Created by Robert Moog in 1970, the Minimoog was intended to be a more portable version of the iconic Moog synthesizer. This was music’s first commercial synthesizer and was created by Moog in 1964. Just like the Moog, the Minimoog became a staple sound for artists like Stevie Wonder, Hall & Oates, Michael Jackson, and others. Here are a few songs from the 70s specifically that make use of the Minimoog.
“Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder
This iconic Stevie Wonder hit was not only a No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 but was also created using the Minimoog, according to a playlist made by Jonathan Lopez. Wonder wrote this song as a tribute to jazz musician Duke Ellington, who was one of his idols.
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“I knew the title from the beginning but wanted it to be about the musicians who did something for me,” he said of the song. “So soon they are forgotten. I wanted to show my appreciation…”
“Stayin’ Alive” by The Bee Gees
The Bee Gees had plenty of notable disco hits emerge from the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever. “How Deep Is Your Love”, “Night Fever”, and “More Than A Woman” are still staples for us today.
When they were asked to work on the soundtrack, the Bee Gees already had title ideas for those core songs. Initially, movie producer Robert Stigwood wasn’t the biggest fan of the title “Night Fever”. He added “Saturday” to the beginning of the phrase, crafting the movie’s title.
“We had five songs in the top 10 in America. We had three songs in the top five in America. And you can’t ask for any more than that,” Barry Gibb of Bee Gees shared with Remind Magazine.
This one also uses the Minimoog, according to Jonathan Lopez.
“Flash Light” by Parliament
“Flashlight” was released in 1978 as the second single from Parliament’s sixth album. This song gave the group their first No. 1 R&B hit.
When it comes to the “ha-da-dadee-da da-da hava da da,” melody that plays in the chorus, George Clinton of Parliament explained he got the idea from a friend’s Bat Mitzvah.
“That was my fifth-grade best friend’s Bar Mitzvah melody”, George Clinton told Elmo Lovano. “His name was Myron Sanford, and he had to do his Bar Mitzvah or whatever it was, rehearsal, and we was no more than 12, 13…”
Bernie Worrell, a writer on “Flashlight”, created the song’s bass line using three or four Minimoog synthesizers.
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