"Reach Out" is a 1984 song by

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...

, which was the designated theme for the track events at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

held in

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United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and sung by Paul Engemann. It was later included on Moroder's 1985 album ''Innovisions''.

Background

For the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, musical themes were commissioned for many of the sports. In recognition of Los Angeles' long association with the motion picture industry, most of the pieces were written by established film soundtrack composers, including

Bill Conti William Conti (born April 13, 1942) is an American composer and conductor. He is best known for his film scores, including ''Rocky'' (1976), '' Rocky II'' (1979), '' Rocky III'' (1982), '' Rocky V'' (1990), '' Rocky Balboa'' (2006), '' The Karat ...

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

, Bob James,

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

and

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

. Moroder was commissioned to provide the Track theme, and wrote "Reach Out" with two of his regular collaborators, singer Paul Engemann and guitarist Richie Zito. The song is an encouragement for the athletes to win.

Music video

The music video does not contain any treatment and is made up of cut scenes with athletes. In the scenes the athletes swim, run a marathon and long jump and in between it, a medal is shown.

Track listing

7" single # "Reach Out" — 3:43 # "Reach Out" (Instrumental) — 2:51 12" single # "Reach Out" (Extended) — 5:39 # "Reach Out" (Extended Instrumental) — 4:53

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1984 songs 1984 singles 1984 Summer Olympics Number-one singles in Germany Giorgio Moroder songs Paul Engemann songs Olympic theme songs Summer Olympic official songs and anthems Songs written by Giorgio Moroder Song recordings produced by Giorgio Moroder Hansa Records singles