You Should Know About: Giorgio Moroder (Part One)

Giorgio Moroder from 1976 to 1982 in ten tracks.

Welcome to You Should Know. This is a five-part series focusing on one subject each week via ten tracks. This Week: Giorgio Moroder

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Giorgio Moroder initially emerged in the 1960s as a pop producer and became one of the giants of disco, managing to score hits well after the genre evolved into different subgenres.

I’m going to attempt to cover Moroder’s career via ten tracks. Because he has such a fantastic back catalogue to cull from, I will be focusing on 1976-1982, with plans to write a second instalment at a later date.

1). “Winter Melody”- Donna Summer (1976)

Chart Position: #27 (UK), #43 (US)

Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder were the musical equivalent of peanut butter and jam. In the 1970s and early 1980s, they recorded several massive hits together, including the seminal “I Feel Love”. Summer’s career has since been sullied by remarks she may or may not have made regarding the LGBTQ+ community during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

Giving Summer her due here because she did record some fantastic material with Moroder, and one of the earlier recordings, “Winter Melody”, is a standout.

The track was from her 1976 album Four Seasons Of Love. A disco concept album, each track represented one season of the year. It’s actually a pretty fantastic album and worth seeking out.

2). “From Here To Eternity”- Giorgio (1977)

Chart Position: #16 (UK)

Giorgio had been recording as a solo artist since the mid-1960s. The disco era gave him the chance to revive his solo career, and his recordings tended to be more experimental than the hits he was having with Donna Summer.

Like “I Feel Love”, “From Here To Eternity” basically sounds like nothing else that was out at the time. Both tracks laid the blueprint for dance music post-disco and made it clear why everyone from Diana Ross to New Order was influenced by Moroder’s work.

3). “Giving Up, Giving In”- The Three Degrees (1978)

Chart Position: #12 (UK)

Donna Summer couldn’t record all of Moroder’s compositions. He also worked with several other female artists, from fellow Casablanca recording artist Roberta Kelly to the popular 1970s girl group The Three Degrees.

Predating Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff”, “Giving Up, Giving In” is another rock-influenced disco stomper with soaring vocals.

The Three Degrees were massive in the earlier part of the decade, scoring hits in both the UK and the US. The middle of the decade saw a slump of sorts. Working with Moroder at the end of the decade gave their career a boost in the UK and Europe. They weren’t the only group with sagging sales to have a huge turnaround by collaborating with the producer.

4). “My Other Voice”- Sparks (1979)

Chart Position: Did Not Chart

Sparks had been struggling to find a new sound by the middle of the decade. American brothers Ron and Russell Mael had broken out in the UK as part of the 1970s glam rock movement. By 1977, they had relocated to the US and recorded a pair of unsuccessful albums for Columbia Records. They also dabbled in film, appearing in the 1977 disaster thriller Rollercoaster.

The brothers mentioned being fans of Giorgio Moroder in an interview with a German journalist who hooked them up with the producer. The rest is history. No. 1 In Heaven (1979) is easily the greatest Sparks album. It’s hard to pick just one solid track, but this deep dive is a definite highlight.

Sparks continued to work with Moroder for a few more years, moving into a more synth rock/ new wave direction, putting out some of the best material of their long (almost 55-year!) recording career.

5). “Fly Too High”- Janis Ian (1979)

Chart Position: #44 (UK), #5 (Netherlands)

Sparks weren’t the only unlikely recording act to work with Moroder in the late 1970s. Singer-Songwriter Janis Ian had been recording since she was a teenager in the 1960s.

Ian had two big hits with “Society’s Child” (1967) and “At Seventeen” (1975). In Europe, she had a third major hit with this fantastic Moroder-produced single. While not a huge hit in the UK or North America, it showed that Moroder was a capable pop producer and likely helped him score further hits into the new decade after a ridiculous backlash against disco music occurred.

6). “Life In Tokyo”- Japan (1979)

Chart Position: #28 (UK, 1982)

Japan were one of the more successful bands to emerge from the 1980s new romantic movement. They had also been recording for a few years as a glam-influenced rock band on Ariola before teaming up with Moroder. “Life In Tokyo”, their only collaboration with Moroder, marked a shift towards a more synth-oriented direction.

Following a move to Virgin Records, Japan finally scored a run of UK hits towards the end of 1981. Several Ariola singles were reissued, including this one. Japan’s success was short-lived; due to tensions within the band, they broke up within a year.

7). “I Wanna Rock You”- Giorgio (1979)

Chart Position: Unknown chart position (Canada)

E=MC² (1979) was another innovative solo album from Moroder. One of the standouts, the infectious “I Wanna Rock You”, was only issued as a single in Canada. It did manage to reach the lower reaches of the Canadian RPM charts in early 1980.

8). “Call Me”- Blondie (1980)

Chart Position: #1 (US/UK/Canada)

Around this time, Moroder was also becoming known for soundtrack work. He’d had a Top 40 hit with “The Chase” from the soundtrack to “Midnight Express” and later scored a huge hit when Blondie were recruited to perform the title track to the 1980 Richard Gere vehicle American Gigolo.

It’s one of Moroder’s finest early 1980s production efforts, and as with “Fly Too High”, proof that he was a versatile producer.

9). “You Can”- Madleen Kane (1981)

Chart Position: #77 (US)

By 1981, Moroder was no longer working with Donna Summer. He recorded with a string of other female singers, with varying results. Both managed to continue on with successful careers, but they had more magic working together than with other people.

One of Moroder’s more successful efforts was when he teamed up with disco star and former fashion model for the overlooked synth-pop gem “You Can”. Predating “Flashdance…What A Feeling” by well over a year, it has a similar build-up into a dance track. The single was a minor Hot 100 hit, but a #1 smash on the

dance charts.

10). “Cat People (Putting Out Fire)”- David Bowie (1982)

Chart Position: #67 (US), #26 (UK)

It was likely inevitable that David Bowie and Giorgio Moroder would cross paths at some point. This single was recorded for the 1982 remake of Cat People and served as something of a bridge between Bowie’s artistic 1977-1980 synth pop period and his more mainstream post-RCA recordings on EMI. The catchy lyrics also provide one Hell of a sing-along.

Further Listening

I find it hard to listen to full albums. Maybe I can’t concentrate, or perhaps I don’t make enough time. Part of writing this series is to encourage myself, first and foremost, to listen to more albums. I’m going to offer at least one recommendation and suggest you check it out. Also, if you’re interested in hearing more work by Giorgio Moroder.

Number One In Heaven- Sparks (Virgin, 1979)

I’m cheating somewhat by offering this as a recommendation rather than a randomly picked album I’m just discovering for the first time.

This album is one of Moroder’s best production efforts. There is zero filler, the tracks are all super memorable, and it’s easily one of the Mael Brothers’ greatest moments. Well worth checking out.

Next Week: Part one of a two-part end-of-year post where I ask fellow Musicstackers to share their favourite songs from this year.