Editing Donna Summer (section)

===1977–1979: Breakthrough success===
[[File:Donna Summer 1977.JPG|thumb|left|upright|Summer in a recording studio in September 1977]]
In 1977, Summer released the [[concept album]], ''[[I Remember Yesterday]]''. The futuristic-sounding "[[I Feel Love]]" returned Summer to the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number six, while becoming her first and only number one single in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/donna-summer-i-feel-love/|title=How Donna Summer Created the Sound of the Future on 'I Feel Love'|work=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=July 2, 2022|accessdate=May 14, 2025}}</ref> The single became her second to go gold while ''I Remember Yesterday'' was also a certified hit and was her first since ''Love to Love You Baby'' to crack the top 20 of the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]. This success helped Summer to receive her first [[American Music Award]] nomination for [[American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist|Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist]]. Another concept album, ''[[Once Upon a Time (Donna Summer album)|Once Upon a Time]]'', was quickly followed and much like Summer's previous albums before it also was certified gold for selling over a million copies. ''Once Upon a Time'' hit number one on the ''Billboard'' [[Dance Club Songs|National Disco Action]] chart while the single, "[[I Love You (Donna Summer song)|I Love You]]" barely cracked the top 40 in the US while reaching number 10 in the UK. Most of Summer's singles chart successes during this era was in the UK, with Summer having top 20 hits there with songs such as "[[Down Deep Inside]]" as the theme song for the 1977 film ''[[The Deep (1977 film)|The Deep]]'', "[[I Remember Yesterday (song)|I Remember Yesterday]]" and "[[Love's Unkind]]", which peaked at number three.

By 1978, having fully resettled in the United States after splitting time between there and Munich, where much of her albums had been recorded, Summer accepted her first film role for the disco-themed ''[[Thank God It's Friday (film)|Thank God It's Friday]]''. Summer would contribute three songs to its soundtrack, including the [[Paul Jabara]]-composed "[[Last Dance (Donna Summer song)|Last Dance]]", which returned Summer to the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number three, also reaching number 5 on the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot Soul Singles]] chart and topped the National Disco Action chart, her second single to do so. The song became one of Summer's [[signature song]]s and won the singer her first [[Grammy Award]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance|Best Female R&B Vocal Performance]] while Jabara won the [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globe]] and [[Academy Award]] for the composition. It would also be the first of eight consecutive top five hit records Summer would have in the next two years.

On November 11, 1978, Summer scored her first number one single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with her rendition of the [[Jimmy Webb]] ballad, "[[MacArthur Park (song)|MacArthur Park]]", which topped the chart for three weeks and became her fourth gold-certified single; it would be Webb's only number one hit on the Hot 100.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1978-11-11 |title=Billboard Hot 100 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date= November 11, 1978 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref> On that same day, Summer's first [[live album]], ''[[Live and More]]'', topped the ''Billboard'' 200, Summer's first album to do so. Summer became just the [[List of artists who have achieved simultaneous number-one single and album in the United States|fourth solo black artist to simultaneously have the number one single and album in the US]]. ''Live and More'' became her first album to be certified platinum in the US. Before the end of the year, Summer released a collaborative song with [[Brooklyn Dreams (group)|Brooklyn Dreams]] singer [[Joe "Bean" Esposito]] on the song "[[Heaven Knows (Donna Summer song)|Heaven Knows]]", which would peak at number four on the Hot 100 in early 1979. On January 9, 1979, Summer performed the ballad "Mimi's Song" on the globally-televised [[Music for UNICEF Concert]] special, which aimed at raising funds and awareness for children across the globe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/january-9/pop-luminaries-gather-at-the-u-n-for-the-music-for-unicef-concert|title=Pop Luminaries gather at the U.N. for the Music for UNICEF Concert - January 9, 1979|work=[[History Channel]]|accessdate=May 13, 2025}}</ref> On January 12, Summer won three American Music Awards, all in the disco category, at the [[American Music Awards of 1979|6th annual ceremony]].