Star Trekkin'
Encyclopedia
"Star Trekkin'" is a novelty song
written by Rory Kehoe with music by John O'Connor
, Graham Lister and Bill Martin. It is a parody
of the original TV series of Star Trek
. It was released in 1987 by The Firm and was a big hit, being number one on the UK Singles Chart
for two weeks.
One Liverpool
station began giving the phone number out on air and O'Connor began to receive hundreds of phone calls from the area, asking for copies of the song. Interest was developing rapidly and, when a major label offered to take the single, O'Connor turned them down, having already arranged pressing and distribution.
A Radio 1
disc jockey, Simon Bates
, promoted the song and it became an instant hit, spending two weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart
and becoming the ninth best-selling single of 1987
in the UK.
The song has become well known in the U.S.
due to frequent play on the Dr. Demento
Show radio program. It appears on the Rhino Records compilation album The Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection.
in east London. The lyrics were written by Rory Kehoe and arranged by John O'Connor (former owner of Bark Studios) and Graham Lister. The musical arrangement was done by Bill C Martin (who wrote and played all the keyboard parts) with John O'Connor. Vocals were by various people, including O'Connor, Dev Douglas — who did some of the character voices — and Peter Sills. (Sills' own songwriting catalogue includes "When Two Worlds Drift Apart" written for Cliff Richard
.)
" with each verse introducing a particular character; that character then speaks a particular tag line for each subsequent verse in the song. The song gets more and more raucous as additional characters are introduced and the tag lines are embellished, eventually reaching a sort of psychedelic segue to the final segment of the song.
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
written by Rory Kehoe with music by John O'Connor
John O'Connor (musician)
John O'Connor is a television composer and recording artist from London, of Irish descent, who lives and works in California since 1987.- Early years :...
, Graham Lister and Bill Martin. It is a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the original TV series of Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
. It was released in 1987 by The Firm and was a big hit, being number one on the 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 ...
for two weeks.
Origin
The song was written in 1987 by group member Rory Kehoe and arranged by John O'Connor and Graham Lister. O'Connor shopped it around to different labels, but none of them were interested. Frustrated, O'Connor pressed 500 copies of the single himself and sent them to UK radio stations, with the studio's phone number on them, just in case major record labels contacted the stations for information about the song.One Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
station began giving the phone number out on air and O'Connor began to receive hundreds of phone calls from the area, asking for copies of the song. Interest was developing rapidly and, when a major label offered to take the single, O'Connor turned them down, having already arranged pressing and distribution.
A Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
disc jockey, Simon Bates
Simon Bates
Simon Bates is a UK disc jockey and radio presenter. Between 1976 and 1993 he worked at BBC Radio 1, presenting the station's weekday mid-morning show for most of this period. He later became a regular presenter on Classic FM...
, promoted the song and it became an instant hit, spending two weeks at number one on the 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 ...
and becoming the ninth best-selling single of 1987
1987 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
in the UK.
The song has become well known in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
due to frequent play on the Dr. Demento
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
Show radio program. It appears on the Rhino Records compilation album The Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection.
Recording
"Star Trekkin'" was recorded at Bark Studios, WalthamstowWalthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
in east London. The lyrics were written by Rory Kehoe and arranged by John O'Connor (former owner of Bark Studios) and Graham Lister. The musical arrangement was done by Bill C Martin (who wrote and played all the keyboard parts) with John O'Connor. Vocals were by various people, including O'Connor, Dev Douglas — who did some of the character voices — and Peter Sills. (Sills' own songwriting catalogue includes "When Two Worlds Drift Apart" written for Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
.)
Song
The song follows the same pattern as "The Music ManThe Music Man (song)
"The Music Man" is a popular cumulative folksong among children, rugby players and Hash House Harriers.Peter Kennedy published a song called "The German Musicianer" in "Folk Songs of Britain and Northern Ireland" . It has some similarities with this song. Even earlier, "The Wonderful Musician",...
" with each verse introducing a particular character; that character then speaks a particular tag line for each subsequent verse in the song. The song gets more and more raucous as additional characters are introduced and the tag lines are embellished, eventually reaching a sort of psychedelic segue to the final segment of the song.
Tag lines
- UhuraUhuraNyota Uhura is a character in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, the first six Star Trek films, and the 2009 film Star Trek...
: "There's Klingons on the starboard bowBow (ship)The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
."
- SpockSpockSpock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
: "It's life, Jim, but not as we know it." This was not actually said in the original Star Trek series but the song has so popularised the phrase that it is now commonly misattributed to the original. The closest equivalent in the original is "No life as we know it" in The Devil in the Dark.
- McCoyLeonard McCoyLeonard "Bones" McCoy is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek series, McCoy also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and in numerous books,...
: "It's worse than that — he's dead, Jim!"
- KirkJames T. KirkJames Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
: "We come in peace; shoot to kill."
- ScottyMontgomery ScottMontgomery "Scotty" Scott is a Scottish engineer in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by James Doohan in the original Star Trek series, Scotty also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics", and in numerous...
: "Ye cannaeScottish EnglishScottish English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Scotland. It may or may not be considered distinct from the Scots language. It is always considered distinct from Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language....
change the laws of physics!"