Cathy's Soapbox

[OCT 4 2003]

Some incoherent ramblings caused by acute Summer Fever....

Wow! What a week! I know at least one of you has asked why I haven't posted anything about The Journey since it came out the other day. Well, partly I wanted time to listen to it a little while, and partly I got caught up in other things in Donna-land. It's been quite a week! The same day my copy of the CD arrived, Random House sent me an advance copy of the book. (I officially take back every rotten thing I ever said about them not answering my email.  LOL) Then on top of that we had the whole KTU ticket deal. My family came this close to putting me in a mental home!  LOL 

Anyway,  I guess the best place to start is with the CD just because I got that first. I have to admit that I haven't played the whole thing through yet. Since I already have the old songs, I just jumped right to the new ones. Can I just say that I LOVE That's The Way! You have no idea! I must have played just that track alone 40 or 50 times already. It's just one of those fun songs that makes you feel happy when you hear it. It even sounds like it was fun to record. My favorite part is the little rap in the middle - I can't not smile when I get to that part. I was sorely tempted to make THAT the quote of the week!   LOL

Next up is I Will Live For Love. The song was intended for a children's musical and that shows in the lyrics. Some see that as a flaw – I don't. (But then I've been a musical freak since I was a kid.) It starts off as a ballad then kicks into a high energy dance track. I like it, but I think I'd like it more if it stayed a ballad. (In case you've all forgotten I'm the resident ballad freak around here. And if I haven't said it lately Christmas Spirit RULES! ;-) ) Now if one version of I Will Live For Love isn't enough for you, there is also the 12" single version on the bonus CD. That's was a pretty smart move because I've noticed that a lot of fans seem to prefer this version to the original. I haven't actually made up my mind which version I prefer yet - that might be because I'm spending too much time playing That's The Way. (As if there is any such thing as "spending too much time" listening to a song!   LOL)

Last but not least, the bonus CD includes the long-awaited for LEGAL release of You're So Beautiful - the hot club song of the summer. Now I can stop feeling guilty for having the MP3! This version is a little different from the one that originally leaked. It's a little longer, and it's been tweaked a bit here and there, but basically it's still the same monster club track. And now with a label behind it, maybe dance radio everywhere can finally pick it up. Why should Boston listeners be the only ones who get to hear it? (Hey KTU - that's a hint!!!  ;-) )

Now moving on to Ordinary Girl. I'm really struggling with what to say about the book that won't give away any surprises. I could tell you about the part where she....... oh no wait. I can't. That might spoil it for you. So let me tell you about the part where....... oh no, I can't tell you that either. It's another spoiler. Of course, there is also the part...... no, that would spoil it too.   ;-)

But seriously, the book is 248 pages that includes quite a few black and white pictures - many of which I've never seen before. There are a few pictures of her as a child, a number from her days in Germany, and quite a few pictures of the family. There are a couple pages of acknowledgements in the back, a discography and a little info on Donna's artwork.

One thing that I really liked (without giving anything away LOL) is that the whole book is written in the first person. There are no direct quotes from anyone else, and when the stage has to be set - Donna does that herself. It's what you would get if Donna sat down beside you and just started telling you about her life. Another thing that struck me was that at least twice, Donna changed (or disguised) the names of certain people to protect the innocent - or the guilty as the case may be. LOL I figure that's either really classy, or those people paid her a heck of a lot of blackmail money!    ;-)

Ordinary Girl includes all the stories we've already heard about how Paul Jabara got Donna to record Last Dance, about the recording of Enough Is Enough, about She Works Hard For The Money, etc - but there is a lot in there that we never heard about before. (and I mean A LOT.) Like the time....... oops! I almost said something I shouldn't have!  ;-) You are going to find when you read the book that there are  of course some happy things, some sad things and a few downright scary things - but mostly you'll find a lot of warmth and love. And that is especially apparent every time Donna talks about her family. From the opening dedication to her mom, to the description of her parents dancing, to the time she met Bruce, to the descriptions of her children - there is absolutely no doubt who the most important people are in Donna's life.

I have to give Donna a lot of credit. It could not have been easy just to sit down and write a lot of the stuff she talks about. But then to put it in a book that is available for the whole world to read....... that takes guts! If I were in her shoes - I could never do it. (Although I could reconsider if the people in my life stop paying me my blackmail money.   ;-) )

Stepping off the soapbox to put my straitjacket back on........

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