Crayons (album): Difference between revisions

Crayons
Crayons
Studio album by Donna Summer
Released	May 20, 2008
Recorded	2006–2008
Genre	R&B
Length	50:18
Label	Burgundy
Producer	Nathan DiGesare; Toby Gad; Jamie Houston; Greg Kurstin; Lester Mendez; Sebastian Arocha Morton; J. R. Rotem;
Donna Summer chronology
Singles from Crayons
	"I'm a Fire"; Released: March 11, 2008; "Stamp Your Feet"; Released: April 15, 2008; "It's Only Love"; Released: August 5, 2008 (US); "Fame (The Game)"; Released: November 19, 2008;

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Crayons is the seventeenth and final studio album by American singer Donna Summer. It was released through Sony Burgundy on May 20, 2008, in the United States. Recorded over a period of two years since signing with the Sony Music label in 2006, Crayons marked Summer's first full-length studio album in fourteen years since 1994's Christmas Spirit, and her first album of original material since 1991's Mistaken Identity. She worked with a number of different producers and songwriters on the album, including Greg Kurstin, J. R. Rotem, Wayne Hector, Toby Gad, Lester Mendez.

The album debuted and peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard 200 and entered the top fifty of the Italian Albums Chart. Crayons was preceded by its first official single, "Stamp Your Feet", which was released to radio on April 15, 2008. A follow-up, "I'm a Fire", reached number-one on the US Dance Club Songs, giving Summer her 13th number-one hit on that chart. Crayons marked Summer's last album released before her death on May 17, 2012.

Background

Crayons marked Summer's first full-length studio album in fourteen years since 1994's Christmas Spirit. When commenting on the album, Summer explained, "I wanted this album to have a lot of different directions on it [...] I did not want it to be any one baby. I just wanted it to be a sampler of flavors and influences from all over the world. There's a touch of this, a little smidgeon of that, a dash of something else [...] like when you're cooking."^[2] The lead track "Stamp Your Feet" was originally called "The Player's Anthem" and talks about "being a player in life, coupled with the idea of being a player on an actual field, the whole thing, dealing with the pain and doing things even though you are afraid."^[2]

Summer wrote "The Queen Is Back" and "Mr. Music" with Jonathan "J.R." Rotem and Evan Bogart, whose father, Casablanca Records boss Neil Bogart, died from cancer at the age of 39.^[2] When Summer met Evan Bogart, she was struck by his uncanny resemblance to his label executive father, commenting: "Evan and I hit it off immediately; there was a synergy that happened really quickly."^[2] "The Queen is Back," which discusses her musical legacy and public persona, samples "Lose Control" by Kevin Federline. Both songs were produced by Rotem.^[2] About the song "Crayons", Summer said, "It encompasses a lot of what the album is about [...] Everybody gets crayons at some point in their lives, everybody can relate to the basics. It comes down to that child in us, I think there's a commonality in the concept of crayons."^[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	66/100^[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
BBC	(favorable)^[4]
Billboard	(positive)^[5]
Boston Herald	B^[6]
Canoe.ca	^[7]
Digital Spy	^[8]
The Guardian	^[9]
Okayplayer	(78/100)^[10]
Slant Magazine	^[11]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Crayons has an average score of 66 based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[3] Billboard felt that "this surprisingly lively set finds the former disco diva teaming with a crew of young collaborators for a series of uptempo forays into stomping dance-pop, juke-joint blues-rock, breezy Latin jazz and African-accented soul."^[5] Christian John Wikane from PopMatters wrote that "the core theme of Crayons is variety. It brazenly flaunts a collage of sounds, while showcasing the multiplicity of Donna Summer's musical selves."^[12] In his review for The Village Voice, Alfred Soto found that "on Crayons, it's like no time has passed at all, and of course it hasn't: As Lloyd Richards says to Margo Channing in All About Eve, the stars never die and never change."^[13]

Allmusic editor Andy Kellman found that Crayons "benefits from Summer's effortless energy; she was clearly into making this album, and her voice is as able and flexible as ever. However, almost all of the material with which she has to work [...] would make more sense on an album by a female teen pop group from the UK or, in some cases, a young adult catering to the coffeehouse market [...] In-fashion vocal effects, which Summer certainly does not need, detract from a handful of these tracks, but as a whole, the album won't have trouble pleasing fans who just want to hear their queen have a blast and tear it up."^[1] Slant Magazine critic Eric Henderson wrote that the album was Summer's "attempt to finally share, but the results are about as personal as food-dyed wax. The music is harmlessly listenable, and the requisite nods to her dance-floor legacy."^[11]

Commercial performance

Crayons debuted and peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard 200 first-week sales of 23,000 units, marking Summer's highest-charting album since her 1983 album She Works Hard for the Money.^[14] By November 2008, it had moved 69,000 copies in the United States.^[15]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Stamp Your Feet"	Danielle Brisebois Greg Kurstin Donna Summer	Kurstin	3:52
2.	"Mr. Music"	Evan Bogart J. R. Rotem Donna Summer Meredith Willson	Rotem	3:14
3.	"Crayons" (featuring Ziggy Marley)	Brisebois Kurstin Marley Summer	Kurstin	3:21
4.	"The Queen Is Back"	Bogart Rotem Summer	Rotem	3:27
5.	"Fame (The Game)"	Toby Gad Summer	Gad	4:03
6.	"Sand on My Feet"	Gad Summer	Gad	3:51
7.	"Drivin' Down Brazil"	Brisebois Kurstin Summer	Kurstin	4:43
8.	"I'm a Fire"	Al Kasha Sebastian Arocha Morton Summer	Morton	7:11
9.	"Slide Over Backwards"	Nathan DiGesare Jakob Petren Summer	DiGesare	4:10
10.	"Science of Love"	Gad Summer	Gad	3:48
11.	"Be Myself Again"	Wayne Hector Lester Mendez Summer	Mendez	4:19
12.	"Bring Down the Reign"	Jamie Houston Fred Kron Summer	Houston	4:33

International edition bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer	Length
13.	"It's Only Love"	Kasha Morton Summer	Morton	6:58

iTunes bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer	Length
14.	"I'm a Fire" (Matty Soulflower Club Mix)	Kasha Morton Summer	Morton	9:00

Charts

Chart (2008)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[16]	77
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[17]	73
Italian Albums (FIMI)^[18]	42
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[19]	97
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[20]	85
UK R&B Albums (OCC)^[21]	24
US Billboard 200^[22]	17
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[23]	5

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Russia (NFPF)^[24]	Gold	10,000^*
^* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, formats, and label
Region	Date	Format(s)	Label
United States	May 20, 2008	CD digital download	Burgundy Records
Canada	May 20, 2008
Denmark	May 26, 2008
Germany	June 6, 2008
Australia^[25]	June 7, 2008
France	June 9, 2008
Spain	June 10, 2008
Brazil	June 16, 2008
United Kingdom	June 23, 2008
Japan	June 25, 2008
Europe^[26]	Jan. 13, 2023	vinyl	Sony Music

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Kellman, Andy. "Crayons > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Summer On Crayons". MySpace. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Donna Summer - Crayons (2008) album reviews at Metacritic
^ Easlea, Daryl. "Crayons > Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
^ ^a ^b Wood, Mikael. "Crayons > Review". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-09-24.^{[dead link‍]}
^ Katz, Larry. "Crayons > Review". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
^ Campbell, Stephane. "Crayons > Review". Canoe.ca. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved 2011-09-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ Levine, Nick. "Crayons > Review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
^ Macpherson, Alex (2008-06-20). "Crayons > Review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
^ Book, John. "Crayons > Review". Okayplayer. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
^ ^a ^b Henderson, Eric (20 May 2008). "Crayons > Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
^ Wikane, Christian John (14 July 2008). "Donna Summer: Crayons". PopMatters. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
^ Soto, Alfred (3 June 2008). "Donna Summer's Crayons". Village Voice. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
^ Hasty, Katie (May 28, 2008). "3 Doors Down Cruises To No. 1 On Album Chart". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
^ Caulfield, Keith (October 31, 2020). "Ashanti, Nelly, Chate Moore, Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, BlackGirl". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
^ "Ultratop.be – Donna Summer – Crayons" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Donna Summer – Crayons" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
^ "Italiancharts.com – Donna Summer – Crayons". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
^ "Spanishcharts.com – Donna Summer – Crayons". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Donna Summer – Crayons". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
^ "Donna Summer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
^ "Donna Summer Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
^ "Russian album certifications – Donna Summer – Crayons" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF). Retrieved August 28, 2020.
^ Moran, Jonathon (May 25, 2008). Donna Summer's Back. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on May 25, 2008.
^ "Donna Summer: Crayons (limited pink vinyl reissue, run of 2000)". Music on Vinyl. Retrieved 2023-04-14.

[AllMusic-1] Kellman, Andy. "Crayons > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.

[myspace-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Summer On Crayons". MySpace. Retrieved October 17, 2020.

[Metacritic-3] Donna Summer - Crayons (2008) album reviews at Metacritic

[bbc-4] Easlea, Daryl. "Crayons > Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 2011-09-24.

[billboard-5] Wood, Mikael. "Crayons > Review". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-09-24.^{[dead link‍]}

[bostonherald-6] Katz, Larry. "Crayons > Review". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2011-09-24.

[canoe.ca-7] Campbell, Stephane. "Crayons > Review". Canoe.ca. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved 2011-09-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[digitalspy-8] Levine, Nick. "Crayons > Review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2011-09-24.

[theguardian-9] Macpherson, Alex (2008-06-20). "Crayons > Review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2011-09-24.

[okayplayer-10] Book, John. "Crayons > Review". Okayplayer. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-09-24.

[slantmagazine-11] Henderson, Eric (20 May 2008). "Crayons > Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2011-09-24.

[popmatters-12] Wikane, Christian John (14 July 2008). "Donna Summer: Crayons". PopMatters. Retrieved October 17, 2020.

[villagevoice-13] Soto, Alfred (3 June 2008). "Donna Summer's Crayons". Village Voice. Retrieved October 17, 2020.

[14] Hasty, Katie (May 28, 2008). "3 Doors Down Cruises To No. 1 On Album Chart". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2020.

[15] Caulfield, Keith (October 31, 2020). "Ashanti, Nelly, Chate Moore, Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, BlackGirl". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2020.

[ac_Flanders_Donna_Summer-16] "Ultratop.be – Donna Summer – Crayons" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.

[ac_Germany4_Donna_Summer-17] "Offiziellecharts.de – Donna Summer – Crayons" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 11, 2024.

[ac_Italy_Donna_Summer-18] "Italiancharts.com – Donna Summer – Crayons". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.

[ac_Spain_Donna_Summer-19] "Spanishcharts.com – Donna Summer – Crayons". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.

[ac_Switzerland_Donna_Summer-20] "Swisscharts.com – Donna Summer – Crayons". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2016.

[ac_UKR&B_-21] "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 11, 2024.

[ac_Billboard200_Donna_Summer-22] "Donna Summer Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2016.

[ac_BillboardRandBHipHop_Donna_Summer-23] "Donna Summer Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 11, 2024.

[RussiaDonna_SummerCrayonsalbumCertRef-24] "Russian album certifications – Donna Summer – Crayons" (in Russian). National Federation of Phonogram Producers (NFPF). Retrieved August 28, 2020.

[25] Moran, Jonathon (May 25, 2008). Donna Summer's Back. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on May 25, 2008.

[26] "Donna Summer: Crayons (limited pink vinyl reissue, run of 2000)". Music on Vinyl. Retrieved 2023-04-14.

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@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 | alt        =
 | released   = {{start date|2008|5|20}}
-| recorded   =
+| recorded   = 2006–2008
 | studio     =
 | genre      = [[contemporary R&B|R&B]]<ref name="AllMusic"/>
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 | prev_title = [[Gold (Donna Summer album)|Gold]]
 | prev_year  = 2005
-| next_title =
+| next_title = [[Love to Love You Donna]]
-| next_year  =
+| next_year  = 2013
 | misc       = {{Singles
  | name        = Crayons
@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 }}
+'''''Crayons''''' is the seventeenth and final [[studio album]] by [[United States|American]] singer [[Donna Summer]]. It was released through [[Burgundy Records|Sony Burgundy]] on May 20, 2008, in the United States. Recorded over a period of two years since signing with the [[Sony Music]] label in 2006, ''Crayons'' marked Summer's first full-length studio album in fourteen years since 1994's ''[[Christmas Spirit (Donna Summer album)|Christmas Spirit]]'', and her first album of original material since 1991's ''[[Mistaken Identity (Donna Summer album)|Mistaken Identity]]''. She worked with a number of different [[Record producers|producers]] and [[songwriter]]s on the album, including [[Greg Kurstin]], [[J. R. Rotem]], [[Wayne Hector]], [[Toby Gad]], [[Lester Mendez]].
-{{Album ratings
-| MC = 66/100<ref>[http://www.metacritic.com/music/crayons/donna-summer Donna Summer - Crayons (2008) album reviews]  at [[Metacritic]]</ref>
+The album debuted and peaked at number 17 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and entered the top fifty of the [[Italian Albums Chart]]. ''Crayons'' was preceded by its first official single, "[[Stamp Your Feet]]", which was released to radio on April 15, 2008. A follow-up, "[[I'm a Fire]]", reached number-one on the US [[Dance Club Songs]], giving Summer her 13th number-one hit on that chart. ''Crayons'' marked Summer's last album released before her death on May 17, 2012.
+==Background==
+''Crayons'' marked Summer's first full-length studio album in fourteen years since 1994's ''[[Christmas Spirit (Donna Summer album)|Christmas Spirit]]''. When commenting on the album, Summer explained, "I wanted this album to have a lot of different directions on it [...] I did not want it to be any one baby. I just wanted it to be a sampler of flavors and influences from all over the world. There's a touch of this, a little smidgeon of that, a dash of something else [...] like when you're cooking."<ref name="myspace">{{cite web|title=Summer On ''Crayons''|work=[[MySpace]]|url=https://myspace.com/donnasummer|accessdate=October 17, 2020}}</ref> The lead track "Stamp Your Feet" was originally called "The Player's Anthem" and talks about "being a player in life, coupled with the idea of being a player on an actual field, the whole thing, dealing with the pain and doing things even though you are afraid."<ref name="myspace"/>
+Summer wrote "The Queen Is Back" and "Mr. Music" with [[J. R. Rotem|Jonathan "J.R." Rotem]] and [[Evan Bogart]], whose father, Casablanca Records boss [[Neil Bogart]], died from cancer at the age of 39.<ref name="myspace"/> When Summer met Evan Bogart, she was struck by his uncanny resemblance to his label executive father, commenting: "Evan and I hit it off immediately; there was a synergy that happened really quickly."<ref name="myspace"/> "The Queen is Back," which discusses her musical legacy and public persona, samples "Lose Control" by [[Kevin Federline]]. Both songs were produced by Rotem.<ref name="myspace"/> About the song "Crayons", Summer said, "It encompasses a lot of what the album is about [...] Everybody gets crayons at some point in their lives, everybody can relate to the basics. It comes down to that child in us, I think there's a commonality in the concept of crayons."<ref name="myspace"/>
+==Critical reception==
+{{Music ratings
+| MC = 66/100<ref name="Metacritic">[http://www.metacritic.com/music/crayons/donna-summer Donna Summer - Crayons (2008) album reviews]  at [[Metacritic]]</ref>
 |rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
-|rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="AllMusic">{{AllMusic |class=album |id=r1364120 |tab=review |label="''Crayons'' > Review" |first=Andy |last=Kellman |accessdate={{date|2011-08-29}}}}</ref>
+|rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="AllMusic">{{AllMusic |class=album |id=r1364120 |tab=review |label="''Crayons'' > Review" |first=Andy |last=Kellman |accessdate=29 August 2011}}</ref>
 |rev2 = [[BBC]]
 |rev2score = (favorable)<ref name="bbc">{{cite web | last = Easlea | first = Daryl | title = ''Crayons'' > Review | publisher = [[BBC Music]] | accessdate = 2011-09-24 | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/g2dp}}</ref>
 |rev3 = ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''
-|rev3score = (positive)<ref name="billboard">{{cite magazine | last = Wood | first = Mikael | title = ''Crayons'' > Review | magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | accessdate = 2011-09-24 | url = http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/others/crayons-1003804392.story}}</ref>
+|rev3score = (positive)<ref name="billboard">{{cite magazine | last = Wood | first = Mikael | title = ''Crayons'' > Review | magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | accessdate = 2011-09-24 | url = https://de.reuters.com/article/review-review-music-albums-dc/billboard-cd-reviews-scarlett-johansson-joe-cocker-idUKN1642428220080516}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
 |rev4 = ''[[Boston Herald]]''
 |rev4score = B<ref name="bostonherald">{{cite news | last = Katz | first = Larry | title = ''Crayons'' > Review | newspaper = [[Boston Herald]] | accessdate = 2011-09-24 | url = http://news.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/reviews/view.bg?articleid=1094931 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110613083820/http://news.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/reviews/view.bg?articleid=1094931 | archivedate = 2011-06-13 }}</ref>
 |rev5 = ''[[Canoe.ca]]''
-|rev5score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="canoe.ca">{{cite web | last = Campbell | first = Stephane | title = ''Crayons'' > Review | website = [[Canoe.ca]] | accessdate = 2011-09-24 | url = http://fr.canoe.ca/divertissement/musique/critiques/2008/05/23/5651786-ici.html}}</ref>
+|rev5score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="canoe.ca">{{cite web | last = Campbell | first = Stephane | title = ''Crayons'' > Review | website = [[Canoe.ca]] | accessdate = 2011-09-24 | url = http://fr.canoe.ca/divertissement/musique/critiques/2008/05/23/5651786-ici.html| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130115153708/http://fr.canoe.ca/divertissement/musique/critiques/2008/05/23/5651786-ici.html| url-status = usurped| archive-date = January 15, 2013}}</ref>
 |rev6 = ''[[Digital Spy]]''
 |rev6score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name="digitalspy">{{cite web | last = Levine | first = Nick | title = ''Crayons'' > Review | website = [[Digital Spy]] | accessdate = 2011-09-24 | url = http://www.digitalspy.com/music/albumreviews/a102385/donna-summer-crayons.html}}</ref>
@@ Line 54: / Line 64: @@
 |rev7score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name="theguardian">{{cite news | last = Macpherson| first = Alex | title = ''Crayons'' > Review | newspaper = [[The Guardian]] | accessdate = 2011-09-24 | url = http://music.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,,2286430,00.html | location=London | date=2008-06-20}}</ref>
 |rev8 = [[Okayplayer]]
-|rev8score = (78/100)<ref name="okayplayer">{{cite web | last = Book | first = John | title = ''Crayons'' > Review | website = [[Okayplayer]] | accessdate = 2011-09-24 | url = http://www.okayplayer.com/reviews/donna-summer-200806255966.html}}</ref>
+|rev8score = (78/100)<ref name="okayplayer">{{cite web | last = Book | first = John | title = ''Crayons'' > Review | website = [[Okayplayer]] | accessdate = 2011-09-24 | url = http://www.okayplayer.com/reviews/donna-summer-200806255966.html | archive-date = 2016-03-04 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051146/http://www.okayplayer.com/reviews/donna-summer-200806255966.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>
 |rev9 = ''[[Slant Magazine]]''
-|rev9score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="slantmagazine">{{cite web | last = Henderson | first = Eric | title = ''Crayons'' > Review | website = [[Slant Magazine]] | accessdate = 2011-09-24 | url = http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/donna-summer-crayons/1376}}</ref>
+|rev9score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="slantmagazine">{{cite web | last = Henderson | first = Eric | title = ''Crayons'' > Review | website = [[Slant Magazine]] | date = 20 May 2008 | accessdate = 2011-09-24 | url = http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/donna-summer-crayons/1376}}</ref>
 }}
+At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, ''Crayons'' has an average score of 66 based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref name="Metacritic" /> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' felt that "this surprisingly lively set finds the former disco diva teaming with a crew of young collaborators for a series of uptempo forays into stomping dance-pop, juke-joint blues-rock, breezy Latin jazz and African-accented soul."<ref name="billboard"/> Christian John Wikane from [[PopMatters]] wrote that "the core theme of ''Crayons'' is variety. It brazenly flaunts a collage of sounds, while showcasing the multiplicity of Donna Summer's musical selves."<ref name="popmatters">{{cite web | last = Wikane | first = Christian John | title =Donna Summer: Crayons | website = [[PopMatters]] | date = 14 July 2008 | accessdate = October 17, 2020 | url =https://www.popmatters.com/donna-summer-crayons-2496139590.html}}</ref> In his review for ''[[The Village Voice]]'', Alfred Soto found that "on ''Crayons'', it's like no time has passed at all, and of course it hasn't: As Lloyd Richards says to [[Margo Channing]] in ''[[All About Eve]]'', the stars never die and never change."<ref name="villagevoice">{{cite web | last = Soto | first = Alfred | title =Donna Summer's Crayons | website = [[Village Voice]] | date = 3 June 2008 | accessdate = October 17, 2020 | url =https://www.villagevoice.com/2008/06/03/donna-summers-crayons/}}</ref>
-'''''Crayons''''' is the seventeenth and final [[studio album]] by [[United States|American]] singer [[Donna Summer]]. The album was released on May 20, 2008 through [[Burgundy Records|Sony Burgundy]] in the [[United States]], it was her first album of original material since 1994's ''[[Christmas Spirit (Donna Summer album)|Christmas Spirit]]'' and 1991's ''[[Mistaken Identity (Donna Summer album)|Mistaken Identity]]''. This was Donna's last album released before her death on May 17, 2012.
-==Overview==
-{{unreferenced section|date=May 2012}}
-Recorded over a period of two years since signing with the [[Sony Music]] label's [[Burgundy Records]] label in 2006, ''Crayons'' marked Summer's first full-length studio album in fourteen years since 1994's ''[[Christmas Spirit (Donna Summer album)|Christmas Spirit]]'', and her first album of original material since 1991's ''[[Mistaken Identity (Donna Summer album)|Mistaken Identity]]''. She worked on the album with a number of different [[Record producers|producers]] and [[songwriter]]s including [[Greg Kurstin]], [[Danielle Brisebois]], [[J. R. Rotem]], [[Wayne Hector]], [[Toby Gad]], [[Lester Mendez]] and [[Evan Bogart]], the son of Summer's former record label boss at [[Casablanca Records]], [[Neil Bogart]].
-The album debuted at number 17 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] albums chart, which was also its peak. Despite a high debut position, the disc fell off the chart in just five weeks. The title track, "Crayons",  is a duet with [[reggae]] artist [[Ziggy Marley]]. The album's first official single, "[[Stamp Your Feet]]", was released to radio on April 15, 2008. A follow-up, "[[I'm a Fire]]", reached number-one on the ''Billboard'' dance/club chart, giving Summer her 13th number-one hit on that chart. Summer recorded four music videos: "[[Stamp Your Feet]]", "Mr. Music", "The Queen Is Back", and "[[Fame (The Game)]]".
-When commenting on the album, Summer explained, "I wanted this album to have a lot of different directions on it," says Donna. "I did not want it to be any one baby. I just wanted it to be a sampler of flavors and influences from all over the world. There's a touch of this, a little smidgeon of that, a dash of something else...like when you're cooking."
+[[Allmusic]] editor Andy Kellman found that ''Crayons'' "benefits from Summer's effortless energy; she was clearly into making this album, and her voice is as able and flexible as ever. However, almost all of the material with which she has to work [...] would make more sense on an album by a female teen pop group from the UK or, in some cases, a young adult catering to the coffeehouse market [...] In-fashion vocal effects, which Summer certainly does not need, detract from a handful of these tracks, but as a whole, the album won't have trouble pleasing fans who just want to hear their queen have a blast and tear it up."<ref name="AllMusic"/> [[Slant Magazine]] critic Eric Henderson wrote that the album was Summer's "attempt to finally share, but the results are about as personal as food-dyed wax. The music is harmlessly listenable, and the requisite nods to her dance-floor legacy."<ref name="slantmagazine"/>
-* The lead track "Stamp Your Feet", written by Summer, Greg Kurstin, and Danielle Brisebois, was originally called, according to Summer, "The Player's Anthem". "It's the whole concept of being a player in life, coupled with the idea of being a player on an actual field, the whole thing, dealing with the pain and doing things even though you are afraid. Even though you're afraid of something and your knees are knocking, you get up and do it because a lot depends on it. Players get taken off to the sidelines and bandaged and thrown back in the game because it depends on them to win the game. We're all 'players.' It goes back to Shakespeare: 'All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.'"
-* About the song "Crayons", Summer said, "It encompasses a lot of what the album is about," she says. "Every song is a different color. Since I'm also a visual artist, that title ties a lot of the loose ends of my life together. The song wrote itself pretty quickly. Taking it to the next level, we influence each other in life. You may have an Arab friend or an Israeli friend or an Indian friend and so you go and eat a little Indian food (or have a little pita bread), or something you've never experienced, and as we immerse ourselves in each other's cultural experiences, it's like taking a crayon and coloring over the lines and the lines become blurred between what's that and what's the other. You take two colors and create other colors and you add a third color and there's another color too. That's how we are in life and that, to me, is a good indication for this album: feeling free to draw between the lines. Everybody gets crayons at some point in their lives, everybody can relate to the basics. It comes down to that child in us, I think there's a commonality in the concept of crayons."
-* On "The Queen Is Back", Summer discusses her musical legacy and public persona. "I'm making fun of myself," she said. "There's irony, it's poking fun at the idea of being called a queen. That's a title that has followed me, followed me, and followed me. We were sitting and writing and that title kept popping up in my mind and I'm thinking, 'Am I supposed to write this? Is this too arrogant to write?' But people call me 'the queen,' so I guess it's ok to refer to myself as what everybody else refers to me as. We started writing the song and thought it was kind of cute and funny."
+==Commercial performance==
-Summer wrote "The Queen Is Back" and "Mr. Music" with [[J. R. Rotem|Jonathan "J.R." Rotem]] and [[Evan Bogart]], whose father, Casablanca Records boss [[Neil Bogart]], died from cancer at the age of 39. He signed Summer to his Casablanca Records in 1975 and released some of her biggest albums and singles during the 1970s. "I adored him and would have given up everything for him to be alive," says Summer, remembering a time in the '70s "when the nail person didn't show up and Neil got on his knees and did my toenails. In many ways he was my mentor and I didn't get to say goodbye to him." When Summer met Evan Bogart, she was struck by his uncanny resemblance to his label executive father. "It's almost like they chiseled him out of his father," Summer observed. "I'm in the studio looking at him and I get tears in my eyes, he has no idea why. I just wanted to hug him because it's like I'm seeing someone I haven't seen since his father passed away. It's almost like Neil is looking at me through him. Evan and I hit it off immediately; there was a synergy that happened really quickly." "The Queen is Back" samples "Lose Control" by [[Kevin Federline]]. Both songs were produced by [[J. R. Rotem]].
+''Crayons''  debuted and peaked at number 17 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] first-week sales of 23,000 units, marking Summer's highest-charting album since her 1983 album ''[[She Works Hard for the Money (album)|She Works Hard for the Money]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine | last = Hasty| first = Katie| title =3 Doors Down Cruises To No. 1 On Album Chart| magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | accessdate = October 17, 2020 | date=May 28, 2008|url =https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/1045267/3-doors-down-cruises-to-no-1-on-album-chart}}</ref> By November 2008, it had moved 69,000 copies in the United States.<ref>{{cite magazine | last = Caulfield| first = Keith | title =Ashanti, Nelly, Chate Moore, Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, BlackGirl| magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | accessdate = October 17, 2020 | date=October 31, 2020|url =https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1043619/ask-billboard-ashanti-nelly-chate-moore-donna-summer-aretha-franklin-blackgirl}}</ref>
 ==Track listing==
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 }}
 {{Track listing
-| collapsed = yes
 | headline = International edition bonus track
 | extra_column = Producer
@@ Line 152: / Line 152: @@
 {{Track listing
-| collapsed = yes
 | headline = iTunes bonus track
 | extra_column = Producer
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 {{album chart|Flanders|77|artist=Donna Summer|album=Crayons|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 8, 2016}}
 |-
-{{album chart|Germany|73|artist=Donna Summer|album=Crayons|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 8, 2016}}
+{{album chart|Germany4|73|id=86226|artist=Donna Summer|album=Crayons|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 11, 2024}}
 |-
 {{album chart|Italy|42|artist=Donna Summer|album=Crayons|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 8, 2016}}
@@ Line 178: / Line 177: @@
 |-
 {{album chart|Switzerland|85|artist=Donna Summer|album=Crayons|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 8, 2016}}
+|-
+{{album chart|UKR&B|24|date=20080629|rowheader=true|access-date=August 11, 2024}}
 |-
 {{album chart|Billboard200|17|artist=Donna Summer|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 8, 2016}}
+|-
+{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|5|artist=Donna Summer|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 11, 2024}}
 |}
@@ Line 185: / Line 188: @@
 {{Certification Table Top}}
 {{Certification Table Entry|region=Russia|type=album|artist=Donna Summer|title=Crayons|award=Gold|relyear=2008|certyear=2008|accessdate=August 28, 2020}}
-{{Certification Table Bottom}}
+{{Certification Table Bottom | noshipments=true}}
 ==Release history==
 {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
-|+ List of release dates, showing region
+|+ List of release dates, showing region, formats, and label
 |-
 ! scope="col"| Region
 ! scope="col"| Date
+! scope="col"| Format(s)
+! scope="col"| Label
 |-
 ! scope="row" |United States
-| rowspan=2| May 20, 2008
+| rowspan="2" | May 20, 2008
+| rowspan="10" | {{hlist|CD|digital download}}
+| rowspan="10" | [[Burgundy Records]]
 |-
 ! scope="row" |Canada
@@ Line 222: / Line 229: @@
 ! scope="row" |Japan
 | June 25, 2008
+|-
+! scope="row" |Europe<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musiconvinyl.com/catalog/donna-summer/crayons|title=Donna Summer: Crayons (limited pink vinyl reissue, run of 2000)|publisher=Music on Vinyl|accessdate=2023-04-14}}</ref>
+|Jan. 13, 2023
+|vinyl
+|Sony Music
 |}
@@ Line 228: / Line 240: @@
 {{Donna Summer discography}}
+{{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Crayons (Album)}}

v t e Donna Summer
Discography Awards
Studio albums	Lady of the Night (1974) Love to Love You Baby (1975) A Love Trilogy (1976) Four Seasons of Love (1976) I Remember Yesterday (1977) Once Upon a Time (1977) Bad Girls (1979) The Wanderer (1980) I'm a Rainbow (rec. 1981, rel. 1996) Donna Summer (1982) She Works Hard for the Money (1983) Cats Without Claws (1984) All Systems Go (1987) Another Place and Time (1989) Mistaken Identity (1991) Christmas Spirit (1994) Crayons (2008)
Live albums	Live and More (1978) Live & More Encore (1999)
Compilations	On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II (1979) Walk Away: Collector's Edition (The Best of 1977–1980) (1980) The Summer Collection: Greatest Hits (1985) The Dance Collection: A Compilation of Twelve Inch Singles (1987) The Donna Summer Anthology (1993) Endless Summer: Donna Summer's Greatest Hits (1994) The Ultimate Collection (2003) The Journey: The Very Best of Donna Summer (2003) Gold (2005) Singles... Driven by the Music (2015) The Ultimate Collection (2016)
Remix albums	Love to Love You Donna (2013)
Singles	"The Hostage" (1974) "Lady of the Night" (1974) "Virgin Mary" (1975) "Love to Love You Baby" (1975) "Could It Be Magic (1976) "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It (1976) "Spring Affair (1976) "Winter Melody (1977) "Can't We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over)" (1977) "I Feel Love" (1977) "Shut Out" (1977) "Down Deep Inside" (1977) "I Remember Yesterday" (1977) "Love's Unkind" (1977) "I Love You" (1977) "Rumour Has It" (1978) "Last Dance" (1978) "Back in Love Again" (1978) "MacArthur Park" (1978) "Heaven Knows" (1978) "Hot Stuff" (1979) "Bad Girls" (1979) "Dim All the Lights" (1979) "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (1979) "On the Radio" (1979) "Sunset People" (1980) "Walk Away" (1980) "The Wanderer" (1980) "Cold Love" (1980) "Who Do You Think You're Foolin'" (1981) "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" (1982) "State of Independence" (1982) "I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley Remix)" (1982) "The Woman in Me" (1983) "Protection" (1983) "She Works Hard for the Money" (1983) "Unconditional Love" (1983) "Love Has a Mind of Its Own" (1984) "There Goes My Baby" (1984) "Supernatural Love" (1984) "Eyes" (1984) "Dinner with Gershwin" (1987) "Only the Fool Survives" (1987) "This Time I Know It's for Real" (1989) "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" (1989) "Love's About to Change My Heart" (1989) "Breakaway" (1989) "When Love Takes Over You" (1989) "State of Independence (New Bass Remix)" (1990) "When Love Cries" (1991) "Work That Magic" (1991) "Carry On" (1992) "La Vie en rose" (1994) "Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)" (1994) "Any Way at All" (1994) "I Feel Love (Remix)" (1995) "Whenever There Is Love" (1996) "I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)" (1999) "Love Is the Healer" (1999) "The Power of One" (2000) "You're So Beautiful" (2003) "Dream-A-Lot's Theme (I Will Live for Love)" (2004) "I Got Your Love" (2005) "I'm a Fire" (2008) "Stamp Your Feet" (2008) "It's Only Love" (2008) "Fame (The Game)" (2008) "To Paris with Love" (2010)
Related topics	Brooklyn Dreams Pete Bellotte Joe "Bean" Esposito Giorgio Moroder Bruce Sudano Neil Bogart Paul Jabara Sunshine "Down Deep Inside" Love to Love You, Donna Summer (2023)