Donna Summer received the present Grammy Award nomination, her thirteenth overall and fourth in the category of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, for her 1983 single, 'She Works Hard for the Money'. The record, co-written by Summer and Michael Omartian, peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of 6 August 1983, with its parent album, the LP She Works Hard for the Money, peaking at #9 on the Billboard 200 the week of 27 August and achieving Gold certification from the RIAA on 30 August.
Summer performed the song live on 28 February 1984 as the opening number at the 26^th Grammy Awards ceremony, to-date the highest-viewed Grammy telecast in history. Costumed as a waitress, akin to her appearance in the record's cover art, she was accompanied by a troupe of female dancers in various workers' uniforms. At the same ceremony, Summer won her third Grammy, in the category of Best Inspirational Performance for her album cut, 'He's a Rebel', and was nominated for Album of the Year for the soundtrack LP, Flashdance: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture.
'She Works Hard for the Money' also gained prominence in the early years of MTV, its video becoming the first by a Black female artist to enter heavy rotation on the platform and earning nominations at the first Video Music Awards for Best Female Video and Best Choreography in a Video.