DONNA

I remember listening to this actual single at home as a very young boy, in the late 70's. My big brother had it. I was probably under ten years old, so it must have been several years before listening to music actively (not just "passively", thanks to my big brother and sister) became a hobby for me. The tongue-in-cheek ironic song 'Donna' made an unforgettable impression to the little kid. The falsetto vocals made me wonder if one of the singers was a woman or a man, confused further by the way the voice changes pitch midway. And the telephone call part, it added an exciting sense of drama and theatrics. I wasn't aware that the music was a parody of the 50's doo-wop style.

'Donna' was the first single of the Manchester-based quartet named as 10cc by their producer Jonathan King. The musical backgrounds of Lol Creme, Kevin Godley, Graham Gouldman and Eric Stewart go back to mid-sixties -- both as musicians and, especially in the case of Graham Gouldman, as songwriters. Even the same foursome were working together in various projects before the birth of 10cc. 'Donna' was a success. It was chosen by BBC Radio 1 disc jockey Tony Blackburn as his Record of the Week, helping to launch it into the Top 30. The song peaked at No. 2 in the UK in October 1972. The eponymous debut album containing the song was released the next year.

Of the B side instrumental piece 'Hot Sun Rock' I didn't have any memories. It's not bad at all albeit a bit trivial. It has a slight feel that it's just an unfinished song, missing the vocals and lyrics. It didn't appear on the album, nor has it much seen the light of day in retrospective releases of 10cc.

Today I couldn't list 'Donna' among my favourite 10cc songs (I'm not fond of doo-wop or fifties pop), but it's definitely an interesting debut!