The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
When I was fifteen, sixteen
When I started really to play guitar
I definitely wanted to become a musician
It was almost impossible because, it was
The dream was so big
That I didn't see any chance
Because I was living in a little town, was studying
And when I finally broke away from school
And became a musician
I thought "well, now I may have a little bit of a chance"
Because all I really wanted to do is music
And not only play music, but compose music
At that time, in Germany, in '69, '70
They had already discotheques
So I would take my car, would go to a discotheque
Sing maybe thirty minutes
I think I had about seven, eight songs
I would partially sleep in the car
Because I didn't want to drive home
And that helped me for about
Almost two years to survive
In the beginning
I wanted to do an album with the sounds of the fifties
The sounds of the sixties, of the seventies
And then have a sound of the future
And I thought "Wait a second
I know the synthesizer, why don't I use the synthesizer
Which is the sound of the future"
And I didn't have any idea what to do but I knew I needed a click
So we put a click on the 24-track
Which then was synced to the Moog modular
I knew that could be a sound of the future
But I didn't realize how much the impact would be
My name is Giovanni Giorgio, but everybody calls me Giorgio
Once you free your mind about a concept of
Harmony and of music being correct
You can do whatever you want
So nobody told me what to do
And there was no preconception of what to do
When I started really to play guitar
I definitely wanted to become a musician
It was almost impossible because, it was
The dream was so big
That I didn't see any chance
Because I was living in a little town, was studying
And when I finally broke away from school
And became a musician
I thought "well, now I may have a little bit of a chance"
Because all I really wanted to do is music
And not only play music, but compose music
At that time, in Germany, in '69, '70
They had already discotheques
So I would take my car, would go to a discotheque
Sing maybe thirty minutes
I think I had about seven, eight songs
I would partially sleep in the car
Because I didn't want to drive home
And that helped me for about
Almost two years to survive
In the beginning
I wanted to do an album with the sounds of the fifties
The sounds of the sixties, of the seventies
And then have a sound of the future
And I thought "Wait a second
I know the synthesizer, why don't I use the synthesizer
Which is the sound of the future"
And I didn't have any idea what to do but I knew I needed a click
So we put a click on the 24-track
Which then was synced to the Moog modular
I knew that could be a sound of the future
But I didn't realize how much the impact would be
My name is Giovanni Giorgio, but everybody calls me Giorgio
Once you free your mind about a concept of
Harmony and of music being correct
You can do whatever you want
So nobody told me what to do
And there was no preconception of what to do
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Giorgio By Moroder Lyrics as written by Guy Manuel Homem Christo Giorgio Moroder
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The song that Giorgio is referring to when he talks about the sound of the future is Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love' from 1977.
I love how this duo whose style has paved the way for much of the dance music of the past decade (and some change) show us who inspire them and set many wheels in motion. The way the music follows the key points of Giorgio's story is great, from his humble beginnings as a young musician against the backdrop of parking lot chatter outside of the disco all the way to the end as the track brings us through his history up to present day.
After his closing words, the drum scratches and drums set the scene for the awesome finale, which feels like missiles blazing with trails like fireworks in swarms. He's told his story, now what will happen in the decades to come?
The song's about the future, but it's also about enjoying the music you like and the fact that you can like more than one thing without coming off as "fake." At least, that's my interpretation of this song.