Musicians Take Over the Moon
5 minutes
Virgin’s “Moon Hotel”
Decades later, Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group and a record-industry entrepreneur, seemed ready to repeat his success opening the first record shop on London’s Oxford Street—this time in outer space. He imagined building a Virgin space station, letting travelers stay at a “Virgin Hotel” on the Moon, vacation in orbit around Earth, or even spend the rest of their lives on the Moon…
Moonbell
After humans played music toward the Moon, they soon heard an answer. Japan’s space agency “translated” the Moon’s rolling geological data into musical notes and created a program called Moonbell. Listeners said: “The Moon’s music has a clear free-jazz feel.”
The Dark Side of the Moon
Humans landed on the Moon’s bright side; the far side, forever turned away from Earth, remains mysterious. Pink Floyd released the concept album The Dark Side of the Moon in 1973. The tracks flow directly into one another, and the entire record is steeped in surreal psychological conflict, contradiction, greed, and mental illness. Foolish humans—do you really think you have conquered the Moon?
The “Moon Goddess” Dreams of the Moon
While Branson was still planning his company’s space station, Sarah Brightman—the “Moon Goddess,” long grounded on Earth—was preparing for six months of training before a trip to the International Space Station. As the first professional singer to travel into space, she planned to sing there too. The ISS was only a stopover; her next step was to “return” to the Moon and hold a concert!
Fly Me to the Moon
The first human song to reach the Moon was actually this classic love song, written in 1954. In 1969, NASA put a recording of Frank Sinatra’s version aboard Apollo 11. Armstrong and Aldrin hummed along as they took humanity’s first small step.
Beady Eye
While Sarah Brightman was still touring Earth, Beady Eye had already gotten there first! Their promotional photos on the Moon make them look like the biggest band in the universe. Fans who want to see their lunar concert should book early!
A Trip to the Moon
Georges Méliès made the world’s first science-fiction film, A Trip to the Moon, in 1902, during the silent-film era. More than a century later, the celebrated French electronic duo Air wrote a new score for its color-restored version. Those “ancient” Frenchmen suddenly look high-tech as they land on the Moon to electronic pew-pew and dance beats.