Love to Love You Baby

Giorgio Moroder turned a single suggested lyric into a full disco song in 1975. Donna Summer had handed him the phrase "Love to Love You Baby" while she was still unknown in her home country, though she had lived in Germany for eight years and already released Lady of the Night in the Netherlands, produced by Pete Bellotte. The full lyrics were explicit enough that Summer initially agreed to record it only as a demo for someone else. Her moans and groans impressed Moroder so much that he persuaded her to keep it for herself, and "Love to Love You" became a moderate hit in the Netherlands.

A tape reached Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart in the US, who played it repeatedly at a party at his home all night. He then contacted Moroder with a suggestion to make the track longer, possibly as long as 20 minutes. Summer had reservations again, unsure of all the lyrics, but she imagined herself as Marilyn Monroe playing a part in sexual ecstasy. The studio lights were dimmed, leaving her more or less in complete darkness as she lay on the floor. The final recording lasted over 16 minutes and, according to the BBC, contained 23 "orgasms".

Retitled "Love to Love You Baby", the song filled the entire first side of the album of the same name and appeared in edited form on 7" vinyl. It spent two weeks at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1976, blocked from the top by Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover", and reached number four in the UK despite the BBC's initial refusal to promote it.