TIL, thanks for sharing this song with us!
The Human League’s Phil Oakey teamed up with electronic master Giorgio Moroder for this classic '80s tune.
Giorgio Moroder wrote ‘Together in Electric Dreams’, intended for a male solo vocal.
Movie director Steve Barron suggested his former colleague, Human League frontman Philip Oakey, for the part.
The song was later credited to Moroder and Oakey, after the two teamed up in the recording studio.
Moroder is best known for his production work and is often called the ‘Father of Disco’.
The film Electric Dreams was director Steve Barron’s first full feature film. His previous work included directing a number of music videos, with his most famous being The Human League’s ‘Don’t You Want Me’ in 1981.[1]
Together In Electric Dreams (Remastered 2003 / From “Electric Dreams” Original Motion Picture… [03:52 | Philip Oakey - Topic][2]
This synth pop ballad captures the story of a romance.
The song was based upon Steve Barron’s film, “Electric Dreams” (Barron directed the Human League’s music videos, he directed “Don’t You Want Me”).
spoiler
In the film, the lead character Miles finds himself trapped in a love triangle with his neighbour called Madeline and super computer which becomes alive. The computer, coining himself Edgar, becomes alive due to being doused in Champagne and a faulty set up.
The film ends with Edgar committing suicide as he accepts Miles and Madeline’s love for each other, as he send extreme electrical volts into himself.
The final scene shows Miles and Madeline on holiday listening to the radio with Edgar (being the voice) dedicating the song ‘Together in Electric Dreams" to the “ones he loves.”
The song encapsulates this narrative with the relationship being between Miles and Madeline, with their admiration for each other being solidified within the death of Edgar.
The song was originally released to advertise the film but quickly overshadowed the film and became a success in its own right as it peaked at No. 3 on the UK charts.
Oakey stated that it is ironic as the track took ten minutes to record without any hope or realisation that it would become a worldwide hit[3]
[1] The Story of… ‘Together in Electric Dreams’ by Phil Oakey and Giorgio Moroder | Tom Eames | 4 November 2021 | https://www.smoothradio.com/features/the-story-of/together-in-electric-dreams-song-lyrics-video/ ↩︎
[2] YT Link: https://youtu.be/vVJYBPQyFTQ ↩︎
[3] https://genius.com/Philip-oakey-and-giorgio-moroder-together-in-electric-dreams-lyrics ↩︎
