley) in the verse. The melody line is similar to the Beatles song "Oh! Darling".[3][4]
Band member Eric Stewart has said: "We knew it had something. We only knew of one person who was mad enough to release it, and that was Jonathan King."[2] The song was subsequently released on King's UK Records label. The band had considered releasing it under the name of "Doctor Father Part Two", resurrecting a band name they had used for their 1970 song "Umbopo". Band manager Harvey Lisberg said there was "a vague sort of plan at that time to keep on bringing out records under different names until they got a hit".[2]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] | 53 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[6] | 2 |
| France (SNEP)[7] | 7 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 2 |
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] | 4 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] | 2 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1973) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] | 26 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] | 20 |
References
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 552/3. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b c George Tremlett (1976). The 10cc Story. Futura. ISBN 0-8600-7378-5.
- ^ Newton, Liam (16 November 2020). "A word in your ear".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Gouldman, Graham. "10cc Radio Interview 1992". www.the10ccfanclub.com. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 307. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Donna". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Song artist 303 - 10cc". Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "10cc – Donna" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "10cc – Donna" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1973" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1973" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 February 2018.