defrog: (dok sleepless)
defrog ([personal profile] defrog) wrote2008-03-06 06:48 pm

IN SPACE, NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SING

ITEM: The International Space Station crew will be getting something extra with its supply shipment this weekend: an MP3 player loaded with a playlist of ten songs specially chosen for astronauts.



The playlist was selected via a contest held by the European Space Agency as part of a promotion for its new Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) for the ISS.

Out of 1,000 entries from ten countries, here’s the list that won:

1. The Beatles, “Here Comes The Sun”
2. Frank Sinatra, “Come Fly With Me”
3. Elton John, “Rocket Man”
4. Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, “Up Where We Belong”
5. John Lennon, “Imagine”
6. Irene Cara, “Flashdance (What A Feeling)”
7. Dire Straits, “Walk of Life”
8. Celine Dion, “Fly”
9. Status Quo, “Rockin' All Over The World”
10. R Kelly, “I Believe I Can Fly”

Which is mostly hideous, of course – though to be fair, the winner was a 14-year-old girl from Norway, so I don't want to pick on her.

Still, no “Space Oddity”? No “Space Truckin’”? No “Satellite Of Love”? Maybe they couldn't get legal clearance for the RIAA in time. Which is understandable, because you really don't want the RIAA to sue the ISS out of the sky for copyright infringement, do you? The RIAA is very strict about exporting songs for use off the Earth. Interplanetary rights and all. Otherwise Martians could kill the music industry. And then there'd be war, and shit, Jim, who needs that?

io9 has a much better list of songs here (albeit for sci-fi karaoke purposes, not space flight playlists). And, for what it’s worth, here’s the top ten list I would have submitted had I known about the contest in the first place:

TOP TEN DEF SONGS FOR ASTRONAUTS

1. Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, "I’m The Urban Spaceman"
2. Black Sabbath, “Supernaut”
3. Shonen Knife, "Riding on the Rocket"
4. Sonic Youth, "Silver Rocket”
5. The B-52s, “Cosmic Thing”
6. Pink Floyd, "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun”
7. Blue Oyster Cult, “Astronomy”
8. Adam Ant, “Apollo 9”
9. Rush, “Countdown”
10. Talking Heads "Moon Rocks"

BONUS TRACKS

Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers "Here Come the Martian Martians"
Rush, “Cygnus X-1”
Parliament, “Theme From The Black Hole”
Devo, "Space Junk"
Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Third Stone from the Sun”
Camper Van Beethoven, "The Day That Lassie Went To The Moon”
Rolling Stones, "2000 Light Years From Home"
The Only Ones, "Another Girl, Another Planet”

Ladies and gentlemen we are rocking in space,

This is dF

In Space, No one Can Hear You Blog

[identity profile] bedsitter23.livejournal.com 2008-03-06 12:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow. I think you hit all the best songs on this ones. It's "definitive".

Re: In Space, No one Can Hear You Blog

[identity profile] def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com 2008-03-07 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
Except that I forgot Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive". But they're represented, so close enough.

Re: In Space, No one Can Hear You Blog

[identity profile] bedsitter23.livejournal.com 2008-03-07 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
I was even going to try and throw Spaceman 3 at you, but the Spiritualized reference was already there. Yer on the top of yer game.

Re: In Space, No one Can Hear You Blog

[identity profile] def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com 2008-03-07 03:44 am (UTC)(link)
High praise indeed from the creator of the Plastique Valentines series. Cheers.

[identity profile] puffdoggydaddy.livejournal.com 2008-03-06 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Methinks NASA should invest in an MP3 player with more storage capacity.

:/

puff

[identity profile] def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com 2008-03-07 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
Two words: budget cuts. There is a war on, you know...

[identity profile] thelastaerie.livejournal.com 2008-03-06 08:52 pm (UTC)(link)
can I slip in The Tears' "Apollo 13"??

[identity profile] bedsitter23.livejournal.com 2008-03-06 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Ooh good call. I couldn't for the life of me find anything missing from that list. Though, some Flying Saucer Attack would have been a nice addition.

[identity profile] def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com 2008-03-07 01:05 am (UTC)(link)
The Tears? On my space station?

Oh, all right ...

[identity profile] thelastaerie.livejournal.com 2008-03-07 10:20 am (UTC)(link)
ha. you'd better do it... or I'd insert "the Zoo Babylon's spaceman virus" in your space station...