Often collaborating with lyricist Pete Bellotte, Moroder scored a number of hits in his own name including "Son Of My Father" in 1972 and "From Here to Eternity" in 1977 under the name Giorgio, and in the following year releasing "Chase", the theme from the film Midnight Express and sold well elsewhere. All were hits in the UK. The full movie score for Midnight Express won him his first Academy Award for best film score in 1978.
In 1985, Moroder worked with Phil Oakey, frontman of the popular synthpop group, The Human League, to make the album Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder. The following year, Moroder collaborated with his protege Harold Faltermeyer (of "Axel F." fame) and lyricist Tom Whitlock to create the score for the popular film Top Gun (1986), with the most noteworthy hit being the Berlin classic, "Take My Breath Away", which went on to become a huge hit for the group.
He also scored other popular films in the 1980s including American Gigolo, Flashdance, The NeverEnding Story, Thief of Hearts, Electric Dreams, Scarface and Cat People(in collaboration with David Bowie). The latter score has recently regained popularity due to its use in the popular computer game Grand Theft Auto III. Moroder's "From Here To Eternity" and "The Chase" were also used in the Sony PSP game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories.
In 1984, Moroder compiled a new restoration and edit of the famous silent film Metropolis and provided a new modern rock-and-roll soundtrack to the film.
His song "Tears" was sampled and used as the basis of the DJ Shadow song "Organ Donor" on his 1996 album Endtroducing......
On September 20, 2004 Moroder was honored at the Dance Music Hall of Fame ceremony, held in New York, when he was inducted for his many outstanding achievements and contributions as producer. In 2005, he was given the title of Commendatore by Azeglio Ciampi.
In 2005, a great deal of his work (including the Cizeta-Moroder supercar he co-produced in the mid 90s with Claudio Zampolli) was used in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, and was the entire playlist of the Flashback FM radio station.
Giorgio Moroder is one of the numerous composers interested in writing the theme tune of the 2008 Bejing Olympic Games. This is not the first theme song Moroder composed for the Olympic games. "Hand in Hand" was regarded as the best ever Olympic theme song for the 1988 Seoul Olympics by former International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan Antonio Samaranch.
Moroder contributed to Daft Punk's 2013 studio album Random Access Memories, admitting that he had been a fan of their song "One More Time" before working with the group. His voice and story is featured on the album's track "Giorgio by Moroder". On the track he states, "My name is Giovanni Giorgio, but everybody calls me Giorgio."
Son Of My Father
Giorgio Moroder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Off you got to school where you can learn the rules there right
Be just like your dad lad
Follow in the same tradition
Never go astray and stay an honest lovin' son.
Son of my father
Molded I was folded I was preform-packed
Son of my father
Commanded I was branded in a plastic vac'
Surrounded and confounded by statistic facts.
Tried to keep me in but jumped out of my skin in time
I saw through the lies and read the alibi signs
So I left my home I'm really on my own at last
Left the trodden path and separated from the past.
Son of my father
Changing rearranging into someone new
Son of my father
Collecting and selecting independent views
Knowing and I'm showing that a change is due.
Son of my father
Molded I was folded...
Son of my father
Molded I was folded...
The lyrics of Giorgio Moroder's song "Son Of My Father" tell the story of a young man who is expected to follow in his father's footsteps, to the point of being molded and preform-packed to fit the same tradition. The father believes that the son's life must be run like a well-oiled machine, going to school to learn the rules and never going astray, to become an honest and loving person. However, as the son grows up, he begins to question the truth behind these beliefs and starts to rebel against them. He jumps out of his skin in time, leaving his home and separating from the past and traditions that have suffocated him.
The song speaks to a universal truth of human nature – the desire to break free from the mold that has been set for us and become our own person. As much as we love and respect our parents and caregivers, it is crucial for us to find our own voice and create our own path in life. The lyrics of "Son Of My Father" convey the struggle of the young man in the song, as well as the hope that he finds in creating a new, independent life for himself.
Line by Line Meaning
Father said to me we gotta have your life run night
My father told me I needed to live my life according to his expectations.
Off you got to school where you can learn the rules there right
He wanted me to go to school to learn the proper way to do things.
Be just like your dad lad
He wanted me to follow in his footsteps and be like him.
Follow in the same tradition
He wanted me to continue the family tradition and not deviate from it.
Never go astray and stay an honest lovin' son.
He wanted me to always stay on the straight and narrow and be a good, honest person.
Son of my father Molded I was folded I was preform-packed
I was molded and shaped to fit his expectations and desires from a young age.
Commanded I was branded in a plastic vac' Surrounded and confounded by statistic facts.
I was expected to conform to society's expectations and was influenced by the prevailing cultural norms and values.
Tried to keep me in but jumped out of my skin in time I saw through the lies and read the alibi signs
I tried to conform to his expectations, but eventually saw through his lies and deceit.
So I left my home I'm really on my own at last Left the trodden path and separated from the past.
I left home and struck out on my own, forging my own path and breaking free from his expectations and the family tradition.
Son of my father Changing rearranging into someone new
I changed and evolved into a new person, no longer living up to his expectations and standards.
Son of my father Collecting and selecting independent views Knowing and I'm showing that a change is due.
I began to form my own ideas and opinions, realizing that change was necessary.
Son of my father Molded I was folded...
I was shaped and influenced by my father from a young age, but eventually broke free and formed my own identity.
Lyrics © Radio Tele Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Giorgio Moroder, Michael Holm, Peter Bellotte
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind