Mike Stock feared Donna Summer would walk away from working with Stock Aitken Waterman after their early sessions fell flat.
The Queen of Disco worked with the trio on her 14th LP ‘Another Place and Time’, which spawned one of her biggest hits, This Time I Know It’s For Real.
It was a turning point in her career and, according to Mike, he knew he had to go all out writing it as Donna wasn’t entirely satisfied with their previous sessions.
“The first song we did was Sentimental, and she wasn’t sure of it, but I talked to her and we got it done,” he tells the April 2022 edition of Retro Pop. “Then I thought, ‘I’ve got to convince her that it’s worth doing the rest of the album with us.’
“I went home that night and started rattling around in my head what would become This Time I Know It’s For Real.”
After striking gold, he says: “The next morning, I got up and finished it off in the bath and during the car journey to the studio so, by 11 o’clock, I’ve got the whole thing.
“When I got into the studio, I laid the drums down, got a chord sequence.
“Donna came in around lunchtime and put it down, and I know that was the clincher for her to devote the next month to finishing off the album. Because she was unsure of Sentimental, but This Time I Know It’s For Real, when we heard it back, we got very excited.”
Of their working relationship, he says: “There are a few artists that you go, ‘Hang on a minute, this is just a dream.’
“Donna Summer came in and it was a breeze and a fantastic thrill.”
Read the full interview in the April 2022 edition of Retro Pop, out now. Order yours or subscribe via our Online Store or use our Store Finder to locate your nearest stockist.
