Galaxies (song)
Encyclopedia
"Galaxies" is a song by Owl City
, released on April 19, 2011. It is the second single from his fourth album, All Things Bright and Beautiful
. It is said to be about the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
. A prelude into the song is "January 28, 1986", containing a sample from the Ronald Reagan
speech at the time.
song, as he is a fan of that genre. The song is designed to put the listener in the shoes of the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger
as it goes up to space. It reminisces on what the crew must have been thinking while the disaster happened, in their last few seconds of life. The song also has a Christian meaning ("Dear God you're the only north star I would follow this far").
. Since the release of "Ocean Eyes
" in 2009, Galaxies became Owl City's second-highest charting single of all time, Fireflies being the highest. After release, the song had some airplay, primarily on Christian radio stations. The song peaked at number 36 on the Christian top 40 chart in July 2011.
Owl City
Owl City is an American electronica musical project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young formed in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. Young created the project while experimenting with music in his parents' basement...
, released on April 19, 2011. It is the second single from his fourth album, All Things Bright and Beautiful
All Things Bright and Beautiful (album)
All Things Bright and Beautiful is the third studio album by American electronic act Owl City. It was released on June 14, 2011.-Writing and development:...
. It is said to be about the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
. A prelude into the song is "January 28, 1986", containing a sample from the Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
speech at the time.
Meaning
Adam Young created the song to be a dance hit, similar to a european tranceTrance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
song, as he is a fan of that genre. The song is designed to put the listener in the shoes of the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
as it goes up to space. It reminisces on what the crew must have been thinking while the disaster happened, in their last few seconds of life. The song also has a Christian meaning ("Dear God you're the only north star I would follow this far").
Chart Performance
On April 19, 2011, Galaxies was released as the second single from the albumAll Things Bright and Beautiful (album)
All Things Bright and Beautiful is the third studio album by American electronic act Owl City. It was released on June 14, 2011.-Writing and development:...
. Since the release of "Ocean Eyes
Ocean Eyes
Ocean Eyes is the second full-length album by electropop act Owl City. It was made available for download on July 14, 2009, on iTunes, and on September 1, 2009 it was released in stores with a photograph of the Burj Al Arab as its album artwork. A vinyl edition and a two-disc Deluxe Edition of the...
" in 2009, Galaxies became Owl City's second-highest charting single of all time, Fireflies being the highest. After release, the song had some airplay, primarily on Christian radio stations. The song peaked at number 36 on the Christian top 40 chart in July 2011.