Mr. Spaceman

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"Mr. Spaceman"
TheByrdsMrSpaceman.jpg
West German picture sleeve
Single by the Byrds
from the album Fifth Dimension
B-side "What's Happening?!?!"
ReleasedSeptember 6, 1966
RecordedApril 28–29 and May 3–6, 1966
Studio Columbia, Hollywood, CA
Genre Psychedelic rock, country rock
Length2:09
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Jim McGuinn
Producer(s) Allen Stanton
The Byrds singles chronology
"5D (Fifth Dimension)"
(1966)		"Mr. Spaceman"
(1966)		"So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star"
(1967)

"Mr. Spaceman" is a song by the American rock band the Byrds and was the third track on their 1966 album, Fifth Dimension . [1] It was released as the third single from the album in September 1966, [2] reaching number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, but failing to chart in the United Kingdom. [3] [4] Upon its release as a single, the music press coined the term "space-rock" to describe it, although since then, this term has come to refer to a genre of rock music originating from 1970s progressive and psychedelic music. [5] [6]

Contents

Composition and release

Written in early 1966 by Byrds member Jim McGuinn, the song was—along with "5D (Fifth Dimension)"—one of two science fiction-themed songs on the Fifth Dimension album. [5] Initially conceived as a "melodramatic screenplay", the song soon evolved into a whimsical meditation on the existence of extraterrestrial life. [7]

Musically, "Mr. Spaceman" has a country-style backing, albeit with touches of psychedelia, and can clearly be seen as a precursor to the band's later exploration of country music on Sweetheart of the Rodeo . [8] [1] [9] As such, the song has been cited by critics as one of the earliest examples of country rock. [10] The title also recalled that of the Byrds' earlier worldwide smash hit and debut single, "Mr. Tambourine Man".

The single release of the song was accompanied by a spoof press announcement from the Byrds' co-manager, Eddie Tickner, stating that he had taken out a $1,000,000 insurance policy with Lloyd's of London against his clients being kidnapped by extraterrestrial visitors. [11] Despite Tickner's statement being an obvious publicity stunt and the deliberately tongue-in-cheek nature of the song's lyrics, both McGuinn and fellow band member David Crosby felt hopeful about communicating with alien life forms through the medium of AM radio broadcast. [7] In a later interview with Pete Frame for ZigZag magazine, McGuinn explained how he believed that this would have been possible: "I was interested in astronomy and the possibility of connecting with extraterrestrial life and I thought that it might work the other way round, if we tried to contact them. I thought that the song being played on the air might be a way of getting through to them. But even if there had been anybody up there listening, they wouldn't have heard because I found out later that AM airwaves diffuse in space too rapidly." [5]

Billboard magazine described the song as "off-beat rhythm material with clever lyrics". [12] Cash Box said that it is "a quick moving, infectious, happy-go-lucky ditty with the UFO scene as its theme," and which it expected would be a hit. [13] Record World said it is "cute and singalongable" with a "bouncy, jaunty melody." [14]

Post-release

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Byrds performed the song on the television programs The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour , Where the Girls Are , and The David Frost Show among others. [15] Additionally, the song would go on to become a staple of the Byrds' live concert repertoire, until their final disbandment in 1973. [16] The song was also performed live by a reformed lineup of the Byrds featuring McGuinn, Crosby, and Chris Hillman in January 1989. [16]

In addition to its appearance on the Fifth Dimension album, "Mr. Spaceman" also appears on several Byrds' compilations, including The Byrds' Greatest Hits , History of The Byrds , The Original Singles: 1965–1967, Volume 1 , The Byrds , The Very Best of The Byrds , The Essential Byrds , and There Is a Season . Live performances of the song are included on the live portion of the Byrds' (Untitled) album as well as on Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 . [17]

"Mr. Spaceman" was broadcast as a wake-up call to the astronauts aboard the NASA Space Shuttle mission STS-41-D (the first mission of Space Shuttle Discovery) on September 2, 1984. [18]

The song "Mr. Spaceman" written by Jim McGuinn (a.k.a. Roger McGuinn) should not be confused with the Steve Weber song "Mister Spaceman", found on the Holy Modal Rounders' self-titled debut album. [19]

Cover versions

"Mr. Spaceman" has been covered by a number of artists, including the Flying Burrito Brothers on their 1985 live album, Cabin Fever , [20] Velvet Crush on their 2001 compilation album, A Single Odessey, [21] Limbeck on their 2006 Tour EP , and Miracle Legion on the Byrds' tribute album, Time Between – A Tribute to The Byrds , [22] In 1994, Jimmy Buffett, Gonzo, and Rizzo the Rat covered "Mr. Spaceman" on The Muppets' album Kermit Unpigged . [23]

"Mr. Spaceman" is also one of the songs featured in the Jukebox musical, Return to the Forbidden Planet . [24]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Fifth Dimension review". Allmusic . Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  2. ↑ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. p. 544. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel. (2008). Top Pop Singles 1955–2006. Record Research Inc. p. 130. ISBN   978-0-89820-172-7.
  4. ↑ Brown, Tony. (2000). The Complete Book of the British Charts. Omnibus Press. p. 130. ISBN   0-7119-7670-8.
  5. 1 2 3 Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 181–182. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  6. ↑ "Space Rock". Allmusic . Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  7. 1 2 Rogan, Johnny. (1996). Fifth Dimension (1996 CD liner notes).
  8. ↑ "Fifth Dimension". ByrdWatcher: A Field Guide to the Byrds of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  9. ↑ "The Complete Guide to Country Rock – Part 3". Musictoob. Archived from the original on March 24, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  10. ↑ "American Band: The Byrds, from folk rock to country rock". Crazed Fanboy. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  11. ↑ Hjort, Christopher. (2008). So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star: The Byrds Day-By-Day (1965–1973). Jawbone Press. p. 107. ISBN   978-1-906002-15-2.
  12. ↑ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. September 10, 1966. p. 69. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  13. ↑ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. September 10, 1966. p. 18. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Record World. October 15, 1966. p. 14. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  15. ↑ Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 616–617. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  16. 1 2 Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited (2nd ed.). Rogan House. pp. 591–615. ISBN   0-9529540-1-X.
  17. ↑ "Mr. Spaceman album appearances". Allmusic . Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  18. ↑ Fries, Colin (June 25, 2007). "Chronology of Wakeup Calls" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  19. ↑ "Mister Spaceman – The Holy Modal Rounders' song". Allmusic . Retrieved July 31, 2009.
  20. ↑ "Cabin Fever album review". Allmusic . Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Velvet Crush – A Single Odessey". Allmusic . Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  22. ↑ "Time Between – A Tribute to The Byrds review". Allmusic . Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  23. ↑ "Mr. Spaceman cover versions". Allmusic . Retrieved January 3, 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  24. ↑ "Return to the Forbidden Planet song list". Return to the Forbidden Planet official website. Archived from the original on November 18, 2003. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
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