CAGE OF FREEDOM

Jon Anderson has contributed some very good songs to soundtracks and other multi-artist albums, like "Far Far Cry" and "Within the Lost World," from Jonathan Elias's Requiem for the Americas: Songs from the Lost World (1989), and the masterful "Loved by the Sun" (1985, with Tangerine Dream, from the Legend soundtrack). But he's turned in some duds, too, like "This Time It Was Really Right" from the soundtrack to St. Elmo's Fire (1985). Then there's this song, from Giorgio Moroder Presents Metropolis, the 1984 restoration/edit of the 1927 Fritz Lang film.

Anderson writes or co-writes almost everything he sings, so "Cage of Freedom," written by Pete Bellotte (lyrics) and Giorgio Moroder (music), is a rarity. While Bellotte and Moroder wrote the majority of Metropolis, Billy Squier and Freddie Mercury co-wrote the songs on which they sing. And while Moroder produced the album, Mercury and Squier co-produced their songs, and Pat Benatar and Loverboy used their regular producers alongside Moroder. The fact that Anderson isn't included in the production credits seems odd, but for all I know the issue was that he was signed to a non-CBS record contract. I should point out, though, that the closing couplets of "Cage of Freedom" ("Big brother, is there a bigger one watching you / or is there one smaller...") sound like they were contributed by Anderson, and they aren't included with the printed lyrics included with some editions.

The lyrics are thematic, addressing the issue of self-imprisonment, which has been discussed in the psychological literature since at least since the 1960s. Some emphasis is placed on the notion that the individual under self-imprisonment necessarily plays two directly opposed roles: jailer and inmate.

"Cage of Freedom" is not progressive rock. I wouldn't even call it art rock or art pop. It's synth-pop, and it's as good as any representative of 1984 MTV-friendly pop/rock. It's electric guitars and vocals over a synth-and-drum-machine backing. It fits right in with 1984 hits by the Cars, Rod Stewart, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Corey Hart, and Queen. The mood of the music is a bit ambiguous, which suits the lyrics.

"Cage of Freedom" is nothing like Yes, even 1980s Yes, but it's also nothing like most of Anderson's solo output. But judged as 1980s synthesizer soundtrack music it's pretty good.

(P.S.: the b-side, "Worker's Dance," is an instrumental credited to Moroder. It appears to be incidental music from Metropolis which was not included on the album. It's nice, standard-issue 1980s dance music.)