There’s a reason they call Giorgio Moroder the “Father of Disco.” The Italian song-making machine has released 14 of his own studio albums in addition to producing hits for artists like Donna Summer, Blondie and Irene Cara. Love it or hate it, disco music owes a gargantuan amount to him.
And that doesn’t even begin to cover the influence of his cinema work; In fact, many of his most shining hits originated on the soundtracks of films like Midnight Express, American Gigolo, Flashdance, Superman III, Scarface, The NeverEnding Story and Top Gun. Yes, that includes the Limahl-led song “Never Ending Story,” made pop culture famous for a second time in 2019 when two Stranger Things characters — Dustin and Suzie — performed it as a duet on the show. And yes, that also includes “Take My Breath Away,” the Oscar-winning Top Gun ballad that went viral on TikTok 36 years later alongside thirsty videos of Miles Teller acting in the film’s 2022 sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.
From movies to radio to dance club speakers, Moroder’s music kickstarted a cultural shift marked by glittering synths that modern day musicians continue to want to take a bite of. In 2014 he teamed up with Coldplay for a “Father of Disco” makeover on a remix of their song “Midnight,” and the year before that, he was featured on Daft Punk’s Grammy album of the year champ Random Access Memories on a nine-minute track titled “Giorgio by Moroder.”
With all that in mind, there was only one person whose favorite disco tracks Billboard Dance wanted to hear. Now’s the time to bust out your disco ball, bellbottoms and dancing shoes and crank up the volume on Giorgio Moroder’s disco favorites below.
