The 1978 Donna Summer song that won the Academy Award for Best Original Song was “Last Dance.”
Written by Paul Jabara for the film Thank God It’s Friday, the song is performed in the movie by Summer’s character, Nicole Sims. Its arrangement is distinctive: it begins like a slow ballad before accelerating into a full disco finale, an approach that became closely associated with several of Summer’s later hits.
“Last Dance” won at the 51st Academy Awards, honoring films released in 1978. Jabara also received a Golden Globe and a Grammy connected to the song. Summer’s recording reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, making it both an awards success and a major commercial hit.
A common mix-up is confusing the song with Summer’s other signature recordings, including “Hot Stuff,” “Heaven Knows,” and “On the Radio.” None of those songs won the Oscar for Best Original Song; “Last Dance” did.