"Winter Melody" is a song by American singer and songwriter Donna Summer released as a single in early-1977 from her Four Seasons of Love album. It became a top 30 hit in the UK, where it peaked at #27.[1]

"Winter Melody"
Front sleeve of the US 12-inch vinyl release; photo also used for some non-US releases and as part of the pullout calendar inserted for the parent album
Single by Donna Summer
from the album Four Seasons of Love
B-side
ReleasedJanuary 9, 1977
GenreSoul
Length6:33 (Album)
3:58 (7")
LabelCasablanca (U.S.)
GTO (U.K.)
Groovy (The Netherlands)
Songwriter(s)Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte
Producer(s)Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte
Donna Summer singles chronology
"Spring Affair"
(1976)
"Winter Melody"
(1977)
"Can't We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over)"
(1977)

By this time Summer was making her name as the queen of disco music, though this song is a soul ballad. The song represented the "winter" phase of the concept album, and speaks of a woman struggling to come to terms with the fact that her relationship has ended. As with much of Summer's material at that time (particularly with songs found on her concept albums), the song played for a considerable amount of time (over six minutes), however, the song was edited for its release as a single.

Record World said that "This is the ballad that should establish the songstress as more than just a disco personality."[2]

Weekly charts

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Chart (1977) Peak
Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[3] 59
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[4] 21
Ireland (IRMA)[5] 20
UK Singles (OCC)[6] 27
US Billboard Hot 100[7] 43
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[8] 8
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[9] 21

References

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  1. ^ Official Singles Chart Top 50 16 January 1977 - 22 January 1977 Officialcharts.com. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  2. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. January 29, 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  3. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5274." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  4. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 5276." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 2, 1991. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  5. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Winter Melody". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  6. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  7. ^ "Donna Summer Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  8. ^ "Donna Summer Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  9. ^ "Donna Summer Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2016.