“Blue Spotted Tail” - Fleet Foxes (2011)
Why in the night sky are the lights hung?
Why is the earth moving ‘round the sun?
Floating in the vacuum with no purpose, not a one
Why in the night sky are the lights hung?
“Here Comes the Sun” - The Beatles (1969)
No better soundtrack to the first day of spring… One spacey side note: Astronomer Carl Sagan had originally wished for this Beatles classic to be included on the golden records that flank the two Voyager spacecraft. The Beatles themselves dug the idea, but recording label EMI, which owned the rights, refused to give their consent, so the song wasn’t included.
“Moon Dreams” - Miles Davis (1957)
Miles Davis’s Birth of the Cool, a compilation album he recorded with eight other musicians in 1949 and 1950, is considered by many to be the progenitor of the “cool jazz” genre. “Moon Dreams,” the penultimate track off the 1957 LP, was written by Johnny Mercer and Chummy MacGregor and arranged by Davis’s collaborator Gil Evans.
“Supernova” - Liz Phair (1994)
The lead single off of Liz Phair’s sophomore album, Whip Smart, “Supernova” garnered a nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 1995 Grammy Awards.
“Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” - The Carpenters (1977)
70s gold, based on the original by Klaatu, a prog-rock band named after the alien android in the classic sci-fi flick, The Day The Earth Stood Still.
“The Final Countdown” - Europe (1986)
As we count down to end of 2011, let’s take a moment to relive one of the best glam rock songs of the 80s, whose lyrics were supposedly inspired by David Bowie’s “Space Oddity“…
“Satellite” - BT (1999)
Russia is set to launch six telecommunications satellites into space today… Godspeed, little rocket.
“Christmas in the Stars” - Star Wars cast (1980)
Fun fact: Not only did the 1980 Star Wars Christmas album provide geeks everywhere with nine fabulously spacey holiday songs—many of which were voiced by C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels—it also launched the singing career of one Jon Bon Jovi! Merry Christmas, everyone.
