A few weeks ago a REEL crossed my path where a seemingly nice young lady was super exited because a realtor friend called her up and said that an apartment he will show needs to be cleaned out and the woman who lived there had an entire wardrobe of VINTAGE clothes from the, wait for it…1970’s. Yes, I typed 1970’s because if someone references the ’70s as vintage, I assume they mean clothes from the 1870’s.

1970’s. Vintage? I don’t think so.

Anyways. This young lady’s excitement of finding an entire closet full of bell bottoms and knitted vests was eventful enough that I did a little math. It seems the 70’s were 50 years ago. When I was growing up in the 70’s, fifty years prior to that were the roaring ’20s and dressing up as a flapper for Halloween was so common to me I didn’t even consider it Vintage.

50 years. When the actual fuck did that happen? I mean, I understand that I’ll be 56 this year and when I was 40 I looked at people who were 56 and thought, ‘geez, I hope I’ll still be able to lift when I’m 56.’ Joke’s on me because right now my lifting is spotty but I’m doing what I can and it turns out that I think I’m fabulous at almost 56 and I STILL get mistaken for being younger than my 48 year old hot hunky hubs.

But today isn’t how hot 70’s linebackers were or how fabulous I am, it’s about the Jams. Look, I understand how each generation believes their music was “the greatest” but when it comes to the 70’s, well, it was truly the greatest. Sorry not sorry. You had the folk music coming out of the 60’s; new rock; funk; smooth rock; disco; some of the greatest country music in the history of country; and towards the end of the decade punk was becoming more mainstream and us suburban kids thought we were pretty badass because we could identify music from The Clash or Siouxsie and the Banshees.

When trying to come up with one Friday Jam to represent the 70’s, it’s impossible. I loved Donna Fargo; Johnny Denver; Queen; Blondie; Tanya Tucker; The Jackson’s; Cher; Deep Purple; Led Zeppelin; Olivia Newton John; Earth, Wind & Fire; The Pointer Sisters. I haven’t even gotten into the Blues or Soul! Point is, 70’s music is unbeatable for a generation of musical growth (and death. RIP Disco.)

So I’ll go with the queen, Donna Summer. When looking for a musician to identify with in the 70’s, my go to was Donna Summer. Sure, Blondie was sassy and hot and the whole Playboy bunny thing was an added layer of mystique. But I wasn’t built like Blondie and honestly, being introduced to sex so young and in such an abusive mode, I didn’t want to identify with a rock star who was also so overtly sexual. I guess some parts of me still clung to being a kid. Same reason I couldn’t identify with Olivia Newton-John, she was too pure. I was too dirty.

But Donna Summer was gritty. She didn’t ask for special favors, just a chance to be heard. She was curvy and imperfect but still sexy and soft spoken. I’ve never been soft spoken, it’s a quality I admire. She walked out on a stage and commanded, purely through her talents, that she be recognized and respected. Also, she was a little on the bad side. She made it okay to have a bad side, I needed that. She was one of the most beautiful women who has walked the planet in my lifetime and I hope sincerely that she had a good life. The joy and escape her music provided me was invaluable at times. Even trying to decide which of her songs to play was tought but ultimately, I went with the song that I listened to no less than 58,000 times. Donna Summer isn’t vintage, she’s immortal.

God had to create Disco music so I could be born and be successful.

Donna Summer