Better Times, Good Music and Coincidences

“Together in Electric Dreams” is a song by Phil Oakey, lead vocalist of the British synth-pop band Human League and produced by Giorgio Moroder, an Italian composer very known for his work on electronic music. 

From the original, captivating soundtrack of the warm-hearted, science-fiction romantic movie, Electric Dreams, this song released in 1984 is by far one of my go-to happy songs. It never fails to turn any sad day upside down with its feel-good melody. As soon as I hear the song‘s intro, probably one of the most recognizable for any '80s fan, it would pick me up in an instant. It’s an absolute feel-good!

The film also featured other songs including Love is Love by the Culture Club.      

The movie might be dated, silly and absurd for most people (after all, it’s a love triangle between a man, a woman, and a personal computer named Edgar) but for a then wide-eyed, lighthearted eight-year-old me, it‘s something that I find fascinating, charming and sweet. Too bad it’s a hard movie to find, with no available DVDs anywhere. I’ve been a serious cable channel surfer but had never, ever come across this movie. 

My favorite part will always be the one right by the end when Edgar makes all the radio stations play this song to say goodbye, with Moroder doing a cameo as the radio station boss who asked: “Then where is it coming from?”— as seen in the music video. Clearly, this movie is from the decade of decadence when computers are in its infancy and the worst thing it can do is play good music that everyone can dance to simultaneously.   

“That should be your song,” my kuya nonchalantly pointed out some time ago, referring to my relationship with someone, perhaps because of the line, “We'll always be together no matter how far it seems”. As one YouTube comment said, it’s the ultimate song for anyone in a long-distance relationship. 

Maybe so. And it’s not just the words that seem to hit the spot, the music video was interspersed with soulmate-level coincidences: Golden Gate Bridge, Mason St., Fleet Week Air show, the Bay Area — can’t you be any more obvious?

Those were the better days, but love never ends.