
Do you feel the Love?
Since the early 2010s, electronic music has made a significant impact on the music industry. Now, just like any other music genre, Electronic Music has hundreds of sub-genres that dictate a particular style of music production. Among which, EDM (Electronic Dance Music)- a generic name for mainstream electronic music, has seen a massive surge in previous years due to festivals like Tomorrowland and Ultra.
The Donna Summer song “I Feel Love”. A song that not only took the world by storm but, also defined an era. The 70's disco aesthetic is something that has its fans and its critics. But, this song made an impact on the music industry unlike any other. You wanna know how it comes back to Electronic Dance Music?
It all starts with an Italian guy named Giovanni Giorgio Moroder. Of course, today, he is considered the Godfather of Dance Music but, back in the 70’s he was just a guy playing at discotheques.


A part-time DJ and a producer, Giorgio would play around with analog music synthesizer (something that looks like this) to make clicks to come up with a new sound.
He must’ve tried so many times until he struck gold. He describes this in a Daft Punk song called ‘Giorgio By Moroder’ from their 2013 album ‘Random Access Memories’. This song is an instrumental track over Giorgio’s commentary. Daft Punk is another name that has been at the forefront of dance music. They love and respect Giorgio so much, and were so influenced by him that they made a track out of his interview. On this 9-minute song he describes his love for music composition in his early years. It provides a great insight into his career.
Now, coming back to “I Feel Love”. This song has different versions lasting from 6 to 8 minutes. Basically, it is a song with a house-y disco beat over which Donna Summer’s silky smooth voice is laid upon. This song swoops the whole European clubbing/disco scene. Becomes № 1 in the UK and charts high in several different countries. Upon its release, a few foresaw this song’s impact. David Bowie (Rest in Peace Ziggy!) recalls listening to “I Feel Love” for the first time. His then producer Brian Eno (who himself is considered the maestro of ambient music) came up running to him one day in Berlin. He told Bowie that the song was the sound of future and will define the shape of the industry for the coming years. Eno and Bowie could not have been more right.
Later, it influenced the underground Techno-House movement in the Detroit. Which then became a mecca for Techno lovers. Which in turn shaped the sound of the Rap industry and their productions. Mainstream media called it a repetitive and uninspired lazy music making but no one knew how big of an impact it would make on the music industry in general. House music ruled the Dance scene for years but in 2010s, some of its sub-genres became more popular. The sole focus of the EDM diverged from production or vibe of the song to the chorus or hook part. Which would be later named as “The Drop”.
Even today, if you look up for the greatest dance songs of all time, each and every list would have this song in its upper echelons. Giorgio later produced a lot of music for Donna and many more other prominent artists. He has won three Academy awards and four Grammys. He garnered respect and became the founder of the Dance music.
What makes this song so good? May be it is the synth that is practically an ear worm. May be the progression and the BPM(Beats Per Minute) of the song that makes it so easy to be danced upon. Or maybe it’s Donna’s voice that is so easy on ears. And maybe it was all of the above. But, this song inspired a generation of music producers to create music, a new wave of music.
More importantly, this song stood the test of time. A great song doesn’t need to top charts or sell million copies. A great song makes you feel the same way that it made you feel when you heard it for the first time or the hundredth time. Now, due to the song’s nature you wouldn’t hear this song on any main stage or main event of any music festival. But, visit any artist who has roots in House and Techno music, they are bound to play this song at some point in their tours. Big names such as Sven Väth and Solomun still choose to play this song. You know why? Cuz it makes you smile every time you listen to it.
Imagining this song and its popularity in its days is maybe a bit difficult. Though, David O Russell’s 2013 movie ‘American Hustle’ encapsulates that feeling very accurately. And funnily enough, that’s how I discovered this song in the first place.
It wasn’t long before I dug up the whole internet to find out more. I have been an ardent fan of dance music for past 7 years but it wasn’t until 4 years ago that I found out where it all originated from.
Now, why am I telling you all this about some 70s song? Well, this July ‘I Feel Love’ celebrates 40th anniversary of its initial release. Discos and clubs around the world will have special events for this. And I just wanted anyone who read this to know that something historic like this exists. It shouldn’t be forgotten.
So, when someone asks, Do you feel the love? Say, I do. I do feel the love.
Now that you’ve read about it, here, enjoy it.
