Spaceman (The Killers song)
Encyclopedia
"Spaceman" is a song by Las Vegas
-based Indie rock
band The Killers. The song was released as the second single
from the band's third studio album
Day & Age on November 4, 2008, as a digital download
on iTunes, and as 7" and promo CD in the US, Canada and UK. It has been released to radio in Australia and has gone into regular rotation on Triple J
. This song was number 17 on Rolling Stone
The group began performing the song at shows during their Summer 2008 tour and played it as part of a two-song set on the October 4, 2008 episode of Saturday Night Live
. They also performed the song on November 4, 2008 on BBC2's Later... with Jools Holland.
The song was released as a downloadable track for the music video game
series Rock Band
on November 25, 2008.
The song was featured in the Fringe
episode "The No-Brainer", as well as on the trailer of the animated film Planet 51
starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
In the Los Angeles market this song is a big radio hit with radio airplay longevity into 2010. On KYSR
98.7 FM, it is still their #1 most played song in June 2010, while KROQ
106.7 FM added the song back into regular rotation in May 2010 due to its regional popularity.
, and shows Brandon Flowers
walking around a party in progress, happening on a unique tiered structure adorned with long white vertical lights. Many humanoid creatures (all dressed up in very colourful, carnival-like costumes) are dancing, occasionally as a group, but usually individually. The other three band members can also be seen at the party throughout the video. As more of the structure is revealed, it can be seen that it is in the middle of a wide open space, surrounded by the camera crew filming the video.
UK 7" Picture Disc
Limited Edition 12" Picture Disc
German CD/German iTunes EP
Promo Remix CD
Promo Remix CD 2
Other Remixes
at number 67 on November 22, 2008. The song fell off the chart the following week.
On Sunday 16 February 2009, "Spaceman" finally broke into the UK Top 40 at number 40.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
-based Indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band The Killers. The song was released as the second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from the band's third studio album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Day & Age on November 4, 2008, as a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on iTunes, and as 7" and promo CD in the US, Canada and UK. It has been released to radio in Australia and has gone into regular rotation on Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
. This song was number 17 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
The group began performing the song at shows during their Summer 2008 tour and played it as part of a two-song set on the October 4, 2008 episode of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. They also performed the song on November 4, 2008 on BBC2's Later... with Jools Holland.
The song was released as a downloadable track for the music video game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
series Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
on November 25, 2008.
The song was featured in the Fringe
Fringe (TV series)
Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
episode "The No-Brainer", as well as on the trailer of the animated film Planet 51
Planet 51
Planet 51 is a 2009 Spanish/British/American animated science fiction/family film directed by Jorge Blanco, written by Joe Stillman, and starring Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Gary Oldman, Seann William Scott, and John Cleese. Produced by Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios and...
starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
In the Los Angeles market this song is a big radio hit with radio airplay longevity into 2010. On KYSR
KYSR
KYSR is a commercial modern rock radio station in Los Angeles, California, covering the Los Angeles, Orange County, and Inland Empire areas on 98.7 FM. KYSR is also simulcasted on KSRY 103.1 FM in Tehachapi, California...
98.7 FM, it is still their #1 most played song in June 2010, while KROQ
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
106.7 FM added the song back into regular rotation in May 2010 due to its regional popularity.
Music video
The music video was directed by American director Ray TintoriRay Tintori
Ray Tintori is an American director who has directed short films and music videos for bands MGMT, Chairlift, The Cool Kids, Boy Crisis, and The Killers. Tintori graduated from Wesleyan University in 2006, where he studied film, and from LaGuardia High School in Manhattan in 2001, where he was a...
, and shows Brandon Flowers
Brandon Flowers
Brandon Richard Flowers is an American musician, best known as the frontman of the Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers. He has also released a solo album titled Flamingo.-Early life:...
walking around a party in progress, happening on a unique tiered structure adorned with long white vertical lights. Many humanoid creatures (all dressed up in very colourful, carnival-like costumes) are dancing, occasionally as a group, but usually individually. The other three band members can also be seen at the party throughout the video. As more of the structure is revealed, it can be seen that it is in the middle of a wide open space, surrounded by the camera crew filming the video.
Tracklist
Promo CD- "Spaceman" (radio edit) – 4:13
- "Spaceman" (album version) – 4:44
UK 7" Picture Disc
- "Spaceman" – 4:44
- "Tidal Wave" – 4:14
Limited Edition 12" Picture Disc
- "Spaceman" – 4:44
- "Four WindsFour WindsFour Winds is an EP by the indie rock band Bright Eyes, that was released on March 6, 2007. The title track is the first single from their album Cassadaga. The other 5 tracks are exclusive b-sides from the 2006 recording sessions. It is marketed as being "quietly enchanting" and including "a...
" (Conor OberstConor OberstConor Mullen Oberst is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos, Norman Bailer , Commander Venus, Park Ave., Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, and Monsters of Folk.-Musical career:Oberst began...
) – 3:56
German CD/German iTunes EP
- "Spaceman" - 4:44
- "Four WindsFour WindsFour Winds is an EP by the indie rock band Bright Eyes, that was released on March 6, 2007. The title track is the first single from their album Cassadaga. The other 5 tracks are exclusive b-sides from the 2006 recording sessions. It is marketed as being "quietly enchanting" and including "a...
" (Conor OberstConor OberstConor Mullen Oberst is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos, Norman Bailer , Commander Venus, Park Ave., Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, and Monsters of Folk.-Musical career:Oberst began...
) - 3:56 - "Tidal Wave" - 4:14
Promo Remix CD
- "Spaceman" (Bimbo JonesBimbo JonesBimbo Jones is a UK dance music group comprising producers Lee Dagger and Marc JB and vocalist Katherine Ellis. Known for their remix work and white label releases, they produced a remix of Meck's 2006 UK number-one single "Thunder in My Heart Again"...
vocal mix) – 8:04 - "Spaceman" (Bimbo Jones dub) – 8:03
- "Spaceman" (Bimbo Jones radio edit) – 4:33
Promo Remix CD 2
- "Spaceman" (Bimbo Jones Radio Mix) – 04:33
- "Spaceman" (Bimbo Jones Vocal Mix) – 08:05
- "Spaceman" (Lee Dagger Mix) – 09:03
- "Spaceman" (Max Jackson Dub) – 06:26
- "Spaceman" (Sander Van DoornSander van DoornSander van Doorn Sander van Doorn Sander van Doorn (born Sander Ketelaars [] on February 28, 1979 in Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands is a Dutch tech trance DJ and producer...
Alternative Mix) – 07:38 - "Spacemen" (Sander Van Doorn Mix) – 06:38
Other Remixes
- "Spaceman" (TiëstoTiëstoTijs Michiel Verwest, , known as Tiësto , is a Dutch musician, DJ and record producer of electronic dance music. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as DJ Tiësto...
remix)
Chart performance
"Spaceman" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
at number 67 on November 22, 2008. The song fell off the chart the following week.
On Sunday 16 February 2009, "Spaceman" finally broke into the UK Top 40 at number 40.
Charts
| Chart (2008-09) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
62 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 44 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
47 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 22 |
| German Singles Chart | 29 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
33 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 89 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
40 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
67 |
| Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 8 |
| Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
2 |
| Billboard Triple A Adult album alternative Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats.... |
17 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America North America North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas... |
November 4, 2008 | Digital download | Island Records Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... |
| World World World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth.... wide |
November 23, 2008 | Digital download | |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
February 9, 2009 | 7 inch vinyl | |
| Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
March 27, 2009 | CD and digital EP | |
| North America North America North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas... |
April 12, 2009 | 12 inch vinyl | |