Donna Summer: Fame (The Game)

Filed in: Donna Summer, Lily Allen, Single Review


On Saturday, I was sewing my own cheeseburger. Why? Because that’s the sort of thing you’d actually find me doing on a Saturday night. It was, as they say in Britain, great fun.

But aside from that, I also found myself perusing this week’s Billboard Magazine with the intention of reading the Lily Allen interview. Leafing through the back pages, I happened across the Billboard Dance Charts to come across a shocking find: “Fame (The Game),” an album track from Donna Summer’s latest album Crayons, positioned at #4 on the charts!

When did that happen?!

Don’t get me wrong–”Fame” is one of the few tracks that I can truly label as “enjoyable” from Crayons. There’s something ever-so-slightly epic about the track. I can still envision Lady Summer strutting down a red carpet along with the hectic spoken-word verses on the track, getting primped and prodded along the way, until a final camera flash sequence in the chorus. Too far?

Err…Well, that appears to be the exact performance of the track on Summer’s latest tour. I knew I should have been a tour director.

Anyway, #4 is no accidental feat. As a result, I decided to dig deeper into the professional mixes…And voila! Puzzled no more…The mixes are F-A-B!

The radio edit of Dave Aude’s rendition is a driving, testosterone-fueled pumper, while Ralphi Rosario’s edit serves up a throbbing synth sensation.

Then, add a little more funk, a dab of glam, and a whole lot of piano chord in order to concoct the fantastic Dan Chase edit, a mix which almost entirely re-invents the sound of the original.

DL: Donna Summer – Fame (The Game) (Mediafire)
DL: Donna Summer – Fame (The Game) (Dan Chase Radio Edit) (Mediafire)
DL: Donna Summer – Fame (The Game) (Dave Aude Radio Edit)(Mediafire)
DL: Donna Summer – Fame (The Game) (Ralphi Rosario Radio Edit) (Mediafire)

Could this be her fifteenth #1 dance track? According to the ever-reliable Wiki, “Fame (The Game)” is now due as an international single on February 28th.

On a side note, being the professional blogger I am, I thought it appropriate to subscribe to Billboard. That way, I could always be up on the charts and their ever-surprising entries. I found it odd that there were no subscription inserts in the magazine, and it wasn’t until I logged on to Billboard.com that I found out why: It’s $300 for a full year’s subscription! What kind of fuckery is that? We’re in a depression, music industry…Get with it.

9 comments

1 Tommy { 01.20.09 at 12:31 am }

Wow! thanks for the update on this! To be honest, I’ve been putting off on buying the remix singles, since this actually isn’t really one of my favourites on Crayons, but #4 is impressive! Especially since things seemed to have otherwise died down with the album.. If it makes it to #1 that will be something else! Thanks for posting those remixes as well, that Dan Chase mix IS seriously awesome! To be honest, I actually enjoy that one a bit more than the album version..

2 Anonymous { 01.20.09 at 5:58 pm }

WELL, IT REACHED NUMBER ONE, BEATING MADONNA! THAT IS FANTASTIC FOR DONNA! I THINK SHE DESERVES IT!

3 Brad { 01.20.09 at 6:03 pm }

Not quite yet, Anonymous.

Donna is now at #3 (her peak so far), but Madge is now at #2 for “Miles Away.”

Duel divas, duel.

4 Anonymous { 01.20.09 at 6:08 pm }

HI! IT DID REACH NUMBER 1 AND MADONNA WENT FROM NUMBER 2 TO NUMBER 5, YOU WILL SEE IT NEXT WEEK. REGARDS

5 Brad { 01.20.09 at 6:10 pm }

An insider…I’m intrigued!

Looking forward to next week’s charts.

6 Anonymous { 01.20.09 at 6:11 pm }

AND, BY THE WAY, I LOVE MADONNA
TOO, DON’T GET ME WRONG. BUT I THIND IT WAS GREAT FOR DONNA, WHO HAS REACHED 60 YEARS AND HAS SUCH A WONDERFUL VOICE!

7 Anonymous { 01.20.09 at 6:16 pm }

HI! SO YOU CAN HAVE THE CHART IN ADVANCE! BEST REGARDS!
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart 1/31/2009

Rank C Title Artist Label/Dist Label Catalog
TW LW
* 1 * 3
Fame (The Game) Donna Summer Burgundy
* 2 * 8 G
If I Were A Boy Beyonce Music World/Columbia
* 3 * 5
Ooh Yeah Moby Mute
* 4 * 10
Never Kristine W Fly Again
5 2
Miles Away Madonna Warner Bros.
* 6 * 11
I Stay In Love Mariah Carey Island/IDJMG
* 7 * 12
That’s Not My Name The Ting Tings Columbia 0
8 4
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) Beyonce Music World/Columbia
+++ * 9 * 17
Poker Face Lady GaGa Interscope
10 * 1
Human The Killers Island/IDJMG
* 11 * 13

8 Brad { 01.20.09 at 6:23 pm }

How did you happen upon that? You should really write me an e-mail!

9 Anonymous { 02.28.09 at 3:53 am }

Why the hell would it be shocking to see “Fame” top the dance chart? She’d already had 2 #1 dance hits from Crayons, I’m a Fire and Stamp Your Feet. And that does beat Madonna’s dance chart performance from Hard Candy. Madonna had 3 #1 dance hits from that album, but one was the duet with Justin Timberlake. Donna’s 3 #1s were all solo, the vastly superior singer wins.

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