How Donna Summer made Juliette Lewis feel “alive”
In the decade since her untimely death in 2012, Donna Summer has continued to get the praise she righteously deserved as a trailblazer of disco, funk, and R&B music. For several years, Summer’s music was used as a punchline, frequently popping up when stereotyping gay culture or taking the piss out of the disco movement. But as disco continues to influence modern styles and genres, the Queen of the genre is getting her due in wonderfully strange ways.
That includes getting praise from figures who wouldn’t necessarily seem like giant Summer fans. One of those people would be Juliette Lewis, the actress and singer who seems about as far removed from Summer’s brand of sunshine disco pop as possible. Lewis is a singer in her own right, but her style tends to be thornier and more rock-adjacent than anything Summer put out. That hasn’t stopped her from being a massive Summer fan, however.
“My parents split when I was two. It was very amicable, they were never feuding, but I did live for a good chunk of time with my mom while she was working in Florida,” Lewis explained to Pitchfork. “I remember quite literally laying on the floor of the apartment—the days of horrible maroon or brown ’70s carpet—with my ear to the radio speaker listening to Top 40. I just loved Donna Summer.”
When it came to a specific song, Lewis gravitated toward the danceable rhythms of ‘Hot Stuff’. “Disco was happening and I got some fuchsia spandex disco pants,” Lewis revealed. “‘Hot Stuff’ sounded so jubilant and adventurous. It told a story of danger, and even at that age I wanted to get out of the drudgery of this little apartment. It was like Day-Glo listening to that song, my imagination became so vibrant and alive. I never stopped loving ‘Hot Stuff’; later in life, my band did a fun rock’n’roll cover of it.”
Indeed, Lewis’ band Juliette and the Licks have their own version of ‘Hot Stuff’ that mostly replaces the pulsating synthesisers with grungy guitars. Even with its new arrangement, Lewis remains faithful to Summer’s smooth as silk vocals, with all the energy and vivacity of the original remaining intact.
Check out Lewis’ version of ‘Hot Stuff’ down below.
