Giorgio Moroder | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Moroder atFirst Avenue, Minneapolis, in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (1940-04-26)26 April 1940 (age 85) Urtijëi,South Tyrol, Italy |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Works | Giorgio Moroder discography |
| Years active |
|
| Labels | |
Spouse | |
| Website | giorgiomoroder |
Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (Italian:[dʒoˈvanniˈdʒordʒomoˈrɔːder], born 26 April 1940)[3][4] is an Italian composer and record producer. Dubbed the "Father of Disco",[5][6][7] Moroder is credited with pioneeringEuro disco andelectronic dance music.[2][8] His work withsynthesizers had a significant influence on several music genres such ashi-NRG,Italo disco,synth-pop, new wave, house, and techno music.[8][9][10]
While inMunich in the 1970s, Moroder started Oasis Records, later a subdivision ofCasablanca Records. He is the founder of the formerMusicland Studios in Munich, a recording studio used by many artists includingthe Rolling Stones,Electric Light Orchestra,Led Zeppelin,Deep Purple,Queen, andElton John.[11] He produced singles forDonna Summer during the mid-to-late 1970sdisco era, including "Love to Love You Baby", "I Feel Love", "Last Dance", "MacArthur Park", "Hot Stuff", "Bad Girls", "Dim All the Lights", "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)", and "On the Radio". During this period, he also released many albums, including the synthesizer-drivenFrom Here to Eternity (1977) andE=MC2 (1979).[12]
He began to compose film soundtracks and scores, includingMidnight Express,American Gigolo,Superman III,Scarface,The NeverEnding Story, and the 1984 restoration ofMetropolis. Moroder's work on the filmMidnight Express (1978), which contained the international hit "Chase", won him theAcademy Award for Best Original Score and theGolden Globe Award for Best Original Score. He also produced a number of electronic disco songs forthe Three Degrees and two albums forSparks. In 1990, he composed "Un'estate italiana", the official theme song of the1990 FIFA World Cup.
Moroder has created songs for many performers includingDavid Bowie,Falco,The Weeknd,Kylie Minogue,Irene Cara,Bonnie Tyler,Janet Jackson,Madleen Kane,Melissa Manchester,Blondie,Japan andFrance Joli. Moroder has stated that the work of which he is most proud isBerlin's "Take My Breath Away",[13] which earned him theAcademy Award for Best Original Song and theGolden Globe Award for Best Original Song after appearing in the filmTop Gun in 1986; he had earned the same awards in 1983 for "Flashdance... What a Feeling" (as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for all of his work onFlashdance). In addition to the three Academy Awards and four Golden Globes, Moroder has also received fourGrammy Awards, twoPeople's Choice Awards, and more than 100 Golden and Platinum discs. In 2004, he was inducted into theDance Music Hall of Fame.[14]
Giovanni Giorgio Moroder[15] was born toLadin parents on 26 April 1940 in Italy inOrtisei.[16] His father was a hotelconcierge.[17] He has three brothers, one of whom is artistUlrich Moroder.[17] Moroder grew up in a mixedLadin-, Italian- and German-speaking environment in South Tyrol, with his mother calling himHansjörg (pronounced[ˈhansjœʁk]), a German version of his two first names.[18][19]
He began teaching himself to play the guitar, at age 15, inspired byPaul Anka's "Diana".[17] At age 18, he began touring Europe as a professional musician.[17] He performed at night, and during the day, made recordings with twoRevox recorders.[17] Around age 25 he moved to his aunt's in Berlin, working as a sound engineer.[17]Ricky Shayne's single "Ich sprenge alle Ketten" ("I bust all the chains"), composed by then-unknowns Moroder andMichael Holm, became a German hit.[17] The second hit was Moroder's and Holm's cover ofSir Douglas Quintet's single,Mendocino.[17] After two years in Berlin, Moroder moved to Munich.[17]
Moroder made his first steps in music in theScotch Club inAachen and then released a few singles under the name "Giorgio" beginning in 1963 after moving to Berlin, singing in Italian, Spanish, English, and German.[citation needed]
In 1968, he moved toMunich and came to prominence when "Looky Looky" was awarded agold disc in 1970.[21][22] He then founded theMusicland Studios in the early 1970s. Moroder first implemented synthesizers into his work during the making of his albumSon of My Father (1972), on which he used the groundbreakingMoog synthesizer.[23] Often collaborating with lyricistPete Bellotte, Moroder had a number of hits in his own name including "Son of My Father"[18] in 1972, a No. 1 hit in the UK forChicory Tip, before releasing the synthesizer-drivenFrom Here to Eternity, a chart hit in 1977. That same year he co-wrote and produced theDonna Summer hit single "I Feel Love",[18][24] the first track in theHi-NRG genre. The following year he released "Chase", the theme from the filmMidnight Express. These songs achieved some chart success in the United Kingdom, the United States and across Europe, and disco-mania was spreading.Midnight Express and "Chase" brought his firstAcademy Award for Best Original Score in1979.
.jpg)
Moroder releasedE=MC² in 1979. He released three albums between 1977 and 1979 under the name Munich Machine, the first of which remade several songs originally recorded byDonna Summer.[25] He composed and produced two film soundtrack albums: the first forFoxes, and the second forAmerican Gigolo (both 1980). A double album of theFoxes soundtrack was released on the disco labelCasablanca Records which includesDonna Summer's hit single "On the Radio", which Moroder produced and co-wrote. TheFoxes soundtrack contains a song titled "Bad Love", written and performed byCher and produced by Moroder. TheAmerican Gigolo soundtrack featured the Moroder-produced "Call Me" byBlondie, a US and UK number one hit. The combined club play of the album's tracks was number two for five weeks on the disco/dance charts.[26]
Moroder wrote the soundtrack of the filmCat People (1982), including the hit single "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" featuringDavid Bowie, and produced thesoundtrack for the filmScarface (1983). During its initial release, the album was only available in a few countries and strictly through import in the United States. Moroder-produced tracks included "Scarface (Push It to the Limit)" byPaul Engemann, "Rush Rush" byDebbie Harry and "She's on Fire" byAmy Holland.
In 1984, Moroder compiled a new restoration and edit of thesilent filmMetropolis (1927)[27] and provided it with a contemporary soundtrack.[28] This soundtrack includes seven pop music tracks fromPat Benatar,Jon Anderson,Adam Ant,Billy Squier,Loverboy,Bonnie Tyler andFreddie Mercury.[29] He integrated the originalintertitles into the film as subtitles as a means of improving continuity. Since the original speed was unknown this choice was controversial. Known as the "Moroder version", it sparked debate among film buffs, with outspoken critics and supporters of the film falling into equal camps.[30][31] Most critics agree that, the opinion of film purists aside, Moroder's version was a welcome addition.[32][33] In 1984, Moroder worked withPhilip Oakey ofthe Human League to make the albumPhilip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder, which was a UK singles chart hit with "Together in Electric Dreams", title track to the 1984 filmElectric Dreams. The same year saw him collaborating withKajagoogoo frontmanLimahl for his worldwide hit "The NeverEnding Story".[34]
In 1986, Moroder collaborated with his protégéHarold Faltermeyer (of "Axel F") and lyricistTom Whitlock to create the score for the filmTop Gun (1986) which includedKenny Loggins' hit "Danger Zone" andBerlin's "Take My Breath Away". He wrote the theme song to the filmOver the Top, "Meet Me Half Way", also performed by Loggins. In 1987, Moroder produced and co-wroteFalco's song "Body Next to Body". Moroder wrote the official theme songs, "Reach Out", for the1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and "Hand in Hand", for the1988 Seoul Olympics and "Un'estate italiana" for the1990 FIFA World Cup. On 12 March 1992, Moroder released his fourteenth studio album,Forever Dancing, his last solo project for years and he began a long hiatus in 1993.[35] For two decades he released no new albums,[24] focusing largely on remixes and visual art during most of the 1990s and early 2000s.[36][37] With Daniel Walker he produced a soundtrack forLeni Riefenstahl's last filmImpressionen unter Wasser. His songForever Friends was featured in the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008.[38][39]
.jpg)
In 2013, Moroder returned to music with the soundtrack for Google'sRacer: AChrome Experiment[40][41] Moroder contributed toDaft Punk's 2013 studio albumRandom Access Memories, admitting that he was a fan of their song "One More Time" before working with the group.[42] His voice and story are on the album track "Giorgio by Moroder". On the track, he states "My name is Giovanni Giorgio, but everybody calls me Giorgio".In the summer of 2013, he DJ'd at theRed Bull Music Academy in New York.[43][44]In 2014, Moroder reworked an old classic from the 1960s called "Doo Bee Doo" (2014 version), which was used in theVolkswagen 2014Super Bowl commercial, "Wings".[45][46] He also announced that he was planning to work with electro-pop producerMadeon[47][non-primary source needed] and American singerLana Del Rey.[48][49] On 9 June 2014,Adult Swim released a newHi-NRGDisco single by Moroder (named "Giorgio's Theme").[50] Moroder also remixedTony Bennett andLady Gaga's rendition of "I Can't Give You Anything but Love".[51]
Moroder's solo studio album,Déjà Vu, was released in 2015.[52] It features collaborations withKylie Minogue,Britney Spears,Sia,Charli XCX,Mikky Ekko,Foxes andMatthew Koma, among others.[51] On 16 January, the collaboration withKylie Minogue, "Right Here, Right Now", was leaked to the internet ahead of its official release.[53] The song, along with a video teaser, was officially released on 20 January 2015[54] and on 18 April 2015 reached number one on the USDance Club Songs, becoming Moroder's first chart-topper in 15 years.[55] In March 2015, Moroder supported Minogue during the Australian leg of herKiss Me Once Tour.[56][57] Moroder andSia collaborated in May 2015 on the title track from Moroder's LPDéjà Vu.[58]
In September 2015, Moroder was featured onKylie Minogue's EPKylie + Garibay on the song "Your Body". In 2016, he andRaney Shockne wrote and composed the music to the video gameTron RUN/r. The soundtrack album was released on 31 May 2016.[59][60] In October 2016, Moroder produced "One More Day" forSistar, a Korean girl group.[61] They debuted the song live on 8 October, at Korea's DMC Festival 2016, with Moroder being present in the audience.[62][63] The music video for the song was released on 22 November, alongside the official digital release of the track.[61] 2021 saw Moroder return to the studio withDuran Duran, co-writing and producing two tracks, "Tonight United"[64] and "Beautiful Lies" for their 2021 albumFuture Past.[65] In January 2025, Moroder co-producedThe Weeknd's albumHurry Up Tomorrow, as well as co-writing the songs "Big Sleep" and "Without a Warning", serving as a sonic influence on the entire album.[66]
Moroder has won threeAcademy Awards:Best Original Score forMidnight Express (1978);[67]Best Song for "Flashdance...What a Feeling", from the filmFlashdance (1983)[68] andBest Song for "Take My Breath Away", fromTop Gun (1986).[69] Moroder also won two of his fourGrammy Awards forFlashdance: Best Album or Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special and Best Instrumental Composition for the track "Love Theme from Flashdance". The third was awarded for Best Dance Recording for the song "Carry On".
Moroder also won fourGolden Globes: twoBest Original Score for "Midnight Express" and "Flashdance", and twoBest Original Song for "Flashdance... What a Feeling" and "Take My Breath Away".
On 20 September 2004, Moroder was honoured at theDance Music Hall of Fame ceremony, held in New York, when he was inducted for his achievements and contributions as a producer. In 2005, Moroder was named aCommendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana,[70] and in 2010Bolzano awarded him theGrande Ordine al Merito della Provincia autonoma di Bolzano. In 2011, he was awarded theLifetime Achievement Award by theWorld Soundtrack Academy. In 2014, Moroder won his fourthGrammy Award forDaft Punk'sRandom Access Memories (Album of the Year).
.jpg)
The Britishalternative rock duoCurve covered "I Feel Love" in 1992. The song was later included on the double CD compilationThe Way of Curve, released in 2004.Bronski Beat covered "I Feel Love" and "Love to Love You Baby" for their debut albumThe Age of Consent (1984). "On Fire", the second single from rapperLil Wayne's seventh studio albumRebirth, contains allusions fromAmy Holland's song "She's on Fire" and was inspired in its entirety byScarface.[71] "Push It", the second single from rapperRick Ross' debut albumPort of Miami, samples "Scarface (Push It to the Limit)" and the story of the video has a very similar theme to the filmScarface. It was produced byJ. R. Rotem.
His song "Tears" was sampled and used as the basis of theDJ Shadow song "Organ Donor" on his 1996 albumEndtroducing...... Canadianhip hop groupSwollen Members sampled the song in "Fuel Injected" and "Meltdown". It also appears on the song "Tragedy" byRZA. The main melody and chord progression form the basis of "Marz" by folk musicianJohn Grant and "Only Light" by Australian ska bandthe Cat Empire. Hip hop duoMobb Deep used a sample from the song "Tony's Theme" in their song "G.O.D. Pt. III". His song "E=MC²" was sampled and used forJ. Dilla's song of the same title. One of his early compositions, "Doo-Bee-Doo-Bee-Doo" from 1969, was featured for many years in silent sketches onThe Benny Hill Show as part of a medley that also included "Mah Nà Mah Nà", a 4/4 adaptation ofLudwig van Beethoven's "Für Elise", and "Gimme Dat Ding".
The theme fromMidnight Express was sampled by hip-hop duoOutKast for their song "Return of the Gangsta", and by hip-hop producerJ Dilla for "Phantom of the Synths", a beat later used byMF Doom for "Gazzillion Ear" and byJay Electronica for "Dimethyltryptamine".
.jpg)
"Chase" was used as the entrance theme music for theprofessional wrestlingtag teamthe Midnight Express throughout the early 1980s as well as in a number of montage videos forNBC'sMajor League Baseball coverage andCBS's coverage of theNBA.Art Bell also frequently used the song as the main theme and bumper music for his late-nighttalk radio programsCoast to Coast AM and Midnight in the Desert.
Moroder's opening theme from the 1983 filmScarface is sampled byNas andMobb Deep for the track "It's Mine". "Leopard Tree Dream" fromCat People is sampled byCannibal Ox in the song "Iron Galaxy". "The Legend of Babel" theme from theMetropolis soundtrack was covered byDJ Dado. British electronica musicianLittle Boots covered "Love Kills", which was written in collaboration withFreddie Mercury. "Future Lovers", a song from American recording artistMadonna's 2005 albumConfessions on a Dance Floor, has a bass line inspired by Donna Summer's Moroder-produced hit "I Feel Love". Furthermore, Madonna opened her 2006Confessions Tour with a medley of "Future Lovers" and "I Feel Love". The version of "Live to Tell" that Madonna performed on The Confessions Tour heavily samples Moroder's song "Tears".Suns of Arqa's album "Technomor" includes the track "Moroder Vibe" which contains elements of "I Feel Love".Underworld's 1999 album,Beaucoup Fish, contains a song titled "Shudder/King of Snake", which contains an interpolation of the bass line from "I Feel Love".[72]
"I Feel Love" was inducted into theNational Recording Registry in 2011.[73]
In 2013, a dance club named after Moroder called Georgio's opened in Hollywood'sStandard Hotel.[74] Moroder even visited it and for the first time saw people dancing to his music, stating: "I never saw people dancing to my music. I was too busy working. I was always in the studio. I never took the coca."[75]
In February 2016,Shooter Jennings, the son ofoutlaw country singerWaylon Jennings, released a tribute album entitledCountach (For Giorgio), his seventh studio album.[76] Shooter Jennings stated that Moroder's music from the moviesMidnight Express (1978),Cat People (1982) andThe NeverEnding Story (1984) had a major influence on him as a child which "...set the foundation for the music of my entire life."[76]
Before his career reboot with Daft Punk, Moroder dedicated decades to his personal hobbies/projects. He designed a car with Marcello Gandini and ex-Lamborghini personnel Claudio Zampolli, theCizeta-Moroder V16T. Also in a 2013 interview, he spoke about the architectural design of a pyramid-like apartment that was supposed to take place in Dubai. It was never built. Other projects included creating his own cognac liquor and getting involved with digital and neon art and putting on shows.[37]
Moroder is a character inSummer: The Donna Summer Musical, in reference to his work with disco diva Donna Summer.[77]
Moroder currently lives inLos Angeles, California. He was married to his Mexican manager, Francisca Gutiérrez, from 1990 until her death in 2022.[78][79] Their son, Alessandro (b. 1989),[80][78] is a Los Angeles–based visual artist.[81]
Moroder is a friend ofMichael Holm, with whom he composed the 1973 albumSpinach 1 under the moniker "Spinach". Holm's songGiorgio und ich is dedicated to Moroder.[citation needed]
I actually didn't change my name, that is a misconception. My name is Giovanni Giorgio, that's how it is in my passport and that's what my birth certificate says. But my mommy called me Hansjörg, it's a translation from Italian to German... So I actually didn't change it...
Moroder's reissue...was bound to offend the purists if only because it smacked of such crass commercialism and seemed so evidently calculated to jump the culture barrier.
Although harshly criticized for its synthesized rock score, Moroder's reconstruction does have the virtue of clarifying a muddled plotline...Moroder's new version provides some illuminating changes in narrative continuity and character motivation, while still preserving the integrity of Lang's extravagant satiric vision.
The soundtrack to Racer: A Chrome Experiment (g.co/racer). Original music by Giorgio Moroder.
[...]Thomas andGuy-Manuel, they are perfectionists (4:21 min). They had to do something which is different. Still dance, still electronic; but give that human touch back. (7:40 min)
