Spaceman (Babylon Zoo song)

"Spaceman"
Single by Babylon Zoo
from the album The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes
B-side "Blue Nude"
"Metal Vision"
"5th Dimension Remix"
"E Before I Remix"
Released 31 December 1995
Format CD, Cassette, 12"
Recorded 1995
Genre Space rock
Alternative rock
Length 5:41 (album version)
Label EMI
Writer(s) Jas Mann
Producer(s) Jas Mann
Steve Power
Arthur Baker
Babylon Zoo singles chronology
"Spaceman"
(1995)		 "Animal Army"
(1996)

"Spaceman" is a song by British band Babylon Zoo. It was released in December 1995 as the lead single from their debut album The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes. Featuring heavily distorted guitars and metallic, robotic-sounding vocals, it went straight to Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart on 21 January 1996 after being featured in a popular Levi's jeans TV advert in late 1995. The band's subsequent releases failed to repeat its success.[1]

The song was the seventh to reach number one after being featured in a Levi advert,[2] although it was widely reported that buyers felt ripped-off when buying the single, as the advert only played a sped up portion which features only at the start and end of the song.

Song history

Promotional copies of "Spaceman" had been distributed, and the Arthur Baker remix was chosen to tie in with the release on 1 December 1995 of a new UK Levi's jeans TV advert titled "Planet" which was directed by Vaughan Arnell and Anthea Benton.[3] The advertisement concentrated on Baker's speeded-up vocal section at the beginning and end of the song.[4]

The initial intro to "Spaceman" on the promotional copies, before it was used for the advert, featured Mann's whispering vocals of "I killed your mother, I killed your sister, I killed you all."[4] These lyrics were later taken out of the song and replaced with the more radio-friendly Arthur Baker introduction; although, the "I killed you all" lyric is still buried in the song. There was a lower budget video made for this version.

In 2006 "Spaceman" featured on trailers for Ant and Dec's film Alien Autopsy, the BBC's children's channel, CBeebies for the animated pre-school series Lunar Jim, and Network Ten's advertisement for Battlestar Galactica. "Spaceman" is also used in Eesti otsib superstaari (Pop Idol Estonia). "Spaceman" is also featured in E4's My Mad Fat Diary in the episode "Ladies and Gentlemen" during the scene where Rae and Finn begin their drive to Knebworth.

Chart performance and sales

The single charted at no. 1 in the UK Singles Chart,[5] selling 420,000 copies in its first week.[6][7] It became the fastest-selling UK single in over thirty years since The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love".[8] "Spaceman" became a number one chart hit in 23 countries including the UK.[9] As of November 2012, "Spaceman" was the 74th best-selling single in UK history, selling 1.14 million copies.[10]

Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called the song a "bizarre, tuneless collage of hip-hop rhythms, techno keyboards and alternative guitars", that despite sounding distinctive, "didn't have any tangible hook to make it memorable".[11] Chuck Eddy at Entertainment Weekly described the song's "futuristic kitsch" as "both funny and seductive."[12]

MTV UK ranked "Spaceman" as the #24 single of the 1990s.[13]

Cover versions

Track listings

CD Promo Single 1995 WEA (YZ925CDDJ)
  1. "Spaceman" (radio version) — 3:50
  2. "Spaceman" (Arthur meets the spaceman) — 5:56
CD Promo 1995 EMI (CDEMDJ 416)
  1. "Spaceman" (radio edit) - 4.08
7" Single
  1. "Spaceman" (radio edit) — 4:08
  2. "Spaceman" (the 5th dimension) — 5:09
CD Single 1996 EMI (CDEM 416)
  1. "Spaceman" (radio edit) — 4:08
  2. "Metal Vision" — 3:48
  3. "Blue Nude" — 2:09
  4. "Spaceman" (the 5th dimension) — 5:09
CD Single ('The Only Original Remixes') 1996 EMI (7243 8 82721 2 4)
  1. "Spaceman" (radio edit) — 4:08
  2. "Spaceman" (the 5th dimension) — 5:09
  3. "Spaceman" (Arthur meets the spaceman) — 5:56
  4. "Spaceman" (E before I) — 6:37

Charts and sales

Peak positions

Chart (1995-96) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[15] 3
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[16] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[17] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[18] 1
Canada Alternative 30 (RPM)[19] 23
Denmark (IFPI)[20] 1
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[21] 1
France (SNEP)[22] 1
Germany (Media Control Charts)[23] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[24] 1
Italy (FIMI)[25] 2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[26] 4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[27] 4
Norway (VG-lista)[28] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[29] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 2
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[5] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1996) Position
Australian Singles Chart[31] 30
Austrian Singles Chart[32] 13
Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart[33] 5
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart[34] 13
Dutch Top 40[35] 65
French Singles Chart[36] 19
Swiss Singles Chart[37] 25

Certifications

Country Certification Sales certified
Austria[38] Gold 15,000
France[39] Gold 250,000
Germany[40] Gold 250,000
Sweden[41] Gold 10,000
United Kingdom[42] Platinum 1,140,000[43]

Chart successions

Order of precedence
Preceded by
"Jesus to a Child" by George Michael		 Irish IRMA number-one single
13 January 1996 – 10 February 1996 (5 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Don't Look Back in Anger" by Oasis
UK Singles Chart number-one single
21 January 1996 – 24 February 1996
Preceded by
"Gangsta's paradise" by Coolio		 Swedish number-one single
26 January 1996 – 15 March 1996 (8 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"One of Us" by Joan Osborne
Preceded by
"Jesus to a Child" by George Michael		 Finnish number-one single
5/1996 - 9/1996 (5 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Born in Africa" by Dr. Alban
Preceded by
"Missing (Todd Terry remix)" by Everything but the Girl		 German number-one single
16 February 1996 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
"Lemon Tree" by Fool's Garden
Preceded by
"Knockin'" by Double Vision		 Belgian (Flanders) number-one single
17 February 1996 – 24 February 1996 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Con te partirò" by Andrea Bocelli
Preceded by
"Gangsta's paradise" by Coolio		 Ö3 Austria Top 40 number-one single
18 February 1996 – 10 March 1996 (4 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Lemon Tree" by Fool's Garden
Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single
24 February 1996 – 16 March 1996 (4 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Children" by Robert Miles
Belgian (Wallonia) number-one single
9 March 1996 – 16 March 1996 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Children" by Robert Miles
French SNEP number-one single
9 March 1996 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
"Soirée disco" by Boris

References

  1. ↑ "Spaceman band falls back to earth". Sunday Mercury. The Free Library. 9 May 1999. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  2. ↑ "I was a sex symbol the moment I popped out of the womb". Daily Record. The Free Library. 23 January 1996. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  3. ↑ "Rock of Ages". Liverpool Echo Archived at The Free Library. 23 January 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sloan, Nicola (6 January 2013). "Babylon Zoo". morethanthemusic.co.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Official Charts: Babylon Zoo - Singles". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  6. ↑ "For The Record". The Mirror Archived at The Free Library. 20 March 2002. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "Entertainment - Will Blur spear Britney?". BBC. 22 February 1999. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  8. ↑ Krewen, Nick (23 May 1996). "The keeper of Babylon Zoo". Toronto Star. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  9. ↑ "Babylon Zoo". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  10. ↑ "UK's million-selling singles: the full list". The Guardian. 4 November 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  11. ↑ The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes review. AllMusic.
  12. ↑ Eddy, Chuck (12 April 1996). "Music Review - Spaceman (1996)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  13. ↑ The Official Top 100 Singles of The 90's
  14. ↑ "My week: Katie Melua". The Daily Telegraph. 4 February 2006
  15. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Babylon Zoo – Spaceman". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  16. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Babylon Zoo – Spaceman" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Babylon Zoo – Spaceman" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Babylon Zoo – Spaceman" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  19. ↑ Canadian alternative peak
  20. ↑ "Hits of the World: Denmark (IFPI/Nielsen Marketing Research)". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media) 108 (13): 55. 30 March 1996. ISSN 0006-2510.
  21. ↑ "Babylon Zoo: Spaceman" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  22. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Babylon Zoo – Spaceman" (in French). Les classement single.
  23. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Babylon Zoo – Spaceman". GfK Entertainment.
  24. ↑ Irish Singles Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved 5 January 2009)
  25. ↑ "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: B". Hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2014-03-31.
  26. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Babylon Zoo search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  27. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Babylon Zoo – Spaceman". Top 40 Singles.
  28. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Babylon Zoo – Spaceman". VG-lista.
  29. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Babylon Zoo – Spaceman". Singles Top 60.
  30. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Babylon Zoo – Spaceman". Swiss Singles Chart.
  31. ↑ "1996 Australian Singles Chart". aria. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
  32. ↑ "1996 Austrian Singles Chart" (in German). Austriancharts. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
  33. ↑ "1996 Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
  34. ↑ "1996 Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
  35. ↑ "Single top 100 over 1996" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  36. ↑ "1996 French Singles Chart" (in French). Disqueenfrance. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
  37. ↑ "1996 Swiss Singles Chart" (in German). Swisscharts. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
  38. ↑ Austrian certifications ifpi.at (Retrieved 5 January 2009)
  39. ↑ French certifications Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved 5 January 2009)
  40. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Spaceman')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
  41. ↑ Swedish certifications Ifpi.se (Retrieved 5 January 2009)
  42. ↑ UK certifications Bpi.co.uk (Retrieved 5 January 2009)
  43. ↑ Ami Sedghi (4 November 2012). "UK's million-selling singles: the full list". Guardian. Retrieved 4 November 2012.

External links