Donna Summer: Fame (The Game)

by Bradley Stern
filed under: Donna Summer, Lily Allen, Single Review

d940afa2087b6e90bf212307182da8a6 Donna Summer: Fame (The Game)
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.

pixel Donna Summer: Fame (The Game)

  • Tommy

    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..

  • Anonymous

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

  • Brad

    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.

  • Anonymous

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

  • Brad

    An insider…I’m intrigued!

    Looking forward to next week’s charts.

  • Anonymous

    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!

  • Anonymous

    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

  • Brad

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

  • Anonymous

    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.