She Works Hard for the Money - wikipedia She Works Hard for the Money This article is about the song. For the parent album, see She Works Hard for the Money ( album ). `` She Works Hard for the Money '' Single by Donna Summer from the album She Works Hard for the Money B - side `` I Do Believe I Fell in Love '' Released Format 7 - inch single 12 - inch single Genre New wave post-disco Length 5 : 19 ( album version ) 4 : 09 ( single edit ) Label Mercury Songwriter ( s ) Donna Summer Michael Omartian Producer ( s ) Michael Omartian Donna Summer singles chronology `` Love to Love You Baby ( re-issue ) '' ( 1983 ) `` She Works Hard for the Money '' ( 1983 ) `` Unconditional Love '' ( 1983 ) `` She Works Hard for the Money '' is a song by American singer Donna Summer from her 1983 eleventh studio album of the same name. Written by Michael Omartian and Summer, the song was released as the lead single from the She Works Hard for the Money album on May 1983, by Mercury Records. It became a hit for Summer and is one of her signature songs, reaching number one for a three - week stay atop the Billboard R&B singles chart ( her first since 1979 ), number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and number three on the Dance Club Play chart. The single ended up as Billboard 's fifteenth - best performing song of 1983. Summer performed the song live as the opening of the 1984 Grammy Awards. Summer 's Grammy performance was released on the 1994 video cassette Grammy 's Greatest Moments Volume I. Contents 1 Background and composition 2 Music video 3 Charts 3.1 Weekly charts 3.2 Year - end charts 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Background and composition Co-written with Omartian, told a story of a hard working blue collar woman. It was based on an actual encounter that Summer had with an exhausted rest room attendant named Onetta Johnson ( at the iconic Los Angeles restaurant Chasen 's ), who was later mentioned in the song and featured on the album 's back cover. According to MusicNotes.com, the song is performed in the key of G ♯ minor in common time with a tempo of 136 beats per minute. Summer 's vocals span from G ♯ to D ♯. Music video The music video for the song, directed by Brian Grant, debuted on MTV and became the first video by an African American female artist to be placed in `` heavy rotation '' ( a term used by MTV at the time to indicate a frequently - aired video ). The video shows a woman, working as a waitress in a diner, who is burdened with many situations in her life such as work and raising two unruly children. It is also seen that she has abandoned her hopes of being a ballerina. Summer appears as an observer through a kitchen window, a woman who assists the fallen - down protagonist of the video, and, at the end, a leader of a troupe of women, in various work uniforms, who have taken to the streets to signify their independence and gain recognition for their `` hard work ''. The protagonist is also seen dancing in the street with them. In a parody of the image created by this song, and its cover art picture, Summer herself appears in the Frank Sinatra video for `` L.A. Is My Lady '', released in 1984, as a waitress who serves a patron and then wipes her brow. There are two versions of the music video. One is the single edit, the other remains faithful to the original length of the album version of the song. Charts Weekly charts Chart ( 1983 ) Peak position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 19 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) Finland ( Suomen virallinen lista ) France ( IFOP ) Germany ( Official German Charts ) 11 Ireland ( IRMA ) 26 Italy ( FIMI ) 27 Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) 17 Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) 18 New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 23 Norway ( VG - lista ) 9 South Africa ( Springbok Radio ) 11 Spain ( AFYVE ) 8 Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) 5 Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) 10 UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 25 US Billboard Hot 100 US Billboard Hot Black Singles US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play US Cash Box Chart ( 2012 ) Peak position France ( SNEP ) 129 Year - end charts Chart ( 1983 ) Position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) 50 Canada ( RPM Top Singles ) 29 France ( IFOP ) 39 US Billboard Hot 100 15 US Cash Box 22 See also List of number - one R&B singles of 1983 ( U.S. ) References Jump up ^ Jones, Nate ( September 29, 2010 ). `` Rock and Roll Hall Nominations Announced : Who Has the Best Chances ? ''. Time. Retrieved May 10, 2015. With a career spanning funk ( `` Love to Love You Baby '' ), disco ( `` Last Dance '' ) and New Wave ( `` She Works Hard for the Money '' ), Summer is probably the most accomplished female artist up for induction this year. Jump up ^ Masley, Ed ( April 22, 2009 ). `` Confessions of an ' Idol ' virgin : Disco week ''. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 11, 2014. Donna Summer 's big post-disco hit `` She Works Hard For the Money '' ^ Jump up to : `` Top 100 Hits for 1983 ''. The Longbored Surfer. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Grammy 's Greatest Moments, Volume 1 : Various Artists ''. Amazon.com. Retrieved November 21, 2011. Jump up ^ Marikar, Sheila ( May 17, 2012 ). `` Donna Summer : Six Things You May Not Have Known ''. ABC News. Retrieved August 21, 2014. Jump up ^ `` She Works Hard for the Money By Donna Summer -- Digital Sheet Music ''. MusicNotes.com. Universal Music Publishing Group. Retrieved March 12, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Forum -- ARIA Charts : Special Occasion Charts -- CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989 ''. Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Donna Summer -- She Works Hard For The Money '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Top RPM Singles : Issue 4325. '' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 12, 2013. Jump up ^ Pennanen, Timo ( 2006 ). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 ( in Finnish ) ( 1st ed. ). Helsinki : Tammi. ISBN 978 - 951 - 1 - 21053 - 5. Jump up ^ `` InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste '' ( in French ). InfoDisc. Select `` Donna Summer '' from the artist drop - down menu. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Offiziellecharts.de -- Donna Summer -- She Works Hard For The Money ''. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` The Irish Charts -- Search Results -- She Works Hard ''. Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Indice per Interprete : S '' ( in Italian ). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse Top 40 -- Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money '' ( in Dutch ). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Donna Summer -- She Works Hard For The Money '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Charts.nz -- Donna Summer -- She Works Hard For The Money ''. Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Norwegiancharts.com -- Donna Summer -- She Works Hard For The Money ''. VG - lista. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 -- 1989 Acts ( S ) ''. Rock.co.za. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ Salaverri, Fernando ( September 2005 ). Sólo éxitos : año a año, 1959 -- 2002 ( in Spanish ) ( 1st ed. ). Spain : Fundación Autor - SGAE. ISBN 84 - 8048 - 639 - 2. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- Donna Summer -- She Works Hard For The Money ''. Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Swisscharts.com -- Donna Summer -- She Works Hard For The Money ''. Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Official Singles Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Donna Summer -- Awards ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 31, 2013. Jump up ^ `` CASH BOX Top 100 Singles -- Week ending AUGUST 13, 1983 ''. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012... Cash Box Jump up ^ `` Lescharts.com -- Donna Summer -- She Works Hard For The Money '' ( in French ). Les classement single. Retrieved October 12, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Forum -- ARIA Charts : Special Occasion Charts -- Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts -- 1980s ''. Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 11, 2014. Jump up ^ `` The Top Singles of 1983 ''. RPM. Vol. 39 no. 17. Library and Archives Canada. December 24, 1983. Retrieved May 15, 2018. Jump up ^ `` TOP -- 1983 '' ( in French ). Top-france.fr. Retrieved July 11, 2014. Jump up ^ `` The CASH BOX Year - End Charts : 1983 ''. Archived from the original on December 25, 2012... Cash Box. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Donna Summer Album discography Singles discography Awards Cover versions Studio albums Lady of the Night Love to Love You Baby A Love Trilogy Four Seasons of Love I Remember Yesterday Once Upon A Time Bad Girls The Wanderer I 'm a Rainbow Donna Summer She Works Hard for the Money Cats Without Claws All Systems Go Another Place and Time Mistaken Identity Christmas Spirit Crayons Live albums Live and More Live & More Encore Compilations On the Radio : Greatest Hits Volumes I & II The Summer Collection : Greatest Hits The Dance Collection : A Compilation of Twelve Inch Singles The Donna Summer Anthology Endless Summer The Ultimate Collection ( 2003 ) The Journey : The Very Best of Donna Summer Gold The Ultimate Collection ( 2016 ) Singles `` Love to Love You Baby '' `` I Feel Love '' `` Last Dance '' `` MacArthur Park '' `` Heaven Knows '' `` Hot Stuff '' `` Bad Girls '' `` Dim All the Lights '' `` No More Tears ( Enough Is Enough ) '' `` On the Radio '' `` The Wanderer '' `` Love Is in Control ( Finger on the Trigger ) '' `` She Works Hard for the Money '' `` This Time I Know It 's for Real '' Concert tours Once Upon a Time Tour Bad Girls Tour The Wanderer Tour Hard for the Money Tour Silver Girl Tour All Systems Go Tour Live & More Encore Tour Greatest Hits Tour Crayons Tour Related topics Brooklyn Dreams Pete Bellotte Joe `` Bean '' Esposito Giorgio Moroder Bruce Sudano Neil Bogart Paul Jabara Sunshine `` Down Deep Inside '' Book Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=She_Works_Hard_for_the_Money&oldid=846731124 '' Categories : 1983 singles 1983 songs Donna Summer songs Billboard Hot R&B / Hip - Hop Songs number - one singles Mercury Records singles American new wave songs Post-disco songs Song recordings produced by Michael Omartian Songs written by Donna Summer Songs written by Michael Omartian Songs with feminist themes Hidden categories : CS1 Finnish - language sources ( fi ) CS1 French - language sources ( fr ) CS1 Italian - language sources ( it ) CS1 Spanish - language sources ( es ) Use mdy dates from November 2013 Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Flanders Singlechart usages for Canadatopsingles Singlechart called without artist Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Germany2 Singlechart usages for Ireland2 Singlechart usages for Dutch40 Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Norway Singlechart usages for Sweden Singlechart usages for Switzerland Singlechart usages for UK Singlechart usages for France Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français 日本 語 Norsk Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 20 June 2018, at 15 : 11 ( UTC ). 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Question: she works hard for the money what is it about
Answer: a story of a hard working blue collar woman