Why is "MacArthur Park" so good? The Jimmy Webb original, performed by Richard Harris, is an orchestral, Schlageresque pastiche of an actual love affair. It worked for the 1960s, but by the time the 1970s rolled around, that was shelved as kitschy schmaltz.

Moroder and Bellotte wanted to disco-fy a 1960s pop hit, and this song was the perfect rough material.

Personally, I’ve been obsessed with this specific detail from Giorgio Moroder lately: He recorded 20 seconds of every note, made loops of them, and essentially "played" the mixing desk to form chords.

The result? A track that fused the "ornate tragedy of post-1968 culture" with the club's hedonism. It afforded Donna Summer her first #1, but more importantly, it gave her the space to finally belt.