I Feel Love

I Feel Love

From Soul Music by BBC Radio 4

April 5, 2025 · 28 min

About this episode

The episode explores the impact of Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love' through personal stories of love, loss, and legacy.

Stories of love, loss and legacy surrounding Donna Summer's iconic 1977 hit. Producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte wanted to make something which sounded like the future, and sure enough 'I Feel Love' went on to revolutionise disco and pave the way for electronic dance music. Almost 40 years on, it still sounds fresh to this day: the pumping arpeggiated bassline, the synthesized drones, and Donna's soaring multi-tracked vocals. Writer and AIDS activist Mark S. King reflects on what the song meant to him back when it was first released, and then later through the HIV/AIDS crisis. Retail consultant and author Mary Portas shares how the song got her through a difficult time of loss, taking her to a place beyond grief. A place of freedom and dance. Singer-songwriter Bruce Sudano, Donna Summer's husband of 32 years until her death in 2012, remembers the heady days when they first met. It was 1977, the same year that I Feel Love was written and released. And music journalist Danyel Smith, author of 'Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop', celebrates the incredible legacy of Donna and the power of this pioneering track. A track that still, decades later, gets…

People in this episode

Guests: Mark S. King, Mary Portas, Bruce Sudano, Danyel Smith

Topics covered

  • love
  • loss
  • legacy
  • disco
  • electronic dance music
  • HIV/AIDS crisis
  • personal stories

Keywords

  • Donna Summer
  • I Feel Love
  • disco
  • electronic music
  • HIV/AIDS
  • personal stories
  • legacy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte

Books & works: I Feel Love

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