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."
Cat People
Giorgio Moroder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can stare for a thousand years
Colder than the moon
It's been so long
Feel my blood enraged
It's just the fear of losing you
Don't you know my name?
And I've been putting out the fire with gasoline
See these eyes so red
Red like jungle burning bright
Those who feel me near
Pull the blinds and change their minds
It's been so long
Still this pulsing night
A plague I call a heartbeat
Just be still with me
You wouldn't believe what I've been through
You've been so long
Well it's been so long
And I've been putting out the fire with gasoline
Putting out the fire
With gasoline
See these tears so blue
An ageless heart that can never mend
These tears can never dry
A judgment made can never bend
See these eyes so green
I can stare for a thousand years
Just be still with me
You wouldn't believe what I've been through
You've been so long
Well it's been so long
And I've been putting out fire with gasoline
Putting out fire with gasoline
(Been so long)
(Been so long)
Well it's been so long (been so long)
I've been putting out fire (been so long)
It's been so long (been so long)
Been putting out fire (been so long)
It's been so long (been so long)
Been putting out fire (been so long)
Been so long (so long, so long)
Been so long (so long, so long)
Been putting out fire (been so long, so long, so long)
Been putting out fire (been so long, so long, so long)
Been so long
(Been so long, so long, so long)
(Been so long, so long, so long)
Putting out fire (been so long, so long, so long)
Been putting out fire (been so long, so long, so long)
Been so long
Been so long (so long, so long)
Been so long (so long, so long)
In Cat People, Giorgio Moroder uses a series of vivid and mysterious images that evoke feelings of fear, longing and passion. The song is about a person who has been distant from their lover for a long time and wants desperately to reconnect with them. The singer presents themselves as a person with intense emotions that they can barely contain. They describe their eyes as being so green and red that they can captivate someone for an eternity. The fear of losing their lover fills them with rage and desperation, which they compare to putting out a fire with gasoline. They use another metaphor to describe their heartbeat as a plague that they suffer from, but only the presence of the lover can calm it down.
The second verse then talks about the consequences of their intense emotions. They describe their tears as being blue and unable to heal the ageless heart. They also suggest that people who feel their presence might be unnerved by their intensity and might change their minds. The last part of the song is a plea to the lover to be reunited. The singer asks them to be still with them and offers the idea that they have been through unimaginable experiences that the lover would not understand.
Line by Line Meaning
See these eyes so green
My eyes are a piercing green color that can draw in anyone's attention.
I can stare for a thousand years
My gaze is intense and can last for an impossibly long amount of time.
Colder than the moon
My demeanor is icy and detached.
It's been so long
It feels like an eternity has passed.
Feel my blood enraged
My emotions are boiling inside of me.
It's just the fear of losing you
My anger is only a result of my fear of losing you.
Don't you know my name?
Do you not remember me, the person who is right in front of you?
You've been so long
We haven't seen each other in a long time.
And I've been putting out the fire with gasoline
I've been trying to solve this problem, but my actions are only making things worse.
See these eyes so red
My eyes have turned red as a result of my intense emotions.
Red like jungle burning bright
My eyes are a blazing red, like a fire in the jungle.
Those who feel me near
People who sense my presence
Pull the blinds and change their minds
They feel scared and uncomfortable around me, and want to avoid me.
Still this pulsing night
Despite the time of day, my heart is still beating strongly.
A plague I call a heartbeat
My strong and overpowering heartbeat feels like a burden.
Just be still with me
Please stay with me, don't leave.
You wouldn't believe what I've been through
I have gone through so much in my life and it's hard for others to comprehend.
Well it's been so long
It's been such a long time since we last saw each other.
And I've been putting out fire with gasoline
My solutions to the problems in our relationship are only making things worse.
See these tears so blue
My tears are a deep blue color.
An ageless heart that can never mend
My heart has been broken so many times that it feels it can never be repaired.
These tears can never dry
My tears will never stop flowing.
A judgment made can never bend
Once a decision has been made, it is impossible to change it.
Been so long
It's been too long
Been putting out fire with gasoline
I am trying to solve my problems in a way that only makes them worse.
So long, so long
It's been too long
Putting out fire
Trying to fix my problems
Been so long
It's been too long
So long, so long
It's been too long
Putting out fire
Trying to fix my problems
Been so long
It's been too long
So long, so long
It's been too long
Putting out fire
Trying to fix my problems
Been so long
It's been too long
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Giorgio Moroder, David Bowie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind