SLS: Won’t You Please Take Me Along

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It’s time again for Song Lyric Sunday, and this week Jim is inviting us to play a song that references light or space. His very informative post One Light Day Away From Earth gives the background to this, and there’s a clue in the header picture, which I have ‘borrowed’ from him..

Of the two key words I’m going for space, with two songs, and I have a feeling what I might be hearing from someone else on this theme. But I wouldn’t want to spoil her thunder so my two choices are different. Here’s the first:

The Byrds, with Mr. Spaceman, the lyrics for which can of course be found at genius.com.

Mr. Spaceman was a track on The Byrds’ third album, Fifth Dimension, which was released in July 1966 in the US and September 1966 in the UK,  and peaked at #24 in the US and #27 in the UK. This was the third single taken from it, in September in the US and October in the UK: it got to #36 in the US but wasn’t a hit in the UK, though I remember it getting a lot of airplay on the pirate radio stations. It was written in early 1966 by band member Jim McGuinn, aka Roger, and was – along with 5D (Fifth Dimension) – one of two science fiction-themed songs on the album. It was initially conceived as a “melodramatic screenplay” but then evolved into a “whimsical meditation on the existence of extraterrestrial life.” Well, that’s what the liner notes said on the 1996 CD re-release of the album, anyway.

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. 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 apparently felt hopeful about communicating with alien life forms through the medium of AM radio broadcast. 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.” And a fun fact: 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. I can think of worse ways to be dragged from my sleep!

My second song for today is really more suitable to be played around Christmas time, as I have done several times previously, but I couldn’t resist including it today for this wonderful video:

Chris de Burgh, and A Spaceman Came Travelling, if you didn’t know it. And here are the lyrics, again from genius.com

A Spaceman Came Travelling was a track on Chris de Burgh’s second album, Spanish Train And Other Stories, which was released in November 1975 and peaked at #78 in the UK (in 1985!) and #64 in Canada, and has since gone Platinum there. The track was released at the time as a single, and reached #1 in Ireland, his home country. It has been re-released several times since then and has made the UK charts twice: at #40 in December 1986 and at #84 in December 2021. That might not sound much but it has clearly been a steady seller, as it has been certified Platinum in the UK for 600,000 sales. The song is a retelling of the Nativity story, with some artistic licence, and as a result has remained popular due to its association with Christmas and its inclusion in a number of seasonally-themed compilations. If you’d like to know more about the song and the inspirations behind it Wikipedia has a very good, detailed page on it, here.

The video I am playing was created for the 2010 re-recording of the song, which was promoted in Ireland by a competition to make a video for it. This was the winning entry, and I think it is wonderfully charming, and very cleverly done. It was made by a group of schoolchildren and their teacher, and I think it was a worthy winner. And I’ve always liked the song, too!

That’s my twofer for today: a fun mix, I think. All that remains is for me to thank Jim, as always, for running the show, and to wish you a very pleasant Sunday.

See you again for some Tuesday Tunes, I trust? 🤗

37 thoughts on “SLS: Won’t You Please Take Me Along”

  1. Hi Clive I am so glad to hear Spaceman from. The Byrds… really it’s a cracker… also i havevadmit to a soft spot Chris de Burgh and as a Christmas song A Spaceman came Travelling is a great choice! I have always loved that video!

    Thank you for letting me put up our Sam bless him 🙏…sorry I am so late in arriving 😅

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  3. I don’t mind the Chris song at all- maybe my pre-Christmas goodwill spirit hasn’t faded quite yet- and the Byrds number has always tickled my fancy. Nice balance between the two choices today, one fun, the other a bit more serious in intent.

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  5. Gotta love Space Man by the Byrds; it’s a brilliant, enduring track and the insurance policy story is a classic. By contrast, this Chris de Burgh piece is such a profound and tender song. I love the message and his voice is so good here. Excellent choices, Clive.

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  7. Great choices, Clive as The Byrds ‘Mr. Spaceman’ needed to be here today.  This song delves into the science fiction of floating through space, falling through without hitting bottom, relativity, and meditative or quasi-Buddhist philosophical inquiry, “How is it that I could come out to you / And be still floatin’ / And never hit bottom and keep falling through / Just relaxed and paying attention?” in two and a half minutes.   Despite the outer-space theme on Chris de Burgh’s ‘A Spaceman Came Travelling’, it carries a message that is deeply human with its timeless plea for “peace and goodwill to all men, and love for the child,” matching the underlying spirit of major world religions.

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  8. Clive, great backstory on The Byrds’ song. I have not heard it for awhile. The Chris de Burgh song is quite good, as well. I guess Lloyds of London did not have to pay out on The Byrds’ policy. Keith

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  9. What I enjoyed most about this post is the feeling of shared discovery. Music themes like “light” and “space” are broad enough to spark countless possibilities, yet personal enough that each participant brings something different to the table. Your decision to focus on “space” feels especially intriguing because it opens the door to songs that can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically.

    I also appreciated the playful hint about anticipating another blogger’s choice while deliberately choosing a different direction. That small gesture speaks to the collaborative nature of music communities. It isn’t about finding the “right” song, but about celebrating the many paths a theme can inspire.

    The opening creates a sense of curiosity that makes the reader want to keep scrolling and discover your selections. Mentioning Jim’s informative background post helps frame the challenge while giving credit to the person who organized it, which adds to the welcoming atmosphere.

    What continues to amaze me about music\-themed challenges like this is how a single word can unlock decades of memories, emotions, and associations. “Space” can mean the stars above us, distance between people, room to breathe, endless possibility, or the journey into the unknown. The best song choices often remind us that great music can make all of those meanings exist at once.

    Looking forward to seeing which songs you’ve chosen to represent the theme. You’ve set the stage beautifully and left just enough mystery to keep readers eager for the reveal.

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  11. Well, I wasn’t familiar with The Byrds song but I really liked it. It reminded me, for some reason, of Lindisfarne, but oh dear, the Chris de Burgh is surely the very worst thing ever committed to vinyl. Ever. And I include Lady In Red – possibly the second worst thing ever committed to vinyl…

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