Space Song

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"Space Song"
Space Song cover.jpg
Promotional single by Beach House
from the album Depression Cherry
ReleasedAugust 28, 2015
Studio Studio in the Country
(Bogalusa, Louisiana)
Genre Dream pop
Length5:20
Label Sub Pop
Songwriter(s)
Lyric video
"Space Song" on YouTube

"Space Song" is a song by American dream pop duo Beach House from their fifth studio album, Depression Cherry (2015). It was released as the album's sole promotional single in 2015.

Contents

On April 12, 2023, the song was certified double-platinum by the RIAA, for sales of 2,000,000 certified units in the United States. [1] In 2024, the song was certified platinum in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Release

"Space Song" was released as the third track on Beach House's fifth studio album, Depression Cherry (2015). [2] Afterwards, Sub Pop woud release the song as the album's sole promotional single. [3]

Critical reception

"Space Song" received generally positive reviews from music critics. For Pitchfork , Jayson Greene labeled the song a "sweeping mid-album highlight", writing that "it registers as exactly the sort of high-flown Romantic soliloquy [ Legrand's] always preferred." [4] Heather Phares of AllMusic described it as a moment where Beach House "conjures a feeling of intimacy surrounded by vastness", with "arpeggiated keyboards suggesting stars shooting through an endless sky". [5] In a more mixed review, NME 's John Calvert disregarded the song as "essentially the same old Beach House aesthetic disguised as a retro-futurist ballad (think OutKast’s ‘Prototype’ with less Prince and more Neutral Milk Hotel)." [6]

In a track review for The Atlantic, Lenika Cruz praised "Space Song" as "a gorgeous example of Beach House's knack for reimagining familiar elements into something fresh", as she noted that the song's snare is reused from their 2010 album Teen Dream . She concluded that while it "doesn't have the dirtier, shoegaze bent of Depression Cherry's standout track 'Sparks' [...] it, along with the rest of the album, makes for a terrific late-summer listen." [7]

"Space Song" became a sleeper hit after going viral on TikTok in early 2021. [8] [9] According to Spotify for Artists, it is used "as a way to show dramatic irony – emphasis on the dramatic." [8]

In early 2021, the song began to be paired with an internet meme of Pedro Pascal laughing then crying. As of September 2022, the song has been used in over 200,000 videos on the platform. [10] [11] In an interview with Pitchfork, Beach House member Victoria Legrand said of the success of "Space Song" on TikTok: [12]

I don't need to analyze it because I'm grateful for it. I don’t think it's just that song, but if that is the gateway, then I'm happy about it. We both feel lucky that younger people keep discovering us and we're able to keep making records.

In December 2022, the song saw a 41% increase in streams after being featured in the third episode of the Netflix original series Wednesday. [13] The song is featured in the movie Nadia, Butterfly as part of its soundtrack. [14]

Charts

Chart performance for "Space Song"
Chart (2022–2023)Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [15] 81
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [16] 184
Lithuania (AGATA) [17] 72
UK Indie (OCC) [18] 32
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [19] 13

Certifications

Certifications for "Space Song"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [20] Gold45,000‡
Italy (FIMI) [21] Gold50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [22] 2× Platinum60,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [23] Gold30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [24] Platinum600,000‡
United States (RIAA) [25] 4× Platinum4,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Enis, Eli (December 18, 2023). "TikTok Has Made Shoegaze Bigger Than Ever". Stereogum . Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  2. ↑ Sub Pop (2015). Space Song (CD liner notes). Beach House. Sub Pop. PROCD233.
  3. ↑ Donovan, Thom (December 14, 2023). "A Support System for the Brokenhearted; The Meaning Behind Beach House's "Space Song"". American Songwriter . Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  4. ↑ Greene, Jayson (August 18, 2015). "Beach House: Depression Cherry". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on August 18, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  5. ↑ Phares, Heather, Beach House - Depression Cherry Album Reviews, Songs & More, AllMusic, archived from the original on August 31, 2015, retrieved September 23, 2022
  6. ↑ Calvert, John (August 19, 2015). "Beach House – 'Depression Cherry'". NME . Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  7. ↑ Cruz, Lenika. "Track of the Day: 'Space Song'". The Atlantic . Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  8. 1 2 "How Beach House Used a Viral Hit to Drive Momentum for Their New Release – Spotify for Artists". artists.spotify.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  9. ↑ Jackson, Adlan (March 11, 2022). "Beach House on Making Music People Love to Cry To". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Pedro Pascal Crying Meme". TikTok. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Why the Internet is Still Obsessed With Pedro Pascal Memes". What's Trending. March 31, 2023. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  12. ↑ Mapes, Jill (February 16, 2022). "Beach House Are Still Surprising Each Other". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  13. ↑ Rutherford, Kevin (December 7, 2022). "'Wednesday' Synchs Drive Streams & Sales for The Cramps, Beach House & More". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  14. ↑ Béliveau, Jason (September 17, 2020). "Nadia, Butterfly". Séquences – La revue de cinéma. Archived from the original on July 27, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Beach House Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Beach House Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  17. ↑ "2023 3-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. January 20, 2023. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts . Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Beach House Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Danish single certifications – Beach House – Space Song". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Beach House – Space Song" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  22. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Beach House – Space Song". Radioscope. Retrieved June 8, 2025.Type Space Song in the "Search:" field.
  23. ↑ "Spanish single certifications – Beach House – Space Song". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España . Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  24. ↑ "British single certifications – Beach House – Space Song". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  25. ↑ "American single certifications – Beach House – Space Song". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved June 11, 2025.
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