<P> "She Works Hard for the Money" is a song by American singer Donna Summer from her 1983 eleventh studio album of the same name . Written by Michael Omartian and Summer, the song was released as the lead single from the She Works Hard for the Money album on May 1983, by Mercury Records . </P> <P> It became a hit for Summer and is one of her signature songs, reaching number one for a three - week stay atop the Billboard R&B singles chart (her first since 1979), number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and number three on the Dance Club Play chart . The single ended up as Billboard's fifteenth - best performing song of 1983 . Summer performed the song live as the opening of the 1984 Grammy Awards . Summer's Grammy performance was released on the 1994 video cassette Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume I . </P> <P> Co-written with Omartian, told a story of a hard working blue collar woman . It was based on an actual encounter that Summer had with an exhausted rest room attendant named Onetta Johnson (at the iconic Los Angeles restaurant Chasen's), who was later mentioned in the song and featured on the album's back cover . </P> <P> According to MusicNotes.com, the song is performed in the key of G ♯ minor in common time with a tempo of 136 beats per minute . Summer's vocals span from G ♯ to D ♯ . </P>

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