Dinner with Gershwin

"Dinner with Gershwin"
Single by Donna Summer
from the album All Systems Go
B-side	Dinner With Gershwin (Instrumental)
Released	1987
Format	7" single, 12" single
Recorded	Studio 55, Los Angeles, 1987
Genre	Dance-pop/R&B
Length	4:12 (7" version) 4:35 (LP version) 4:52 (Instrumental) 7:43 (Extended version)
Label	Geffen (U.S.) Warner Bros. Records (Europe)
Writer(s)	Brenda Russell
Producer	Richard Perry & Brenda Russell
Donna Summer singles chronology
"Eyes" (1985) "Dinner With Gershwin" (1987) "Only the Fool Survives" (1987)

"Dinner with Gershwin" is song written by Brenda Russell. It was first recorded by Donna Summer in 1987, which Russell co-produced with Richard Perry.

"Dinner With Gershwin" was the first single off Summer's All Systems Go album which was Summer's first album of new material released in four years. "Dinner With Gershwin" returned Summer to the Billboard R&B Top Ten - at #10 - for a final time but became the first lead single off a Donna Summer album of new material since 1978 to fall short of the Pop Top 40, peaking at #48.

"Dinner With Gershwin" was better received on the UK charts entering the Top 30 in November 1987, with Summer's 19 November appearance on Top of the Pops - her first - assisting the track to a #13 peak.

The song was edited from the original album version for its release as a single, and the 12" edition also contained an exclusive non-album track called "Tearin' Down The Walls."

Brenda Russell later recorded her own version of the song for her 1990 album Kiss Me With The Wind.

Track listing

7" - Geffen Records 7-28418 / Warner Bros. - 258 237-7

1. "Dinner with Gershwin" – 4:12
2. "Dinner with Gershwin (Instrumental)" – 4:52

12" - Warner Bros. U 8237 T

1. "Dinner with Gershwin (Extended Version)" – 7:43
2. "Dinner with Gershwin (LP Version)" – 4:35
3. "Tearing Down the Walls" – 3:59

• Also released as a picture disc (U 8237 TP)

Personnel

• Richard Perry - Producer
• Brenda Russell - Associate Producer, Additional Synthesizer, Backing Vocals
• Steve Lindsey - Synthesizer, Organ, Piano, Drum Programming
• Donald Griffin - Guitar
• Howie Rice - Clav
• Stanley Clarke - Clav Concept
• Larry Klein - Fretless Bass, Additional Synthesizer
• Gary Herbig - Clarinet
• Collyer Spreen - Percussion
• Terral (Terry) Santiel - Additional Percussion
• Bunny Hull, Joe Turano, Maxie Anderson - Background Vocals
• Glen Holguin - Engineering
• Steve Peck - Additional Engineering
• Ken Felton, Kraig Miller, Scott Maddox - Second Engineer

Chart positions

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Canadian RPM Singles Chart	39
Irish Singles Chart[1]	13
Dutch GfK chart[2]	43
Dutch Top 40	34
UK Singles Chart[3]	13
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[4]	48
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[4]	13
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[4]	16
U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles[4]	10

References

1. ^ "The Irish Charts". IRMA. http://www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2011-03-14. 
2. ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Discografie Donna Summer". © 2006-2011 Hung Medien. http://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Donna+Summer. Retrieved 2011-03-14. 
3. ^ "Chart Stats: Donna Summer". ChartStats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=286. Retrieved 2011-03-13. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} "Donna Summer > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5556. Retrieved 2011-03-14.