Podcast Summary: Cannonball with Wesley Morris – "Summer Renaissance"

Host: The New York Times
Episode Title: Summer Renaissance
Date: November 8, 2022

Episode Overview

In this episode, Wesley Morris and Jay Wortham dive deeply into the influence and legacy of the iconic Donna Summer, examining her pivotal impact on pop and electronic music—particularly through the lens of Beyonce’s album "Renaissance," which revives Donna Summer’s spirit and sound for modern audiences. Through personal reminiscences, critical analysis, and cultural context, they explore Donna’s innovation, the struggles of Black women in music, and the significance of honoring artistic foremothers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Donna Summer’s Enduring Influence & Beyonce’s Tribute

• Beyonce as Archival Steward: The episode opens with celebration of Beyonce’s "Summer Renaissance," a track that interpolates Donna Summer’s "I Feel Love." The hosts emphasize how Beyonce pays homage to Summer and, by extension, the legacy of disco and electronic music.
  • “She loves to give flowers, and the song and the entire album is an honoring of Donna Summer.… That imagery has become a backbone of contemporary culture. If you think about it, she is an architect of the pop culture we experience today.” - Jay Wortham (01:51)
• “I Feel Love”: Recognized as a foundational electronic record, the song’s sound continues to shape music today.

2. Donna Summer’s Creative Journey

• Early Career: Born in Boston, unable to break into Broadway, Summer’s career launched overseas in Germany, where she became fluent in German and involved in diverse musical projects.
  • "She goes to Germany, becomes a fluent German speaker. She's doing girl group stuff. She's doing gospel rock, and at some point hooks up with this guy, Giorgio Moroder… Donna Summer invented what essentially becomes disco. They perfected, is what I should say." - Wesley Morris (02:38)

3. Body, Somatics, and Disco

• The hosts reflect on how "I Feel Love" and disco, more broadly, were about embodiment and escaping from the mind into the body—a theme aligned with contemporary movements in somatics and self-care.
  • “That song, 'I Feel Love,' invites you in to let the music just rip through you." - Jay Wortham (03:56)
  • “It is a letting your body control your mind.” - Wesley Morris (04:53)
  • “It elevates your mood, it raises your credit score, it smooths out your wrinkles. It just fills you with serotonin.” - Jay Wortham (04:58)

4. Underrated Album: 'Donna Summer' (1982)

• Rediscovery and Comparison with 'Thriller': Wesley recalls his childhood attachment to the 1982 self-titled album “Donna Summer," produced by Quincy Jones. He intriguingly positions it as a conceptual "B-side to Thriller," highlighting overlap in production, personnel (Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder), and sonic ambition.
  • “I have always thought of this self-titled album as the B side to Thriller… because these are two artists who are really thinking about what the future should sound like.” - Wesley Morris (09:02)
• Notable Tracks and Collaborations:
  • "State of Independence": Features a star-studded 25-person choir, including Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, and others, yet barely missed charting in the Top 40.
  • "If It Hurts Just a Little": Cited as a song showing the impending direction of R&B.
    • “You can hear what the next 10 years of American R and B is kind of going to sound like.” - Wesley Morris (11:07)
  • "Protection": Collaboration with Bruce Springsteen, drawing parallels to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.”
    • “The concept is the same. Take an established rock star and put them with an established R&B pop star and see what happens.” - Wesley Morris (13:08)

5. Commercial Success & Historical Parallels

• Alternative Histories: Despite talent and production resources, Summer's album had modest commercial success compared to "Thriller." The hosts ponder how history might have remembered Donna Summer differently if this album had hit bigger.
  • "What does it mean that Donna Summer was someone equally talented, equally resourced, and equally in the same position as Michael at that moment in history?" - Jay Wortham (14:17)

6. Disco Backlash, Identity & Reinvention

• Disco Demolition Night (1979): The hosts contextualize the infamous anti-disco event as a racially charged attack on a culture created by Black people, women, and queer people.
  • “This was a white male energy. White male rock energy.… These white guys are basically laying waste to music made by black people.… It was a lynching by other means.” - Wesley Morris (20:01, 21:21)
• Donna’s Attempt at Reinvention: Returning from Europe, Summer struggled with stereotypes—especially as a Black woman associated with sexualized disco music—and sought to be recognized for her broader artistry.
  • “One of the hardships for me is that people don't take me seriously.” - Wesley Morris (18:51)
  • “The world wouldn't let this woman reinvent herself.” - Jay Wortham (19:11)

7. "She Works Hard for the Money" and the Realities of Fame

• Personal Struggles: Summer’s mega-hit is framed as both a tribute to working women and a reflection on her own difficulties with recognition, fame, and depression.
  • “Donna Summer's aware that the world cannot appreciate some of her genuine talents and her real intellectual labor.… it culminates in a deep depression and a suicide attempt.” - Jay Wortham (25:27)

8. Gospel, Jazz, and Black Feminist Consciousness

• The hosts discuss Summer’s engagement with Black radical consciousness in Germany, her collaborations with Black producers, and her inclusion of jazz classics (e.g. “Lush Life” by Billy Strayhorn).
  • “There are nine songs on this album, not a one sounds like the other, except there's an element in all of them to gospel, and that is really striking to me. Except the last song, which is called Lush Life.” - Wesley Morris (22:44)
  • “I heard a story that I know is true that Donna didn't want to sing it, because she was a little concerned about, you know, Billy Strayhorn being openly gay.” - Wesley Morris (24:26)
  • The conversation touches on intersectionality, feminist thought, and global Black identity (noting Audre Lorde’s time in Berlin).

9. The Power and Necessity of Honoring Black Women Artists

• The hosts connect Beyonce’s overt homage to a broader practice of Black women archiving and crediting their own.
  • "It is a type of care. It is a type of archival practice. It is a type of stewardship that black women must do for each other. And this is a very long and rich practice.… there is something incredibly profound and generous in the reminder that the world is not always going to remember us for our contributions, but we can do it for each other.” - Jay Wortham (27:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Donna Summer’s sound:
  “This one song, I Feel Love, is responsible for 50 years of electronic music in all its forms…” - Wesley Morris (02:23)
• On bodily experience:
  “It's like a shot of adrenaline laced with sparkle paste.” - Jay Wortham (04:58)
• On disco’s demise and racism:
  “It was a lynching by other means.” - Wesley Morris (21:21)
• On Black women’s archival practices:
  “And I think this is work that Beyonce's doing right now. Like, let me remind you, let's enjoy this album… but let's talk about where it came from and one of the shapers of this cultural movement.” - Jay Wortham (27:27)

Key Timestamps

• 01:25 – 02:23: Tribute to Donna Summer and her influence on current pop culture
• 02:38 – 03:34: Donna Summer’s early life and career in Germany
• 04:53 – 05:13: The somatic, bodily impact of "I Feel Love"
• 07:29 – 09:02: Personal recollections of the "Donna Summer" album; Quincy Jones’s production
• 09:27 – 10:06: Comparing "Donna Summer" to Michael Jackson’s "Thriller"
• 10:41 – 13:08: Discussion of the genre-blending on the album; the Bruce Springsteen collaboration
• 19:27 – 21:25: The 1979 disco demolition and its racial, cultural implications
• 22:44 – 24:26: Donna Summer’s engagement with jazz and Billy Strayhorn’s legacy
• 25:27 – 27:50: "She Works Hard for the Money" and the politics of recognition

Conclusion

"Summer Renaissance" provides a rich, nuanced reflection on Donna Summer’s significance as more than just the "Queen of Disco": she emerges as a bold musical innovator, a Black feminist figure navigating structural and cultural barriers, and a continuous inspiration for icons like Beyonce. Through personal storytelling, historical context, and critical thinking, Wesley Morris and Jay Wortham illuminate the necessity of memory, attribution, and celebration among Black women artists—reminding us that their contributions are foundational to pop culture as we know it.