Love To Love You Baby (song) - International Release and Breakthrough

International Release and Breakthrough

A tape of the song was sent to Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart in the U.S. and he played it at a party at his home. He was so impressed with the track that he continued to play it over and over all night. He later contacted Moroder and suggested that he make the track longer - possibly as long as twenty minutes. However, Summer again had reservations. She wasn't even sure of all the lyrics, but she imagined herself as an actress (namely Marilyn Monroe) playing the part of someone in sexual ecstasy. The studio lights were dimmed so that Summer was more or less in complete darkness as she lay on the floor.

The final recording lasted over sixteen minutes, and contained the sexiest "simulated" orgasms ever found on vinyl. According to the BBC, the song contained 23 "orgasms". By that point, the song was renamed "Love To Love You Baby." It took up the entire first side of the album of the same name, and was also released as a 12" single. Edited versions were also found on 7" vinyl.

Originally released in November 1975, the song became an international disco smash. In the U.S., it became Summer's first U.S. top 40 hit, spending two weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1976 and logged four weeks atop the Billboard U.S. disco chart, as well number three on the soul singles chart. In the UK, upon release in January 1976, it reached #4 on the UK Singles Chart despite the BBC's refusal to promote it. Summer would be named "the first lady of love," which labeled her with a sexually-oriented, fantasy image from which she would struggle to free herself.

Casablanca Records became responsible for the distribution of Summer's work in the U.S., and later in other parts of the world. President Neil Bogart was particularly keen for Summer to portray the image of a rich, powerful, sexy fantasy figure with which this song had labeled her. Bogart and his wife Joyce (who also became Summer's manager) would become close friends with Summer once she returned to the United States. However, Bogart also began interfering with aspects of her personal as well as professional life. Summer eventually felt that she had no control over her life and suffered with depression and insomnia. She would later become a born-again Christian, leave disco, Casablanca and the Bogarts behind, and file a lawsuit against them (which was eventually settled). Thereafter, Summer also made the decision to leave behind "Love to Love You Baby" forever. However, she would reintroduce the song into her concert repertoire some twenty-five years later.