Tangerine Dream are considered a pioneering act in electronica. Their work with the electronic music Ohr label produced albums that had a pivotal role in the development of the German musical scene known as kosmische ("cosmic"). Their "Virgin Years", so called because of their association with Virgin Records, produced albums that further explored synthesizers and sequencers, including the UK top 20 albums Phaedra (1974) and Rubycon (1975). The group also had a successful career composing film soundtracks, creating over 60 scores, which include those for the films Sorcerer, Thief, The Soldier, Risky Business, Flashpoint, The Keep, Firestarter, Legend, Three O'Clock High, Near Dark, Shy People, and Miracle Mile.
From the late 1990s into the 2000s, Tangerine Dream continued to explore other styles of instrumental music as well as electronica. Their recorded output has been prolific, including over one hundred albums. Among other scoring projects, they helped create the soundtrack for the video game Grand Theft Auto V. Their mid-1970s work has been profoundly influential in the development of electronic music styles such as new age (although the band themselves disliked the term) and electronic dance music.
Their most recent album of all-new music, Quantum Gate, was released on 29 September 2017. In December 2019, the band released Recurring Dreams, a compilation of new recordings of some of the band's classic compositions.
The group is currently working on a new album as a four-piece to be released in 2021 via Kscope.
Tangerine Dream began as a surreal rock band, with each of the members contributing different musical influences and styles. Edgar Froese's guitar style was inspired by Jimi Hendrix, while Christopher Franke contributed the more avant garde elements of Karlheinz Stockhausen and Terry Riley. Yes-like progressive rock influence was brought in by Steve Jolliffe on Cyclone. The sample-based sound collages of Johannes Schmoelling drew their inspiration from a number of sources; one instance is Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians on parts of Logos Live, and the track "Love on a Real Train" from the Risky Business soundtrack.
Classical music has had an influence on the sound of Tangerine Dream over the years. György Ligeti, Johann Sebastian Bach, Pierre Boulez, Iannis Xenakis, Maurice Ravel, and Arcangelo Corelli are clearly visible as dominant influences in the early albums. A Baroque sensibility sometimes informs the more coordinated sequencer patterns, which has its most direct expression in the La Folia section that comes at the very end of the title track of Force Majeure. In live performances, the piano solos often directly quoted from Romantic classical works for piano, such as the Beethoven and Mozart snippets in much of the late 1970s – early 1980s stage shows. In the bootleg recording of the Mannheim Mozartsaal concert of 1976 (Tangerine Tree volume 13), the first part of the first piece also clearly quotes from Franz Liszt's Totentanz. The first phrase is played on a harpsichord synthesizer patch and is answered by the second half of the phrase in a flute voicing on a Mellotron. During the 1990s, many releases included recordings of classical compositions: Pictures at an Exhibition (on Turn of the Tides), Largo (from Xerxes) (on Tyranny of Beauty), Symphony in A Minor (by J. S. Bach), and Concerto in A Major / Adagio (by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) (both on Ambient Monkeys).
Since the 1990s, Tangerine Dream have also recorded cover versions of Jimi Hendrix' "Purple Haze" (first on 220 Volt Live) and The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby", "Back in the U.S.S.R.", "Tomorrow Never Knows", and "Norwegian Wood".
An infrequently recurring non-musical influence on Tangerine Dream, and Edgar Froese in particular, have been 12th–19th-century poets. This was first evident on the 1981 album Exit, the track title "Pilots of the Purple Twilight" being a quote from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem Locksley Hall. Six years later, the album Tyger featured poems from William Blake set to music; and around the turn of the millennium, Edgar Froese started working on a musical trilogy based on Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, completed in 2006. Most recently, the 2007 album Madcap's Flaming Duty features more poems set to music, some again from Blake but also e.g. Walt Whitman.
Pink Floyd were also an influence on Edgar Froese and Tangerine Dream, the band in its very early psychedelic rock band phase playing improvisations based on Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive". Madcap's Flaming Duty is dedicated to the memory of the late Syd Barrett. The title refers to Barrett's solo release "The Madcap Laughs".
The band's influence can be felt in ambient artists such as Deepspace, The Future Sound of London, David Kristian, and Global Communication, as well as rock, pop, and dance artists such as Porcupine Tree, M83, DJ Shadow, Ulrich Schnauss, Cut Copy, and Kasabian. The band also clearly influenced 1990s and 2000s trance music, where lush soundscapes and synth pads are used along with repetitive synth sequences, much like in their 1975 releases Rubycon and Ricochet, as well as some of their music from the early 1980s. The group have also been sampled countless times, more recently by Recoil on the album SubHuman, by Sasha on Involver, and on several Houzan Suzuki albums. Michael Jackson also cited Tangerine Dream as one of his favourite bands, especially their 1977 soundtrack for Sorcerer.
Dancing on a White Moon
Tangerine Dream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Moving through a typhoon, feel it sticking it's a cap on a dream
brother done what we learn
God had us start to roll.
Occasionally feeling, the rust of love in my soul.
You're not in my mind, don't need you.
Whatever love I can find, I won't need you.
Aimless dreams chase in my heart,
Feeling like a loser in an unknown game.
Walking just a fool in the backyard,
Getting wounded by the timeless jealous flame.
Touching my heart like a silver knife,
As if drawn in a newsprint cartoon.
Yelling for love!
While dancing on a white moon.
You're not in my mind, don't need you.
Whatever love I can find, I won't need you.
With my emotional life.
There's a freight train running through my brain,
A restless ego is a part of it's wheels.
Silver flashes harbored in the shame,
Burning all that my soul feels.
As the sun shines bright on both evil and good,
So let the Light of your eyes shine on me!
Respecting your way, yes I would,
Tied up by the rising tide of my dark sea.
You're not in my mind, well I need you.
Whatever love I can find, I will feed you.
Through this emotional life.
Again, you're not in my mind, well I need you.
Whatever love I can find, I will feed you.
Through this emotional life.
Through this emotional life.
Through this emotional life.
Through this emotional life.
The lyrics to Tangerine Dream's song Dancing on a White Moon explore themes of emotional independence and the struggle to find meaning in life. The first verse introduces the image of dancing on a white moon, which seems to symbolize a sense of freedom and possibility. The twist like a century breeze and the typhoon represent obstacles and challenges that must be overcome in order to achieve this sense of liberation. The second line, "feel it sticking it's a cap on a dream," suggests that these obstacles can be limiting and have the potential to stifle creativity.
The lyrics then move to the theme of love, with the line "brother done what we learn." This line may suggest that the singer has learned from past experiences with love and relationships. However, they also acknowledge the occasional "rust of love in my soul." This may suggest that the singer has been hurt in the past and is cautious about opening themselves up to love in the future.
The chorus of the song, "You're not in my mind, don't need you. Whatever love I can find, I won't need you. With my emotional life," reinforces the theme of emotional independence. The singer is asserting their right to live their life on their own terms, without the need for someone else's validation or approval.
The remainder of the lyrics paint a picture of emotional turmoil. The aimless dreams, the feeling of being a loser in an unknown game, and the wounds caused by jealousy all point to a sense of isolation and disillusionment. The freight train running through the singer's brain and the silver flashes harbored in the shame suggest a sense of confusion and overwhelm.
Ultimately, the song seems to be about the difficulties of finding meaning and purpose in life, and the struggle to reconcile one's own desires with the expectations of the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Dancing on a white moon with a twist like a century breeze
I dance with ease under the serene moonlight and my movements are like those of a breeze that has passed through the ages.
Moving through a typhoon, feel it sticking it's a cap on a dream
I navigate through challenges like a ship in a storm and though my dreams may be hindered, my spirit remains indomitable.
brother done what we learn
I have learned from my fellow man and will continue to do so.
God had us start to roll.
The divine has set us on a course and I trust in its guidance.
Occasionally feeling, the rust of love in my soul.
Sometimes I feel a tinge of melancholy within me, a reminder of the love I have lost.
You're not in my mind, don't need you.
I don't think of you anymore, I have moved on.
Whatever love I can find, I won't need you.
I will find new love and it will be all I need.
With my emotional life.
Emotional fulfillment is all I require.
Aimless dreams chase in my heart,
I have unfulfilled dreams that haunt me.
Feeling like a loser in an unknown game.
I feel defeated, lost in a game I don't understand.
Walking just a fool in the backyard,
I wander aimlessly like a fool in my own surroundings.
Getting wounded by the timeless jealous flame.
Jealousy burns within me, causing me pain and suffering.
Touching my heart like a silver knife,
The pain I feel is intense, cutting me to the core.
As if drawn in a newsprint cartoon.
My life feels like a caricature, unreal and fantastical.
Yelling for love!
I crave love and companionship.
While dancing on a white moon.
I dance under the light of the moon, despite my inner turmoil.
There's a freight train running through my brain,
My mind races with thoughts and emotions that are overwhelming.
A restless ego is a part of it's wheels.
My ego is always in motion, driving my thoughts and actions.
Silver flashes harbored in the shame,
Painful memories are held within me, hidden like silver coins in a purse.
Burning all that my soul feels.
The intensity of my emotions consumes me.
As the sun shines bright on both evil and good,
Both good and evil exist in the world, and neither is hidden from view.
So let the Light of your eyes shine on me!
May the light of love and compassion shine on me and heal my wounds.
Respecting your way, yes I would,
I respect the paths of others and their choices.
Tied up by the rising tide of my dark sea.
I am caught in the turmoil of my own inner conflicts.
You're not in my mind, well I need you.
Although I have moved on, I still long for your presence.
Whatever love I can find, I will feed you.
If I find new love, I will cherish and nourish it.
Through this emotional life.
This journey of emotions and experiences is all-encompassing.
Contributed by Aaliyah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Volkan R. E.
On of my favorites tunes from my childhood era. A great Tangerine Dream track. Rest in peace, Edgar Froese..
Yuki Nagato
This and The Harbor are my all time faves with this soundtrack . Jacquie Virgil really did an amazing job with Vocals with this track
Heliosphan15
what re-release is this from?