Donna (song)
Encyclopedia
"Donna" is a song written and sung by Ritchie Valens
featuring the 50s progression
. The song was released in 1958
on Del-Fi Records
. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart the following year, becoming Valens' highest-charting single. The song was covered by another Del-Fi artist and western actor, Johnny Crawford
, in 1962. It was also covered in 2003 by American punk band The Misfits on their album Project 1950
, which was a cover album of 1950s songs.
It was written as a tribute to his high school sweetheart, Donna Ludwig, now known as Donna Fox.
"Donna", the second Ritchie Valens single released, was the A side
of the influential and much more famous song "La Bamba
". This single was only one of three, along with the previous single ("Come On, Let's Go"/"Framed" – Del-Fi 4106) and the follow-up ("Fast Freight"/"Big Baby Blues" – Del-Fi 4111) ever released in Valens's lifetime.
Original Del-Fi pressings of "Donna"/"La Bamba" include black and sea green labels with circles, later replaced with solid sea green or solid dark green labels. Early 1960s pressings have black labels with sea green "sawtooth" outer edge.
The song was featured on the soundtrack for the Mafia II
video game.
It was played repeatedly in an episode of That 70's Show after Eric and Donna break up.
Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
featuring the 50s progression
50s progression
The 50s progression is a chord progression and turnaround used in Western popular music. As the name implies, it was common in the 1950s and early 1960s and is particularly associated with doo-wop...
. The song was released in 1958
1958 in music
-Events:*February - 45,000 peoplein one week watch performances of "rokabirī" music by Japanese singers at the first Nichigeki Western Carnival....
on Del-Fi Records
Del-Fi Records
Del-Fi Records was a record label based in Hollywood, California and owned by Bob Keane. The label's first single released was no 4101 "Caravan" by Henri Rose released in 1958; however, the label was most famous for signing Ritchie Valens. Valens' first single for the label was "Come On Let's Go"...
. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart the following year, becoming Valens' highest-charting single. The song was covered by another Del-Fi artist and western actor, Johnny Crawford
Johnny Crawford
John Ernest "Johnny" Crawford is a prolific American character actor, singer and musician. At 12, Crawford rose to fame for playing Mark McCain, the son of the Lucas McCain character , in the popular 1960s ABC western series, The Rifleman, which aired from 1958 to 1963...
, in 1962. It was also covered in 2003 by American punk band The Misfits on their album Project 1950
Project 1950
-Chart positions:-Bonus DVD:# "This Magic Moment"# "Dream Lover"# "Diana"# "Donna"# "Runaway"*Tracks 1-4, recorded at the Phillips US Open Snowboarding Championships*Track 5, recorded live, at The World in NYCBonus Material...
, which was a cover album of 1950s songs.
It was written as a tribute to his high school sweetheart, Donna Ludwig, now known as Donna Fox.
"Donna", the second Ritchie Valens single released, was the A side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the influential and much more famous song "La Bamba
La Bamba (song)
"La Bamba" is a Mexican folk song, originally from the state of Veracruz, best known from a 1958 adaptation by Ritchie Valens, a top 40 hit in the U.S. charts and one of early rock and roll's best-known songs...
". This single was only one of three, along with the previous single ("Come On, Let's Go"/"Framed" – Del-Fi 4106) and the follow-up ("Fast Freight"/"Big Baby Blues" – Del-Fi 4111) ever released in Valens's lifetime.
Original Del-Fi pressings of "Donna"/"La Bamba" include black and sea green labels with circles, later replaced with solid sea green or solid dark green labels. Early 1960s pressings have black labels with sea green "sawtooth" outer edge.
Other Versions
- Bobby FullerBobby FullerRobert Gaston "Bobby" Fuller was an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitar player best known for his singles "I Fought the Law" and "Love's Made a Fool of You," recorded with his mid-1960s group, the Bobby Fuller Four....
recorded a cover of the song, however, it went unreleased until it was put on Shakedown! The Texas Tapes Revisited in 1996. - Clem SnideClem SnideClem Snide is an alt-country band featuring Eef Barzelay , Brendan Fitzpatrick and Ben Martin .-History:"Clem Snide" is a character in several novels by William S. Burroughs, including Naked Lunch, The Ticket That Exploded, and Exterminator!...
covered the song on their 2000 album, Your Favorite MusicYour Favorite MusicYour Favorite Music is the second album by indie rock band Clem Snide. The album was originally released as their major-label debut by Sire Records, but the label dropped them prior to the release...
. - Misfits covered the song on their 2003 release, Project 1950Project 1950-Chart positions:-Bonus DVD:# "This Magic Moment"# "Dream Lover"# "Diana"# "Donna"# "Runaway"*Tracks 1-4, recorded at the Phillips US Open Snowboarding Championships*Track 5, recorded live, at The World in NYCBonus Material...
.
Other Uses
The song was used in a television commercial for Visa. The commercial featured a young male having the words "I love Donna" being tattooed on his arm while his girlfriend named Donna watches. In the middle of the tattoo session, the tattoo artist demands an additional payment from the young man, refusing to finish the tattoo unless the young man pays the artist an additional sum of money. As a result of the young man lacking the money demanded to complete the tattoo, the tattoo artist stops working on the tattoo, at which time it reads "I love Don", leaving the girlfriend angry. The commercial implies that if the man had a Visa check card, he could have used it to pay the tattoo artist to have the tattoo completed with the original intended message, and presumably, a happy girlfriend. The song then changes to "Oh Don", which the man responds to "Very funny." and walks off.The song was featured on the soundtrack for the Mafia II
Mafia II
Mafia II is a third-person action-adventure video game, the sequel to Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. It is developed by 2K Czech, previously known as Illusion Softworks, and is published by 2K Games...
video game.
It was played repeatedly in an episode of That 70's Show after Eric and Donna break up.