Disco diva Donna Summer is back this season with the release of “The Journey: The Very Best Of Donna Summer,” her sixth greatest hits album, which includes all of her most popular songs and a bonus disc with dance remixes.

In conjunction with the CD, Villard Publishing also releases “Ordinary Girl,” an autobiography that describes the singer’s life and career in full detail.
But there are certain details Summer would rather forget.

In an interview with Southern Voice, the singer refused to comment on a scandal that rocked her gay fanbase in the mid-1980s. The controversy took flight when the born-again Christian allegedly said in an interview that AIDS was God’s retribution against gays for their “sinful, immoral lifestyle.”

Summer later denied that she ever made the comments and blamed poor reporting. Some people argue that her ongoing involvement with AIDS charities and performances at gay pride events prove her genuine support for gay issues and her gay fanbase.

She forcefully, yet gracefully declines to talk about anything but her music.

Summer became an early gay icon after she emerged from the disco scene in the 1970s. Together with producer Giorgio Moroder, she helped create the disco phenomenon with anthems such as “I Feel Love” and “Love To Love You, Baby.”

Summer reunites with Morodor almost 22 years later for two new recordings that are bonuses on the new “Best Of” CD set.

The chemistry between Summer and Morodor still seems fully intact after more than two decades.

“Giorgio and I have a very special, very emotional relationship together,” Summer says. “We understand each other, we tease each other. But most importantly, we always provoke each other, challenging each others creative ideas.”

The singer credits her artistic longevity to the universal appeal of her songs.

“I sing about life, and even though life might change, human emotions do not,” Summer says. “What I sing is always relevant and people continue to respond to that.”

The Tennessee-resident says that she always maintained a sense of normalcy — even during her heyday in the late ‘70s.

“No matter all the success I have had over the years, I have always remained down to earth,” she says. “It is often the people around me that created this image, this mystery that people were so interested in.”

The singer speculates that gay listeners relate to her straight-up sentiment and confidence.

“I am real and down to earth,” she says. “I don’t let others tell me who I am. I try not to get caught up in the glamour of being a celebrity.”

Summer knows the highs and lows of life. She had a difficult Boston childhood, had two near-death experiences, was a victim of domestic violence and attempted suicide at the height of her fame.

She credits her faith for her survival.

“Believing you can make it is very important,” Summer says. “Taking a day at a time when life is difficult. Just believe you can make it from this morning to this afternoon.”

Summer agrees that today, everyday life inspires her.

“I love to watch ordinary people doing ordinary things and making up stories about what their life is like and the struggle I see they have,” she says.

“I like to think of myself as the Queen of Hearts — a person who understands people, sings about people and cares about people,” Summer asserts. “No matter how famous I am, I am a real person too.”

MORE INFO
‘The Journey: The Very Best
Of Donna Summer’
UTV Records/Mercury
$18.98

‘Ordinary Girl’
Donna Summer with Marc Elliot
Villard Publishing/Random House
Hardcover, 272 pages
$24.95

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