Name That Tune: Our Top Ten Donna Songs

 

Just as we had a band called The Bens for our Top Ten Ben Songs, The Donnas were an obvious choice to open this week's post... although there is a far more famous Donna who we come to shortly.

I think that there is also a band called The Donnas, said Charity Chic, who was in a huff because I sided with George last week. 

Please please please include all girl band The Donnas with the wonderfully dirty glorious 'Take It Off', said C.

I agree with C, The Donnas are ace, said Swiss Adam.

Even my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben, was quick to chime in that I should feature the great Aussie garage band, The Donnas...

I haven't the heart to tell him they're American. He gets upset if you challenge his youthful wisdom.  (It's OK, he doesn't read this. He's far too busy. He votes by proxy.)

Anyway, here they are, with one of many fine tunes from their back catalogue...

The Donnas - Take It Off

Althea and Donna! Charity Chic adds, clearly over his huff, to the point that he had to shout it twice. 

Althea & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking

There's no denying that's a fine tune and ting, though I have a large soft spot for this version...

Black Box Recorder - Uptown Top Ranking

There were less suggestions this week because there are less songs featuring Donnas. I'm not saying I engineered it that way to cut down on my workload... but if we do My Top Ten Eammon Songs next week... well...

Still, there were a few strong suggestions that didn't quite make the Top Ten. Such as this one from Lynchie...

Frank Zappa had a song called "Donna Ya Wanna", but it's very rare - only on live bootlegs I think.

Sadly so rare I couldn't find it on youtube. Although it did suggest this fine slice of Zappa as an alternative...

Frank Zappa - Honey Don't You Want A Man Like Me

And this one from my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben, which is fine, but obviously far too young and hip for my ageing lug-holes.

Vince Staples - Prima Donna 

One of the best mainstream hip hop releases of the second half of the 2010s, says our man with yoof on his side.

On a similar trip, there were these...

Cass McCombs - Prima Donna (also from Ben)

Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel - Love's A Prima Donna (from Rigid Digit)

Uriah Heep - Prima Donna (from me, unashamedly)

Dion - Donna The Prima Donna (also from me)

Inkubus Sukkubus - Belladonna & Aconite (no idea where that came from)

It's worth noting that at this point I considered allowing songs with Madonna in the title, but it opened up a whole kettle of fish and I wondered how I'd manage to make ends meet. But still, there was this...

Robyn Hitchcock - Madonna of the Wasps

And this, obviously...

T-Rex - Mad Donna

All of which leaves the following scrapings from my hard drive this week...

Art of Noise - (Do) Donna (Do)

The Blues Busters - DonnaBob Marley & The Wailers - Donna

Too Much Joy - Donna Everywhere

Definitely worth a listen if you like chunky guitars.

The Everly Brothers - Donna, Donna

Waylon Jennings - Donna On My Mind

DeBarge - Who's Holding Donna Now

The frightening thing is, I actually remember that.

The Lumineers - Donna (Part 1 Of 10)

And it's worth mentioning this, I suppose, even though it's not actually about a Donna...

Paul Young & Zucchero - Senza Una Donna

As for lyrical Donnas...

The Kinks - Afternoon Tea

Tea time won't be the same without my Donna
At night I lie awake and dream of Donna
I think about that small cafe
That's where we used to meet each day
And then we used to sit a while
And drink our afternoon tea

OK, time for the Top Ten...

10. Donovan - Donna Donna

Suggested by Lynchie. I have to wonder why Donovan would want to go out with another Donna though. Too confusing. It'd be like me going out with a Rolamina.

Rigid Digit and my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben, preferred this version...

Joan Baez - Donna Donna

When you dig a little deeper though, you discover it's not a song about a girl at all, but an old Yiddish song from the 1940s about a calf being led to slaughter.

The Marty Eisenstein Ensamble - Dona Dona (Yiddish, Hebrew & English)

9. The Demilles - Donna Lee

Classic doo wop.

8. Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna

A deadly side-track suggestion from Rigid Digit, though Stevie's always worth a listen. This also led me to dredge out...

The Avett Brothers - Bella Donna

Siouxsie & The Banshees - Belladonna

7. Go Kart Mozart - Donna & The Dopefiends

There's a sense of hostile futile misery

They say the devil's got the best tuunes

I guess it's kind of true

And if you want some proof...

Hey Donna come on

See also...

Nazareth - Donna, Get Off That Crack

Donna has a nine year old kid
In another months time she's expecting twins
She says she can quit anytime she likes
But I know she's on a mission tonight
Donna get off that crack says the sign on the third floor flat
Donna get off that crack just say no get your life back
Don't pay no bills don't pay the rent
But you don't forget where the money went
And who will you turn to when the money's all gone
You'll wonder why, why you were born

I wish that was a Flight of the Conchords piss-take. But I think they're serious. My millennial hipster politico friend, Ben, objects to that because he says it's "classist", which I didn't even know was a word. But I guess you can see his point.

6. Pixies - On Graveyard Hill

From last year's Pixies album, Beneath The Eyrie, which I ended up listening to quite a lot during the first lockdown. Not the kind of Donna you want to meet on Halloween...

And when the moon grows smaller
Donna picks out a flower
Gives her a witchy power
There in the witching hour, in the witching hour
Donna's taking her potion, eating all my devotion
Fucking up my emotion, in the witching hour
Donna picks her a flower, in the witching hour 

5. Ritchie Valens - Oh Donna

Suggested by Lynchie... and my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben, who adds, the two best versions are the ones by The Misfits and Miles Davis.

The Misfits - Oh Donna

Miles Davis - Oh Donna 

I had to tell him off for name-dropping Miles Davis just to sound cool. 

So he gave me this instead...

MxPx - Oh Donna

4. Badly Drawn Boy - Donna And Blitzen

I reckon it's close enough to Christmas to sneak this in.

What do you mean they cancelled Christmas this year!?

3. 10cc - Donna

A song about a kebab, says Rigid Digit.

10cc is the 70s version of Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman releasing a grime album, says my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben.

Which was almost enough to get them to Number One in my book.  

2. Prefab Sprout - Donna Summer

Speaking of Donna Summer, said Brian, here's early Paddy that goes back to at least '84...

Which gets you almost top marks as far as I'm concerned, Brian, and allows me to pay proper tribute to the lady many of you expected to be at the top of the page...

Obvs a picture of Donna Summer is required, said Charity Chic... although he loses points for saying "obvs".

As does Swiss Adam...

Donna Summer, obvs - I Feel Love for starters and State Of Independence is always one that does it for me.

Come on, guys, you're both grown men - you're both older than me, for pity's sake! Leave "obvs" to the young uns, eh?

Anyway, here's Donna Summer with a song written specially for her by Bruce Springsteen (who also wrote Cover Me with her in mind, until Jon Landau convinced him to keep it for himself)...

Donna Summer - Protection

And here... here's a song in which Donna Summer actually mentions her own name! That's got to take the prize this week.

1. Donna Summer - My Man (Medley)

A medley of Gershwin, Duke Ellington and Shelton Brooks, live, produced by Giorgio Moroder, with the final track reworded eponymously...

Some of these days

You're gonna miss your Donna!

NEXT WEEK: OUR TOP TEN 

EDWARD / ED / EDDIE SONGS

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