Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money
Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money


Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: She Works Hard For The Money
Released: 1983

She Works Hard For The Money Lyrics


She Works Hard For The Money
So hard for it, honey
She works hard for the money
So you better treat her right

She works hard for the money
So hard for it, honey
She works hard for the money
So you better treat her right

I met her there in the corner stand
And she wonders where she is and
It's strange to her
Some people seem to have everything

Nine a.m. on the hour hand
And she's waiting for the bell
And she's looking real pretty
Just waiting for her clientele

She works hard for the money
So hard for it, honey
She works hard for the money
So you better treat her right

She works hard for the money
So hard for it, honey
She works hard for the money
So you better treat her right

Twenty-eight years have come and gone
And she's seen a lot of tears
Of the ones who come in
They really seem to need her there

It's a sacrifice working day to day
For little money, just tips for pay
But it's worth it all
To hear them say that they care

She works hard for the money
So hard for it, honey
She works hard for the money
So you better treat her right

Already knows
She's seen her bad times
Already knows
These are the good times

She'll never sell out
She never will
Not for a dollar bill
She works hard

She works hard for the money
So hard for it, honey
She works hard for the money
So you better treat her right

Hard for the money
So hard for it, honey
She works hard for the money
So you better treat her right
(Alright)

She works hard for the money
(Hard, hard, hard for the money)
So hard for it, honey
(Hard, hard, hard for it, honey)
She works hard for the money
So you better treat her right

She works hard for the money
(Hard, hard, hard for the money)
So hard for it, honey
(Hard, hard, hard for it, honey)

Writer/s: OMARTIAN, MICHAEL / SUMMER, DONNA
Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

She Works Hard For The Money
  • This song was based on a true-to-life experience. Donna Summer was in Chasens restaurant in Los Angeles. She went to the bathroom and saw the attendant taking a nap with a small TV on. Donna startled the woman from her nap, and the woman told Donna she worked two jobs and was really tired. Donna thought to herself, "Wow, she really works hard for her money." Later that night while at home thinking about her, Summer wrote the song in about 20 minutes.
  • The bathroom attendant from Chasens was placed on the back of the album cover. The first line of the song says her name - "Onetta there in the corner stands..."
  • Summer wrote this with Michael Omartian, who also produced the album and played many of the instruments. Omartian also co-wrote "Sailing" with Christopher Cross and produced "We Are The World" with Quincy Jones.
  • The music video was directed by Brian Grant, who was one of the first directors in the medium, having done clips for Queen and The Human League the predated MTV. The video for "She Works Hard For The Money" shows various women working difficult jobs - nurse, housekeeper, waitress - and then joining together in the end for a group dance. According to Summer, this was to show that they have overcome their challenges and succeeded.

    The video was very popular on MTV, airing a few months after Michael Jackson broke the MTV color barrier with "Billie Jean." Summer became the first black female singer to land a video in hot rotation on the network.