Giorgio Moroder: Déjà Vu (feat. Sia)
Details
Genre: Disco, Pop, SynthpopPros:
Good lyrics, solid vocals, sweet disco rhythms and opulent production shows off a new awakening for MoroderCons:
The shortening of the chorus after the second verse seems very awkward; it needs those extra bars. The Spotify version seems is faster than the YouTube version.Giorgio on Moroder: “Déjà Vu” is a wonderful return to form for disco’s godfather
Giorgio on Moroder: “Déjà Vu” is a wonderful return to form for disco’s godfather
On the surface, it seems laughable for Giorgio Moroder to enter back into the pop record business. As the Godfather of Disco, he helped power up disco as a fledgling genre and even kept it on life support even after ‘Disco Sucks’ and MTV sucked all of its vitals away in the Eighties with powerhouse synthpop favorites like Blondie’s “Call Me,” Irene Cara’s “What a Feeling.” Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” was also an important latter work footnote to Moroder’s bio. Now that the industry is alive and well to EDM and to Moroder’s genius, he’s getting a new lease on life. And he’s jumping back into overdrive with the revelation of new music for his highly-anticipated forthcoming album Déjà Vu.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve hear details on the star-studded disc and have even danced a little to the Kylie Minogue-guested track “Right Here, Right Now.” Now the title track is leaping into social media and is showing off a new streak to Moroder’s creative process. He’s 74, an oddity for the pop business. But he’s still got an ear for what works as he crafts an iridescent funky track around Sia‘s highly-distinguished vocals. He approaches the song using Chic-like guitar and bubbly bass. After Sia locks her accent around such catchy lyrics (“The man come to those who wait/I think I’ve found my baby”), she ascends into a flurry of strings and jubilant disco akin to Moroder’s residency in Donna Summer land. By the time you hear the elements surrounding Sia’s faux-operatic tone on the chorus, the song has already soared past most of the conventions inside the rubble of today’s pop wasteland. This sound good. Better than good. Gosh, it sounds like déjà vu.
Two setbacks to point out: Cher fans will consider this a bit unoriginal for sounding like a knockoff, in places, to 1998’s “Believe.” In Moroder’s defense and Sia’s performance, no Auto-Tune was used here. The other fault is that there are a few differences in the official uploaded versions heard on streaming service Spotify and YouTube. Spotify is much faster, clocking in at 3:20. The tempo seems forced, which might be a problem for Moroder later down the road. The YouTube version, a bit easier on the ear, runs for 3:32.
