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.
Loved by the Sun
Tangerine Dream Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once or twice but I knew they had a reason
Enchantment plays it's cards all right
Hand in hand with the workings of the seasons
Legends can be now and forever
Teaching us to love for goodness sake
Legends can be now and forever
Loved
Two and two go so close together
Whether there is hope that is torn apart
In the words of all that's singing
Hand in hand the beginning is at the start
Legends can be now and forever
Teaching us to reach for goodness sake
Legends can be now and forever
Loved by the sun, loved by the sun
Loved
Who sings of all of love's eternity?
Who shines so bright
In all the songs of love's unending spells?
Only lightning strikes all that's evil
Teaching us to love for goodness sake
Hear the music of love eternal
Teaching us to reach for goodness sake
Legends can be now and forever
Teaching us to love for goodness sake
Sweet songs of youth, the wise, the meeting of all wisdom
Sweet songs of youth, the wise, the meeting of all wisdom
Sweet songs of youth, the wise, the meeting of all wisdom
Sweet songs of youth, the wise, the meeting of all wisdom
To believe in the good in man
To believe in the good in man
To believe in the good in man
The song "Loved by the Sun" by Tangerine Dream speaks about the mystical power of legends and how they can endure through time, teaching important lessons about love and goodness. The first stanza talks about witnessing mystics playing with a reason, suggesting that there is something magical and intentional about the universe and its workings. The second stanza refers to the idea that hope and despair are intertwined, but that in the end, the beginning and end are the same. This could mean that everything is cyclical and that even in despair, there is hope for a new beginning.
The chorus proclaims that legends can exist for eternity, teaching us to love and reach for goodness. The line "loved by the sun" implies a divine love that supports these eternal legends. The third stanza asks who sings of love's eternity and whose light shines so brightly. This could be interpreted as a reference to a higher power or perhaps someone who embodies the best of humanity. The final stanza repeats the message that lightning strikes evil, teaching us to love, and that through music, we can strive for goodness. The repetition of "sweet songs of youth, the wise, the meeting of all wisdom" and "to believe in the good in man" reinforces the idea that there is hope in the world if we choose to believe in it.
Overall, the song encourages listeners to embrace the power of legends and to strive for good in the world, even in times of difficulty.
Line by Line Meaning
I've seen the mystics play there
Once or twice but I knew they had a reason
I have witnessed spiritual leaders perform their rituals there, and though I have only observed it once or twice, I am aware that they have a purpose for their actions.
Enchantment plays it's cards all right
Hand in hand with the workings of the seasons
Magic and charm unfold and reveal themselves in harmony with the natural cycle of seasonal changes.
Legends can be now and forever
Teaching us to love for goodness sake
Legends can be now and forever
Loved by the sun, loved by the sun
Loved
Myths and tales have the power to transcend time and teach us the importance of loving others simply for the sake of goodness. These stories can endure for eternity and remain beloved.
Two and two go so close together
Whether there is hope that is torn apart
In the words of all that's singing
Hand in hand the beginning is at the start
Things that are meant to be connected are inevitably drawn together, even when discouragement and despair threaten to separate them. In the words of every song being sung, the beginning is always there from the start.
Legends can be now and forever
Teaching us to reach for goodness sake
Legends can be now and forever
Loved by the sun
Loved by the sun
Loved
Myths and fairy tales can be a timeless inspiration to strive for goodness and reach for our full potential. They are loved and warmed by the sun's light.
Who sings of all of love's eternity
Whose shines so bright
In all the songs of love's unending spells
Whoever sings of eternal love radiates a brilliance which illuminates all songs that express love's never-ending magic.
Only lightning strikes all that's evil
Teaching us to love for goodness sake
Hear the music of love eternal
Teaching us to reach for goodness sake
Legends can be now and forever
Teaching us to love for goodness sake
Only the sudden and powerful strike of lightning can vanquish all that is wicked, and by this reminder, we learn to love purely for the sake of goodness. Let us listen to the sound of ever-lasting love and allow it to inspire us to our greatest heights. Myths and legends can serve as powerful teachers to show the importance of loving for the sake of goodness.
Sweet songs of youth, the wise, the meeting of all wisdom
Sweet songs of youth, the wise, the meeting of all wisdom
Sweet songs of youth, the wise, the meeting of all wisdom
Sweet songs of youth, the wise, the meeting of all wisdom
To believe in the good in man.
To believe in the good in man.
To believe in the good in man.
The beautiful music and memories of our young days bring together all of the wisdom we have gained in life. Ultimately, we must choose to believe in the inherent goodness of humanity despite all evidence to the contrary.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Christopher G. Franke, Edgar Willmar Froese, Johannes Schmoelling, Jon Anderson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sean Christopher Synthesizers
I am a huge Jerry Goldsmith fan but TANGERINE DREAM is truly what Legend was meant to marry with. One of the most incredible soundtracks ever written IMO.
Michael Kenwell
Indeed this song takes everything over the top in a great way at the ending, redemption for Jack & Lily 😎👌
Kristi Astral
Whenever I show anyone Legend, I tell them to watch the version with Tangerine Dream.
Louie Love
They took out the mystical song from the ending scene and ruined the experience I once had.
Snake Jones 09
Facts
octagramt
A way is to consider them as two separate movies, differentiated by their soundtracks, as absolutely does Jerry Goldsmith's transform the film from some edgy philosophical tale, to one of a more traditional Fantasy, dealing with the Elements of Good and Evil in a more pure tone.
Typically preferences are determined by sequence of introduction.
It's very likely you/most experienced Tangerine Dream's work first. Perhaps if you experienced Jerry Goldsmith's version first, your opinion would vary.
DOOMDIGI
I was a homeless kid when i was 15-18. this song always mad me happy. It inspired me to have no fear, knowing that the future is mine and it will all be ok. 30 yrs later. It is. :)
Lydia R. d'Angelo
Inspiring of you to share on how the art and music combined encouraged you...
Niall Shannon
My god, the beauty of what you said, I am speechless.
Jarrod Lacy
Michael white Your story is a treasure as well as an inspiration, Michael. Thank you greatly for sharing it.