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."
Underdog
Giorgio Moroder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Up from the country to have a good time - in the city.
Every job he takes he's used and abused
By boss-men want him to lick their shoes - in the city.
Underdog
Underdog
You're an underdog
An' that's the way
That's tha way you're gonna stay.
Every girl he's met's him so upset
Treating him bad with no sign of regret - they don't care
So he went to a brothel to pay for love
The whores looked at him started to laugh - so unfair.
Underdog
Underdog
You're an underdog
An' that's the way
That's tha way you're gonna stay.
Underdog
Underdog
You're an underdog
An' that's the way
That's the way you're gonna stay.
Kick him to the floor
Then you shut the door - underdog.
I must confess as it's for the best
I'm the underdog that was in this mess - before
But now I see where I've been going wrong
An' so I've changed into someone strong
For sure.
Underdog
Underdog
What a joke
I was dreaming 'till I woke an' saw
the light
Now my life is starting to take flight.
Giorgio Moroder's song "Underdog" tells the story of a young man who comes to the city from the countryside for a good time. However, he quickly realizes that every job he gets, he is treated poorly and used by his bosses. Even the women he meets treat him badly, which leads him to visit a brothel out of desperation. The prostitutes laugh at him, and he feels like an underdog. The song ends with the singer realizing that he has been going about things all wrong, and that he needs to become someone strong and change his life.
The lyrics of this song touch on themes such as social inequality, the struggle for self-acceptance, and the need for personal growth. The singer experiences discrimination and mistreatment from different sources, which push him to consider paying for love in a brothel. However, this only reinforces his sense of powerlessness as the prostitutes laugh at him. The song suggests that the only way to break free from an underdog status is to gain self-awareness, confidence and strength.
Line by Line Meaning
Been in this place for just a short time
He recently came to the city in search of a good time.
Up from the country to have a good time - in the city.
He moved from the countryside to the city with the intention of enjoying himself.
Every job he takes he's used and abused
Every employer he serves exploits him and takes advantage of his services.
By boss-men want him to lick their shoes - in the city.
His employers want him to please them in order to keep his job in the city.
Every girl he's met's him so upset
Every girl he meets disappoints him by treating him poorly.
Treating him bad with no sign of regret - they don't care
The girls he meets treat him badly without any remorse or care for his feelings.
So he went to a brothel to pay for love
He resorted to paying for love by visiting a brothel.
The whores looked at him started to laugh - so unfair.
The prostitutes ridicule him, making the situation even more painful for him.
Underdog
He is an underdog, an outcast from society.
Underdog
He feels like he is a loser, an outcast and not accepted in the city.
You're an underdog
He is constantly looked down upon by society.
An' that's the way
That's the way you're gonna stay.
He feels like he will never escape his underdog status.
Kick him to the floor
Then you shut the door - underdog.
People continue to treat him poorly and disrespectfully because of his status as an underdog.
I must confess as it's for the best
I'm the underdog that was in this mess - before
He accepts that his underdog status is what led him to his current unhappy position.
But now I see where I've been going wrong
An' so I've changed into someone strong
For sure.
He realizes that he has the power to change and become stronger to overcome his underdog status.
Underdog
Underdog
What a joke
I was dreaming 'till I woke an' saw
He now sees the irony of his situation as an underdog and how he was blind to it until now.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Edition Intro Meisel GmbH
Written by: GIORGIO MORODER, PETER BELLOTTE, GIORGIO MORODER (DE 1)
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Scott Reppert
I believe there to be two singles in the history of rock and roll that I consider to be "the best I have ever heard". One is The Beatles "Paperback Writer"/"Rain". One is The Hudson Brothers "Rendezvous"/"Medley". The third? "Son Of My Father" with this on the flip side. Pure musical genius!
Jean Dupont
I love this type of music. I wish it was here today too
Michael Stolz
Reminds me of my childhood, this record ran over and over again.
Michael Stolz
No, I have an older sister.
allen mchugh
First time I've heard this. It's great. Found lucky lucky on ebay whilst looking for a different record. Bought it on the off chance and it's another good one.
walter fuchs
Giorgio was great in this time. i remember Lucky Lucky, Underdog , Arizona Man and son of my Father.... Still good Sound....and this Songs are 40thie and more years….Later he was very succesful with Soundtracks like Flashdance (What a Feeling) and more...He get Oscars for it.
walter fuchs
i guess this is one of the best song from Giorgio to this decade...he was very succesful in the 70thies in german part of europe and wrote also great Songs for mary roos and peggy march and others...then he went to holywood and the rest we know....great musician...
Roger Cole
someone should do a mix of the two together.
niklakis lakis
Moroder was the first one to bring the electronic sound into the disco of the 70"S...beside him Donna Summer lighted up her star!..
Agent_57
So who else had this on 45 as a kid in the 70s and wore out this side instead of playing the actual A-side? Always thought this was a much better song than "Son of my Father."