"This Time I Know It's for Real" is a song by American singer-songwriter
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular m ...
, released on February 13, 1989, as the first single from her 14th studio album, ''
Another Place and Time
''Another Place and Time'' is the fourteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, released on March 20, 1989 by Atlantic Records and PWL. The album was produced by Stock Aitken Waterman and featured Summer's top-10 hit " This ...
'' (1989), by
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most ...
and
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
. Like the rest of the album, the song was written and produced by the British
Stock Aitken Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. SAW is considered ...
(SAW) team, though Summer also had a hand in writing this song.
Summer became aware of SAW after her husband,
Bruce Sudano
Bruce Charles Sudano (born September 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, noted for creating songs for artists such as Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire and his late wife, the Grammy Award-winning singer Donna Summer. Sudano is ...
, drew her attention to their work during a visit to Europe. She was further encouraged by
Rick Astley's subsequent success, saying she "loved his production".
Hitting it off with the producers immediately, Summer recalled that the song came together on their first day working together, a rare case of "hitting the nail on the head the first time".
While she was enthusiastic, her then US label boss
David Geffen
David Lawrence Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American business magnate, producer and film studio executive. He co-created Asylum Records in 1971 with Elliot Roberts, Geffen Records in 1980, DGC Records in 1990, and DreamWorks SKG in 19 ...
wanted a rockier sound with more guitars from the SAW sessions, a dictate which was immediately refused by
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterm ...
.
The song became Summer's biggest hit in the United Kingdom since the 1970s (during which time she had been the most popular female
disco artist), reaching number three and spending a total of 14 weeks in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
top 75, longer than any of her other singles there.
It also reached number seven in both the United States and Canada, becoming her 14th and final US top-10 hit on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 as well as the last top-40 hit of Summer's career. The song was also successful on the ''Billboard''
Hot Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
chart, peaking at number two.
With
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and ...
ending her US deal due to an impasse over the new material, this was Summer's first US single to be released on
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most ...
.
Since 1980 she had been signed to Geffen, but her work across Europe had always been distributed by Warner Bros.' main label. This would continue to be the case following her signing to Atlantic.
Critical reception
Alex Henderson from
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
described the song as a "exuberant, club-friendly
Euro-dance
Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of Hip hop music, hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro ...
/
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and th ...
" gem. Pan-European magazine ''
Music & Media
''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...
'' commented, "Very much a
SAW production with Summer's voice adding a touch of class. Her first chance of a major hit since 1983's "
She Works Hard for the Money
"She Works Hard for the Money" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from her album ''She Works Hard for the Money'' (1983). The song was written by Michael Omartian and Summer, and produced by the former. It was released as the lead single ...
"." ''Pop Rescue'' also stated that the song "simply oozes S/A/W sound from the very first moment it bursts open with some very
Rick Astley
Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, songwriter and radio personality, who has been active in music for several decades. He gained worldwide fame in the 1980s, having multiple hits including his signature song " Ne ...
/
Sonia
Sonia, Sonja or Sonya, a name of Greek origin meaning wisdom, may refer to:
People
* Sonia (name), a feminine given name (lists people named, Sonia, Sonja and Sonya)
:* Sonia (actress), Indian film actress in Malayalam and Tamil films
:* So ...
-esque drums. This is textbook S/A/W and is absolutely flawless." In 2021, British magazine ''
Classic Pop
Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...
'' ranked the song number nine in their list of 'Top 40 Stock Aitken Waterman songs', underlining its success on the charts.
Music video
A
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...
was made to accompany the song, directed by Swiss director/editor and producer
Dieter Trattmann. City destinations were London, UK to Shanghai, China to Honolulu, Hawaii to San Francisco, California to New York City, NY & back to London, UK.........
Track listings
* 7" single
# "This Time I Know It's for Real" – 3:36
# "Whatever Your Heart Desires (Original Mix)" – 3:50
* 12" maxi
# "This Time I Know It's for Real" (Extended Version) – 7:20
# "Whatever Your Heart Desires (Original Mix)" – 3:50
# "This Time I Know It's for Real" (Instrumental) – 3:34
Official versions
* Album/7" Version (3:36)
* Extended Version (aka Extended Remix) (7:20)
* Instrumental (3:36)
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Young Divas version
Australian girl group
Young Divas
Young Divas was an Australian pop girl group formed in 2006 by Sony BMG Australia, initially for a one-off single and national tour to promote all members as solo artists. The original line-up consisted of former ''Australian Idol'' contestants ...
covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of ...
"This Time I Know It's for Real" to coincide with nationwide tour dates from July to August 2006. The song was produced by George Papapetros and Max Kourilov and released as a
CD single
A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any s ...
on May 6, 2006, to attract attention for the tour. "This Time I Know It's for Real" peaked at number two on the
ARIA Singles Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...
and spent 14 weeks in the top ten.
It was certified platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...
(ARIA), for shipments of 70,000 copies. The song was later included on their self-titled debut album ''
Young Divas
Young Divas was an Australian pop girl group formed in 2006 by Sony BMG Australia, initially for a one-off single and national tour to promote all members as solo artists. The original line-up consisted of former ''Australian Idol'' contestants ...
''. Due to an overwhelming response of the Young Divas' version of "This Time I Know It's for Real", a
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...
was filmed to accompany the song's release.
Track listing
* CD single
#"This Time I Know It's for Real" (Radio Edit)
#"This Time I Know It's for Real" (Extended Remix)
Credits and personnel
*Vocals –
Emily Williams,
Kate DeAraugo
Katherine Jenna DeAraugo (born 5 November 1985) is an Australian singer-songwriter who in 2005 was the third winner of ''Australian Idol''. After ''Idol'', DeAraugo signed to Sony BMG and released her debut single, " Maybe Tonight", in November ...
,
Paulini
Pauline Curuenavuli (born 15 October 1982), known professionally as Paulini, is a Fijian-Australian singer and songwriter. Born in Suva, Paulini moved to Sydney with her family at the age of four. She rose to fame in 2003 as a contestant on the ...
,
Ricki-Lee Coulter
Ricki-Lee Dawn Coulter (born 10 November 1985), also known mononymously as Ricki-Lee, is a New Zealand-born Australian singer, songwriter, television, and radio presenter. She was born in Auckland, New Zealand, grew up on the Gold Coast, Qu ...
*Songwriting –
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Honorific nicknames in popular m ...
,
Matt Aitken
Matthew James Aitken (born 25 August 1956) is an English songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as the creative force behind the 1980s and early 1990s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman ...
,
Mike Stock,
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterm ...
*Production - George Papapetros, Max Kourilov
*Mixing – George Papapetros, Max Kourilov
*Arrangements – George Papapetros, Max Kourilov
*Mastering – Oscar Gaona,
Tom Coyne
Source
Weekly chart
Year-end charts
Certification
Other cover versions
In 2004, British singer
Kelly Llorenna
Kelly Llorenna (born 1975) is an English dance music singer, who was born in Slough, Berkshire and raised in Oldham, Greater Manchester. She is best known as the former lead vocalist for the dance group N-Trance in the 1990s. Their biggest hi ...
reached number fourteen on the UK Singles Chart with her version of the song.
[Roberts, David (Managing Editor) (2005), ''British Hit Singles & Albums (Edition 18)'', Guinness World Records Limited, ]
References
{{Authority control
1989 songs
1989 singles
2006 singles
Donna Summer songs
Dance-pop songs
Synth-pop songs
Songs written by Donna Summer
Songs written by Mike Stock (musician)
Songs written by Matt Aitken
Songs written by Pete Waterman
Song recordings produced by Stock Aitken Waterman
Warner Records singles
Atlantic Records singles
Sony Music Australia singles