"Spaceship Superstar" is the first official single by the Canadian rock band
Prism. The song was written by
Jim Vallance. It was also the first single from the band's
self-titled debut album. "Spaceship Superstar" reached No. 63 on the Canadian Singles Chart and No. 82 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart in the United States.
In 1978, "Spaceship Superstar" received the Certificate of Honour from Performing Rights Organization of Canada (PROCAN). The song was used as the wake up song for the
Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' crew members in 2011.
Composition
The song was written by
Jim Vallance under the pseudonym "Rodney Higgs". He first worked on the song in 1975, but finished in 1977.
By the time the song became a hit, Vallance had already left Prism.
According to Vallance, the influence on the lyrics of the song came from the
George Lucas film ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'', which was released as he was writing the song. Musically the song was influenced by "
Autobahn
The (; German , ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official term is (abbreviated ''BAB''), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'.
Much of t ...
" by
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...
, songs from the album ''
Who's Next'' by
the Who
The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
, and "
Free Ride" by
the Edgar Winter Group.
Versions
The album version of "Spaceship Superstar" is 4 minutes and 9 seconds long, while the single version is only 3 minutes and 20 seconds long (excludes the extensive intro). A live version is included on ''
Live Tonite'', which is 4 minutes and 17 seconds long.
Usage
On Sunday March 6, 2011 Prism's "Spaceship Superstar" was chosen as the wake up song for the
Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' crew members. This was a significant point in history as it was the last day that the crews of ''Discovery'' and the International Space Station were together before ''Discovery'' returned to Earth in the last mission of ''Discovery''.
Personnel
Prism
*
Lindsay Mitchell
Lindsay Christopher Mitchell (born 28 May 1949) is an English-born Canadian musician and songwriter who achieved success as the guitarist and founder of the Canadian rock band Prism.
Early life
Born on May 28, 1949, in North London, England, M ...
guitar, backing vocals
*Ron Tabakvocals
*John Hallkeyboards
*
Jim Vallancedrums
*
Tom Lavinguitar
*Although Ab Bryant is considered the bassist and is pictured on the American cover, he did not take part in the recording.
Session Musicians
*Graeme Coleman
Roland
Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...
electric piano
*Peter Bjerring
ARP Odyssey synthesizer
*Jack Lavinbass
*
Bruce Fairbairnbacking vocals
*David Sinclairbacking vocals
Charts
References
External links
Discogs
{{Prism (band)
1977 singles
Prism (band) songs
Space rock songs
Songs about spaceflight