To celebrate India’s successful launch of the Chandrayaan-1 space probe, which set off this week for the Moon, The Great Beyond has decided to compile a special Friday blog post for our readers. We present: the best songs related to Earth’s only natural satellite and our obsession with it. Plus, what message do these songs hold for India?
Feel free to suggest your own favourites.
Fly Me To The Moon – Various
A pop classic since its debut in the 50s, this song could have been America’s theme song during the Kennedy years. Sinatra’s version, embedded above, has become the standard.
Message for India: Go to the Moon (quickly, before the Russians get it).
More below the fold…
Everybody Gets To Go To The Moon – The Three Degrees
A foot tapping celebration of the wonders of manned space missions. This song, as featured in the hit movie French Connection, asks: “now don’t you think it’s a miracle that we are the generation that’s going to one day populate the moon?” That was maybe slightly premature but this song also wins points for acknowledging that “it’s customary songs like this use a word like spoon”.
Message for India: Going to the moon is fun! And everyone can do it!
Whitey On The Moon – Gill Scott Heron
Not everyone was happy about the massive cost of the Apollo programme. Gill Scott Heron angrily noted, “I can’t pay no doctor bills but Whitey’s on the moon. … Was all that money I made last year for Whitey on the moon? How come there ain’t no money here? Whitey’s on the moon.”
Message for India: Deal with your country’s problems on Earth before going into space.
Man on the Moon – REM
A modern pop classic to rival ‘Fly me to Moon’ this track also manages to reference Newton and Darwin. Top marks. Some say the song refers to claims America faked the Moon landings.
Message for India: Can you believe they put a man on the Moon? (And that Andy Kaufman guy is nuts.)
Walking on the Moon – The Police
A chart smash from The Police where Sting mulls on moonwalks: “Giant steps are what you take, walking on the Moon. I hope my legs don’t break, walking on the Moon.” Actual space rockets can be seen in the background of the music video, which Wikipedia insists was actually filmed at the Kennedy Space Center.
Message for India: A useful lesson in low-gravity perambulations: make sure your legs don’t break.
Clair de Lune – Debussy
Ok, this is not strictly a song, and it is about moonlight rather than the Moon itself, but it featured in classic space race film The Right Stuff, which means it merits an inclusion here.
Message for India: make an impression and you’ll get put in loads of movies.
Blue Moon – Various
This song is likely a play on the expression ‘once in a blue moon’, but my colleagues insisted I include it here. See also: Blue Moon of Kentucky.
Message for India: This is a special moment; you don’t get to do this everyday.
Pink Moon – Nick Drake
You know this one. It’s the one they used in a VW commercial a few years ago.
Message for India: Don’t forget it’s all about commercialising stuff at the end of the day.