15 Unforgettable Stock Aitken Waterman Singles

11. This Time I Know It's For Real - Donna Summer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJsXrYO9znQ Released: February 1989. UK Chart Peak: #3. Oz Chart Peak: #40. US Chart Peak: #7. In 1984 Donna Summer was swamped by controversy after reports of comments she'd allegedly made in relation to gay men; AIDS and "divine punishment". She always maintained that she'd simply prayed for a fan who had AIDS because she was asked to, but the damage had been done and a destructive force of tsunami-like proportions swept through her fanbase. A significant proportion of those most likely to purchase copious amounts of her records voted with their feet and the hits dried up almost immediately. But if we can't say what really happened, what is certain is what Donna Summer did next. After five years in the wilderness she joined forces with the most successful producers of disposable pop in Europe and This Time I Know It's For Real was the result. The song's lyric is simple enough: girl meets boy, girl knows it's for real, girl goes to any lengths to let boy know. The video's interpretation of the lyric was to chart a slightly curious path around the globe, from London, through Asia, past Hawaii, across the United States and back to London. Along the way Donna and her enormous hair come across people jumping up and down, bootscooters, clapping hands, spinning train conductors, flamenco dancers, people swimming through lights and others dancing on top of trains and boats. It was all a bit odd, but Ms Summer was clearly enjoying herself enormously so it didn't really matter. This Time I Know It's For Real reached #3 in the UK and also made the Top 10 in the US, Canada and all over Europe. It was SAW doing what they did best, with the added bonus of reviving the career of a former disco diva like nobody else could've. Clearly, perhaps by divine intervention, Donna Summer had been forgiven.