There is no shortage of songs with lyrics about outer space. Sometimes it provides the setting for a science fiction story, like David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” Other times, songwriters use celestial objects as metaphors, as Coldplay does on “A Sky Full of Stars,” or as Mike Scott did for The Waterboys’ “The Whole of the Moon.” For her 1992 hit, “Sleeping Satellite,” Tasmin Archer is not singing about the moon or spacecraft in a figurative way.
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John Hughes, who wrote the lyrics for “Sleeping Satellite,” got interested in the topic of space exploration after reading an article about the 20th anniversary of the first crewed lunar landing. He thought about the missed opportunity to sustain the pace of lunar exploration of the late ‘60 and early ‘70s. The lyrics to “Sleeping Satellite” are Hughes’ statement about that phenomenon.
Bemoaning the Lack of Lunar Exploration
The opening line of “Sleeping Satellite” sounds like the beginning of a love song, or maybe a breakup song. I blame you for the moonlit sky evokes a feeling of longing or heartbreak, but the following lines clarify its meaning. And the dream that died / With the Eagle’s flight, when interpreted literally, shows us that the song is about lunar exploration. The dream was the promise of learning that came with exploration, and it “died” upon the conclusion of the six Apollo missions that involved human moon landings. The Eagle was the spacecraft used for Apollo 11, the first of these missions.
The chorus continues with another reference to the first crewed moon landing.
I blame you for the moonlit nights
When I wonder why
Are the seas still dry?
Don’t blame this sleeping satellite
Apollo 11 landed on the Sea of Tranquility. We had to wonder if the lunar seas are still dry, because we hadn’t been there in nearly 20 years when Hughes wrote the chorus. When Archer sings don’t blame this sleeping satellite, we can’t help but envision the spacecrafts that never went to the moon because of dormant lunar exploration programs.
Hughes uses the first verse to establish where the blame belongs for the programs’ dormancy. He sees the pursuit of knowledge being eclipsed by the competitiveness of the “space race” as a reason for the demise of lunar exploration.
Did we fly to the moon too soon?
Did we squander the chance?
In the rush of the race
The reason we chase in lost in romance
Worse yet, Hughes asserts that we, as a society, doubled down on our misguided approach, as We try to justify the waste / For a taste of man’s greatest adventure.
Concern for the Environment
The second verse specifies the cost that society has paid for its abandonment of lunar exploration.
If the world is so green
Then why does it scream under a blue moon?
We wonder why
If the Earth’s sacrificed
For the price of its greatest treasure
While climate scientists and environmentalists were raising red flags about global warming around the time that Hughes wrote these lyrics, it was a less salient issue then than in the 21st century. He asserts that our knowledge about global warming—and our efficacy to respond to it—was sacrificed when lunar exploration was relegated to the back burner.
In the third verse, Hughes expresses hope that it’s not too late to save lunar exploration and, in turn, the planet. He questions whether humankind is up to the task, and with her impassioned vocal delivery, Archer drives home the urgency of the question.
And when we shoot for the stars
What a giant step
Have we got what it takes
To carry the weight of this concept?
Or pass it by
Like a shot in the dark
Miss the mark with a sense of adventure
The Writing Process Behind “Sleeping Satellite”
Archer and Hughes wrote “Sleeping Satellite” with fellow English musician and songwriter John Beck. The trio initially billed themselves as the Archers, and all three share co-writing credit on every track of Archer’s debut album Great Expectations, which includes “Sleeping Satellite.” Hughes and Beck also perform on the album, with Hughes playing guitars and keyboards and Beck also contributing keyboards.
Archer told American Songwriter that the process of composing “Sleeping Satellite” began with Hughes coming up with a chord progression on acoustic guitar and her writing a vocal melody “with a few random lines and vowel sounds.” Archer and Hughes worked with Beck to develop the song’s structure, and then Hughes added the lyrics.
The Impact of “Sleeping Satellite”
“Sleeping Satellite” made it to No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the Alternative Airplay (No. 12), Pop Airplay (No. 16), and Adult Contemporary (No. 24) charts. It was an even bigger commercial hit in the UK, topping the singles chart. “Sleeping Satellite” was the only single from Great Expectations to chart in the U.S, but the album still placed on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 115.
The video for “Sleeping Satellite” was nominated for the 1993 Brit Award for Music Video of the Year, and Archer won the Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act. Archer and “Sleeping Satellite” also received nominations at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards for Best New Artist in a Video and Best Editing in a Video.
“Sleeping Satellite” has been covered by a number of artists. Kim Wilde recorded a version of the song for her 2011 covers album Snapshots. She released it as part of a two-sided single (along with a cover of East 17’s “It’s Alright”), which went to No. 98 in Germany. Aurora featuring Naimee Coleman also covered “Sleeping Satellite,” and their version was a No. 60 hit in Australia. The music for “Sleeping Satellite” served as an inspiration for Lady Gaga’s 2009 dance hit, “So Happy I Could Die.”
According to the European Space Agency, “Sleeping Satellite” is a popular song among their astronauts. Archer sent a video message to astronaut Tim Peake in 2015, just before he embarked on ESA’s Principia mission. It’s a nice bonus that “Sleeping Satellite” has earned kudos from astronauts. For Archer and Hughes, it’s probably not “mission accomplished” until we start to heed the song’s message here on Earth.
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Photo by David Redfern/Redferns
