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My first slow dance was to Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin moaning and gasping through Je T’aime in 1970. I thought that was what making out would sound like if I ever got a chance to do it. I think it desensitized me for the Summer song in 1975, but I never heard anything but the single/radio version so can’t say for sure. I don’t remember anyone ever talking about it.
It wasn’t shocking at all. It took a lot more to shock us 50 years ago. But at a time when I was mostly ignoring the radio to avoid disco, it was one of the more tolerable songs to me. And in my head it harkened back to the late 1960’s and early 1970’s when FM DJ’s didn’t have playlists and were allowed to play long songs, or entire albums, without playlists. Just a faint reminder of that time, but a reminder.
Kind of sure there was a song right around that time that was pretty popular called “push in the bush” sooooo, there was a lot of that stuff going down.
I turned 13 in 1975. When I think back to the songs playing on the radio when I was in junior high, I realize how very naïve I was. I thought “Afternoon Delight” was a day with no math homework!! Lots of the songs were suggestive .
Not shocking at all. The sex pistols fing & blinding on live tv was an eye opener. Most every song that got banned nobody much cared about other than a weirdo dj or other.
The Stone Roses did a song, Love Spreads, which might as well be about banging your sister, but nobody did anything about it, & I can’t remember any songs getting banned after that.
I was a teenager when I bought the album, and I found this song to be fun and arousing. Of course, I only listened to this song using headphones, as my mom would’ve thrown the record out. I also kept it hidden in my stack of records so she wouldn’t see the cover. She would’ve objected.
Ironically, my parents played a French love ballads 8-track frequently, featuring “Je t’aime… moi non plus” by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. That was a very sensual and explicit song, but as a kid I just loved the melody. I didn’t understand anything else about it. I’m sure my dad knew that, and got a kick out of it every time us kids were around and it played.
It wasn’t. Nothing 17 minutes long would be played on the radio then. Especially disco. The single is 4:57. That’s what got played on top 40 stations. The moaning was annoying
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Not much. Pillow Talk on the other hand was a shocker. That came way before Donna Summer.
It wasn’t shocking, just extremely annoying.
My first slow dance was to Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin moaning and gasping through Je T’aime in 1970. I thought that was what making out would sound like if I ever got a chance to do it. I think it desensitized me for the Summer song in 1975, but I never heard anything but the single/radio version so can’t say for sure. I don’t remember anyone ever talking about it.
Stations around me edited the song down to the normal 4 minutes or so.
Not as shocking as “Jungle Fever” by The Chakachas in 1971 (made it to #8 on Billboard)
Jungle Fever by Chakachas had already been out and softened the shock.
Who played a 17 minutes version on the radio?
But if you want a really awesom 18 minute Donna Summer song check out the MacArthur Park Suite.
https://youtu.be/VCY68BmSMsQ?si=MQZeQEfZeX1jwj4e
I remember the DJ playing a toilet flushing sound afterwards ¯_(ツ)_/¯
It wasn’t shocking. I thought she sounded ridiculous.
I was annoyed and changed the station.
Her “I feel love” was a more interesting and better song with the definitive disco beat
I liked it, still don’t understand the hate.
Not at all. I recall seeing her live at The Greek Theater.
In the 1970s, radio stations had to identify themselves every 15-minutes. The full version wasn’t played often.
I was just hitting puberty and couldn’t get enough tbh
It wasn’t shocking at all. It took a lot more to shock us 50 years ago. But at a time when I was mostly ignoring the radio to avoid disco, it was one of the more tolerable songs to me. And in my head it harkened back to the late 1960’s and early 1970’s when FM DJ’s didn’t have playlists and were allowed to play long songs, or entire albums, without playlists. Just a faint reminder of that time, but a reminder.
Not shocking at all. It was the perfect song for that time period. I’ve listened to that track many times and will probably put it on now.
it wasnt. i always lover her tho.
Kind of sure there was a song right around that time that was pretty popular called “push in the bush” sooooo, there was a lot of that stuff going down.
The DJ played it toward the end of the night and everyone on the dancefloor were all over each other.
Shocking, no. Enticing yes, and very very stimulating watching her in the vid……omd.
She isn’t quite forgotten, but Donna Summer used to be the Queen of the Scene. That moaning was…different, but she even did that with rizz and pizazz.
McArthur Park and On the Radio were more substantial.
I turned 13 in 1975. When I think back to the songs playing on the radio when I was in junior high, I realize how very naïve I was. I thought “Afternoon Delight” was a day with no math homework!! Lots of the songs were suggestive .
Nothing was shocking, it was the Sexual Revolution.
Not shocking at all. The sex pistols fing & blinding on live tv was an eye opener. Most every song that got banned nobody much cared about other than a weirdo dj or other.
The Stone Roses did a song, Love Spreads, which might as well be about banging your sister, but nobody did anything about it, & I can’t remember any songs getting banned after that.
I was a teenager when I bought the album, and I found this song to be fun and arousing. Of course, I only listened to this song using headphones, as my mom would’ve thrown the record out. I also kept it hidden in my stack of records so she wouldn’t see the cover. She would’ve objected.
Ironically, my parents played a French love ballads 8-track frequently, featuring “Je t’aime… moi non plus” by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. That was a very sensual and explicit song, but as a kid I just loved the melody. I didn’t understand anything else about it. I’m sure my dad knew that, and got a kick out of it every time us kids were around and it played.
(Edited for typos.)
It wasn’t. Nothing 17 minutes long would be played on the radio then. Especially disco. The single is 4:57. That’s what got played on top 40 stations. The moaning was annoying
It wasn’t 17 minutes.
I think Mony Mony was probably more shocking, being ushered in at the tail of the “summer of love” that produced such profound effects on our culture.