Dutch and German fans knew Golden Earring (and their early incarnation The Golden Earrings) as a second-tier pop/psychedelic group dating back to the mid-1960s, but for most listeners in the UK, United States and Canada, the first exposure to the group came in 1973 with the crashing 14-note guitar-and-cymbals introduction to "Radar Love" on the local top-40 radio station. "Radar Love" is that rarity of the early '70s: a song that works both as an extended, "progressive" album track and as a hit single. Golden Earring's 1973 US album ‘’Moontan’’, itself a reworking of an earlier European release, was targeted at the then-expanding FM progressive rock audience and seemed an unlikely source for a breakout hit single: five extended jams averaging over eight minutes per song. Kudos, then, to the unknown engineer who took "Radar Love", which at a relatively compact six-and-a-half minutes was already the tightest of the album cuts, excised the instrumental solos (save for a great drum-and-synth break which became the focal point of the short version) and tightened the opening and closing, creating a sparkling single half the length of the original jam. Lyrically, "Radar Love" is a murky tale of late-night driving and ESP; the real attraction is the non-stop parade of musical invention, from the aforementioned intro and drum solo to the twin guitar responses to each vocal line in the last verse to the cascading synthesizers that crash the tune to a close. Golden Earring wouldn't have another stateside hit until 1982, with the MTV-ready "Twilight Zone", but "Radar Love" remains a rock radio staple and their defining moment.