"She Works Hard for the Money" is a song by American singer Donna Summer and the title track from her eleventh studio album of the same name (1983). The song was written by Michael Omartian and Summer, and produced by the former. It was released as the lead single on May 10, 1983 from the album by Mercury Records. It became a hit for Summer, reaching number one for a three-week stay atop the Billboard R&B singles chart (her first since 1979), number three on the BillboardHot 100, and number three on the BillboardDance Club Play chart. The single ended up as Billboard's 15th-best performing song of 1983.[4] In addition, Summer earned a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1984 Grammy Awards, where she performed the song live as the opening for the ceremony.
Co-written with Omartian, the song tells a story of a hard-working blue-collar woman. It was based on Summer's inspiration she had on the night of February 23–24, 1983, after the 25th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony when she attended an after-party at the West Hollywood restaurant Chasen's.[5] Summer encountered a restroom attendant named Onetta Johnson who was exhausted from working long hours. Summer herself described the scene in December 1986 on the television program You Write the Songs:
I was at Chasen's at a party for Julio Iglesias and I went to the ladies' room with my manager [Susan Muneo] and there was a little woman... First of all we walk in the room and we heard a TV set going, and I thought to myself "what kind of restaurant is this, that they would have a television in the ladies' room? This must be pretty posh." And so we peeked around the corner, and there was a little lady sitting there with her head tilted to the side and she was just gone—she was asleep. And the TV was just blasting loud. And I looked at her and my heart just filled up with compassion for this lady, and I thought to myself, "God, she works hard for the money, cooped up in this stinky little room all night." Then I thought about it, and I said, "She works hard for the money... She works hard for the money... Susan! She works hard for the money! This is it! This is it! I know this is it!"[6]
Summer quickly wrote down the title and presented it the next day at the house of her producer Omartian; he helped her flesh out the words and music, to become the final song written for the album. Johnson agreed to be photographed for the album's rear cover, standing in a diner with Summer, the two wearing matching waitress outfits. The first verse of the song starts "Onetta there in the corner stand".[7]
The song is performed in the key of G♯ minor in common time with a tempo of 136 beats per minute. Summer's vocals span from G♯3 to D♯5.[8]
Receptionedit
Cash Box said that the song has a "pumping bass line and steady rhythmic clip" and praised Summer's vocal performance.[9]
Music videoedit
The accompanying music video for the song, directed by Brian Grant, debuted on MTV and became the first video by an African American female artist to be placed in "heavy rotation" (a term used by MTV at the time to indicate a frequently-aired video).[10] The video shows a woman, working as a waitress in a diner, who is burdened with many situations in her life such as work and raising two unruly children. It is also seen that she has abandoned her hopes of being a ballerina. Summer appears as an observer through a kitchen window, a woman who assists the fallen-down protagonist of the video, and, at the end, a leader of a troupe of women, in various work uniforms, who have taken to the streets to signify their independence and gain recognition for their "hard work". The protagonist is also seen dancing in the street with them.
In a parody of the image created by this song, and its cover art picture, Summer herself appears in the Frank Sinatra video for "L.A. Is My Lady", released in 1984, as a waitress who serves a patron and then wipes her brow.
There are two versions of the music video. One is the single edit; the other remains faithful to the original length of the album version of the song.
Chartsedit
Weekly chartsedit
Weekly chart performance for "She Works Hard for the Money"
^Jones, Nate (September 29, 2010). "Rock and Roll Hall Nominations Announced: Who Has the Best Chances?". Time. Retrieved May 10, 2015. With a career spanning funk ("Love to Love You Baby"), disco ("Last Dance") and New Wave ("She Works Hard for the Money"), Summer is probably the most accomplished female artist up for induction this year.
^Masley, Ed (April 22, 2009). "Confessions of an 'Idol' virgin: Disco week". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 11, 2014. Donna Summer's big post-disco hit "She Works Hard For the Money"
^Billboard Staff (October 19, 2023). "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2024. A spiritual sequel to "Bad Girls" — but sonically updated for the post-disco years — 1983's "She Works Hard for the Money" was nearly as great...
^ ab. The Longbored Surfer. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
^Shales, Tom (September 9, 1998). "One Savory Last Taste of Chasen's". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
^Smith, Steven (May 11, 1998). "Catering to the Stars". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
^"She Works Hard for the Money By Donna Summer – Digital Sheet Music". Universal Music Publishing Group. May 28, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2017 – via Musicnotes.
^"Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 28, 1983. p. 8. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
^"Donna Summer - "She Works Hard for the Money"". Songfacts. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
^"Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^"Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN978-951-1-21053-5.
^"InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Donna Summer" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^"The Irish Charts – Search Results – She Works Hard". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^"Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved June 7, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Donna Summer".
^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 25, 1983" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^"Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^"Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^"Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money". VG-lista. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^"South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (S)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN84-8048-639-2.
^"Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money". Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^"Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^"TOP – 1983". Top-france.fr (in French). Retrieved July 11, 2014.
^. Cash Box. Archived from the original on December 25, 2012.
^"Top 100 Single-Jahrecharts: 1983". Offiziellecharts.de (in German). Retrieved May 16, 2022.
April 26, 2024
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This article is about the song For the parent album see She Works Hard for the Money album She Works Hard for the Money is a song by American singer Donna Summer and the title track from her eleventh studio album of the same name 1983 The song was written by Michael Omartian and Summer and produced by the former It was released as the lead single on May 10 1983 from the album by Mercury Records It became a hit for Summer reaching number one for a three week stay atop the Billboard R amp B singles chart her first since 1979 number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart The single ended up as Billboard s 15th best performing song of 1983 4 In addition Summer earned a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1984 Grammy Awards where she performed the song live as the opening for the ceremony She Works Hard for the Money Single by Donna Summerfrom the album She Works Hard for the MoneyB side I Do Believe I Fell in Love ReleasedMay 10 1983Recorded1983GenreNew wave 1 post disco 2 3 Length5 19 album version 4 09 single edit LabelMercurySongwriter s Donna Summer Michael OmartianProducer s Michael OmartianDonna Summer singles chronology Love to Love You Baby re issue 1983 She Works Hard for the Money 1983 Unconditional Love 1983 Contents 1 Background and composition 2 Reception 3 Music video 4 Charts 4 1 Weekly charts 4 2 Year end charts 5 See also 6 ReferencesBackground and composition editCo written with Omartian the song tells a story of a hard working blue collar woman It was based on Summer s inspiration she had on the night of February 23 24 1983 after the 25th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony when she attended an after party at the West Hollywood restaurant Chasen s 5 Summer encountered a restroom attendant named Onetta Johnson who was exhausted from working long hours Summer herself described the scene in December 1986 on the television program You Write the Songs I was at Chasen s at a party for Julio Iglesias and I went to the ladies room with my manager Susan Muneo and there was a little woman First of all we walk in the room and we heard a TV set going and I thought to myself what kind of restaurant is this that they would have a television in the ladies room This must be pretty posh And so we peeked around the corner and there was a little lady sitting there with her head tilted to the side and she was just gone she was asleep And the TV was just blasting loud And I looked at her and my heart just filled up with compassion for this lady and I thought to myself God she works hard for the money cooped up in this stinky little room all night Then I thought about it and I said She works hard for the money She works hard for the money Susan She works hard for the money This is it This is it I know this is it 6 Summer quickly wrote down the title and presented it the next day at the house of her producer Omartian he helped her flesh out the words and music to become the final song written for the album Johnson agreed to be photographed for the album s rear cover standing in a diner with Summer the two wearing matching waitress outfits The first verse of the song starts Onetta there in the corner stand 7 The song is performed in the key of G minor in common time with a tempo of 136 beats per minute Summer s vocals span from G 3 to D 5 8 Reception editCash Box said that the song has a pumping bass line and steady rhythmic clip and praised Summer s vocal performance 9 Music video editThe accompanying music video for the song directed by Brian Grant debuted on MTV and became the first video by an African American female artist to be placed in heavy rotation a term used by MTV at the time to indicate a frequently aired video 10 The video shows a woman working as a waitress in a diner who is burdened with many situations in her life such as work and raising two unruly children It is also seen that she has abandoned her hopes of being a ballerina Summer appears as an observer through a kitchen window a woman who assists the fallen down protagonist of the video and at the end a leader of a troupe of women in various work uniforms who have taken to the streets to signify their independence and gain recognition for their hard work The protagonist is also seen dancing in the street with them In a parody of the image created by this song and its cover art picture Summer herself appears in the Frank Sinatra video for L A Is My Lady released in 1984 as a waitress who serves a patron and then wipes her brow There are two versions of the music video One is the single edit the other remains faithful to the original length of the album version of the song Charts editWeekly charts edit Weekly chart performance for She Works Hard for the Money Chart 1983 Peakposition Australia Kent Music Report 11 4 Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 12 19 Canada Top Singles RPM 13 4 Finland Suomen virallinen lista 14 4 France IFOP 15 4 Ireland IRMA 16 26 Italy Musica e dischi 17 21 Netherlands Dutch Top 40 18 17 Netherlands Single Top 100 19 18 New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 20 23 Norway VG lista 21 9 South Africa Springbok Radio 22 11 Spain AFYVE 23 8 Sweden Sverigetopplistan 24 5 Switzerland Schweizer Hitparade 25 10 UK Singles OCC 26 25 US Billboard Hot 100 27 3 US Hot Black Singles Billboard 28 1 US Dance Club Songs Billboard 29 3 US Cash Box Top 100 30 3 West Germany Official German Charts 31 11 2012 weekly chart performance for She Works Hard for the Money Chart 2012 Peakposition France SNEP 32 129 Year end charts edit 1983 year end chart performance for She Works Hard for the Money Chart 1983 Position Australia Kent Music Report 33 34 50 Canada Top Singles RPM 35 29 France IFOP 36 39 US Billboard Hot 100 4 15 US Cash Box Top 100 37 22 West Germany Official German Charts 38 75See also editList of number one R amp B singles of 1983 U S References edit Jones Nate September 29 2010 Rock and Roll Hall Nominations Announced Who Has the Best Chances Time Retrieved May 10 2015 With a career spanning funk Love to Love You Baby disco Last Dance and New Wave She Works Hard for the Money Summer is probably the most accomplished female artist up for induction this year Masley Ed April 22 2009 Confessions of an Idol virgin Disco week The Arizona Republic Retrieved July 11 2014 Donna Summer s big post disco hit She Works Hard For the Money Billboard Staff October 19 2023 The 500 Best Pop Songs Staff List Billboard Retrieved February 10 2024 A spiritual sequel to Bad Girls but sonically updated for the post disco years 1983 s She Works Hard for the Money was nearly as great a b Top 100 Hits for 1983 The Longbored Surfer Archived from the original on November 29 2013 Retrieved July 11 2014 Shales Tom September 9 1998 One Savory Last Taste of Chasen s The Washington Post Retrieved August 1 2021 Donna Summer interview You Write the Songs Interview December 1986 Smith Steven May 11 1998 Catering to the Stars Los Angeles Times Retrieved August 1 2021 She Works Hard for the Money By Donna Summer Digital Sheet Music Universal Music Publishing Group May 28 2012 Retrieved March 12 2017 via Musicnotes Reviews PDF Cash Box May 28 1983 p 8 Retrieved July 19 2022 Donna Summer She Works Hard for the Money Songfacts Retrieved January 1 2024 Forum ARIA Charts Special Occasion Charts CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989 Australian charts com Hung Medien Retrieved July 28 2013 Donna Summer She Works Hard For The Money in Dutch Ultratop 50 Retrieved July 28 2013 Top RPM Singles Issue 4325 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved June 12 2013 Pennanen Timo 2006 Sisaltaa hitin levyt ja esittajat Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 in Finnish 1st ed Helsinki Tammi ISBN 978 951 1 21053 5 InfoDisc Tous les Titres par Artiste in French InfoDisc Select Donna Summer from the artist drop down menu Retrieved July 28 2013 The Irish Charts Search Results She Works Hard Irish Singles Chart Retrieved July 28 2013 Classifiche Musica e dischi in Italian Retrieved June 7 2022 Set Tipo on Singoli Then in the Artista field search Donna Summer Nederlandse Top 40 week 25 1983 in Dutch Dutch Top 40 Retrieved July 28 2013 Donna Summer She Works Hard For The Money in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved July 28 2013 Donna Summer She Works Hard For The Money Top 40 Singles Retrieved July 28 2013 Donna Summer She Works Hard For The Money VG lista Retrieved July 28 2013 South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 1989 Acts S Rock co za Retrieved July 28 2013 Salaverri Fernando September 2005 Solo exitos ano a ano 1959 2002 in Spanish 1st ed Spain Fundacion Autor SGAE ISBN 84 8048 639 2 Donna Summer She Works Hard For The Money Singles Top 100 Retrieved July 28 2013 Donna Summer She Works Hard For The Money Swiss Singles Chart Retrieved July 28 2013 Official Singles Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved July 28 2013 Donna Summer Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Donna Summer Chart History Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs Billboard Donna Summer Chart History Dance Club Songs Billboard CASH BOX Top 100 Singles Week ending AUGUST 13 1983 Cash Box Archived from the original on September 11 2012 Offiziellecharts de Donna Summer She Works Hard For The Money in German GfK Entertainment charts Retrieved July 28 2013 Donna Summer She Works Hard For The Money in French Les classement single Retrieved October 12 2013 Kent Music Report National Top 100 Singles for 1983 Kent Music Report Retrieved January 22 2023 via Imgur com Forum ARIA Charts Special Occasion Charts Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts 1980s Australian charts com Hung Medien Retrieved July 11 2014 The Top Singles of 1983 RPM Vol 39 no 17 Library and Archives Canada December 24 1983 Retrieved May 15 2018 TOP 1983 Top france fr in French Retrieved July 11 2014 The CASH BOX Year End Charts 1983 Cash Box Archived from the original on December 25 2012 Top 100 Single Jahrecharts 1983 Offiziellecharts de in German Retrieved May 16 2022 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title She Works Hard for the Money amp oldid 1215694681, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
