More new additions are coming to PictureSleevePop.com, including these 3 that are now posted. What is so wonderful about Donna Summer's State of Independence sleeve? The complete lyrics of the song are printed on the flip side. Touching the paper is real. The tactile feel is not quite the same in today's mostly digital experience!

State of Independence is a marvelous production by Quincy Jones. Donna slams this 1982 tune out of the park. Her rendering of the song is strong. On video, I would have loved less lip synching and more live Donna. She powers the song emotionally with her voice, but the official video, although good, needed a better production style.

I suppose we have to give a pass to some older techniques used in many early 1980s videos.

The song

State of Independence was not the biggest hit, but it had superstar muscle. The all-star choir included James Ingram, Michael Jackson, Kenny Loggins, Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder.

Chart wise, the song peaked at #31 in 1982 on the national R&B survey, and was on the charts for 5 weeks. In pop land, State of Independence wowed Summer fans for 10 charted weeks. Its highest position was #41 pop.

Enjoy all of the spectacular R&B, Rock, Pop and Xmas picture sleeves at our PictureSleevePop.com.

Now, capture the universal message of Donna Summer in this official video. You can also find my review of her book Donna Summer Ordinary Girl in our music book section (Archive).

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