INSTEP Magzine

'Man On The Moon'
R.E.M
'Man On The Moon' was written and recorded for R.E.M's 1992 album, Automatic for the People and used as the soundtrack of Man on the Moon, the movie. The song had in fact inspired the title of the film, which is a biopic of performer Andy Kaufman. The song has several references to Kaufman's work, including his Elvis impersonation and the short independent film, My Breakfast with Mr Blassie.
There is another reference in 'Man On The Moon', to the supposedly faked moon landings by NASA.

'Man On The Moon' has a sound typical to R.E.M, lots of jangling guitars and Michael Stipe's vocals which can make any song sound heartbroken. Stipe also said of the song that he tried to end each line in a 'yeah, yeah, yeah' in a bid to outdo Kurt Cobain who could always make the 'yeah, yeah, yeahs' fit into any song.

'Space Oddity' David Bowie Probably better recognized as 'Ground Control To Major Tom', which is the first line of the song, 'Space Oddity' can only be described as a very melancholy song. The title of the song is a play on Stanley Kubrick's Space Odyssey and centers around a fictional astronaut, Major Tom. 'Space Oddity' is a conversation between ground control and Major Tom, as the latter takes off into space. Ground control advises Major Tom to "Take your protein pills and put your helmet on." Major Tom sounds odd as he replies to ground control, mentioning how the stars "look very different today." He then says: And I think my
spaceship knows which way to go/ Tell my wife I love her very much (she knows)," after which ground control loses contact with Major Tom, assumingly as Major Tom cuts off connections. The song had first appeared on David Bowie's 1969 self titled album, which was released to coincide with the moon landing, in the UK. The album was retitled Space Oddity in 1972 and released in the U.S.

'Learning To Fly' Pink Floyd While a lot of Pink Floyd fans might scoff at 'Learning To Fly' as far too poppy without Roger Waters to be Pink Floyd, the song is actually quite compelling, if not completely true to Pink Floyd's sound. 'Learning to Fly' off the album, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, details a person's thoughts while he is doing just that. There is a mix of excitement but anxiousness evident in the song which is accentuated by the beat of the song. The song is mixed over with drummer Nick Mason's voice during an actual flying lesson. The imagery drawn in the song is beautiful: Above the planet on a wing and a prayer/
My grubby halo, a vapour trail in the empty air/ Across the clouds I see my shadow fly/ Out of the corner of my watering eye. The song then shifts tones from trepidation to care freeness There's no sensation to compare with this/ Suspended animation, state of bliss. 'Learning To Fly' is a song that can definitely be defined as an 'upper', whether it is about drugs (as some fans speculate) or not.

'The Joker' The Steve Miller Band Steve Miller alludes to his own songs in 'The Joker'. Some people call me the space cowboy/ Some call me the gangster of love/ Some people call me Maurice. All the things he is 'being called,' referring to titles of his songs. 'The Joker' is a random song, as is the joker in playing cards. It's a song that is sung and played in an extremely laid back fashion. Miller uses the word 'pompatous' in the song, which apparently isn't a word at all. Steve Miller describes himself as many things in 'The Joker', I'm a picker/ I'm a grinner/ I'm a lover/ And I'm a sinner/ I play my music in the sun/ I'm a joker/ I'm a smoker/ I'm a midnight toker/ I get my lovin' on the run.
'The Joker' is an unapologetic song and has been covered many times. It surprisingly reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in September 1990, 16 years after its release.