|
⚠ SITE UNDERGOING SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE ⚠ We are currently in the process of updating to the latest version of MediaWiki, alongside numerous other improvements. Editing will be disabled starting on April 19, 2024 at 12:00 ET. Complete all edits and save all work before this time or progress may be lost. Editing is scheduled to be re-enabled before the end of April. |
Blast Off!
| "Blast Off!" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| Demo by Rivers Cuomo | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Album | Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | December 18, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | February 1995 in Hamburg Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 1:57 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Label | Geffen | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Rivers Cuomo | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| RC# | 199 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| COR# | N/A | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Producer(s) | Rivers Cuomo | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | officially released | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Live debut | August 19, 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo track listing | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rivers Cuomo song chronology | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| Songs from the Black Hole cover | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 Cover for SFTBH demo |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
"Blast Off!" is a song by Rivers Cuomo which was intended to be the opening track to the unfinished rock opera, Songs from the Black Hole. Although previously leaked, this song saw an official release on Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo, where it has a fixed intro (the original has the world 'blast' truncated) and also leads directly into "Who You Callin' Bitch?" as was intended for Track List 2.
Contents
Appearances
- Songs from the Black Hole (Tracklist 1)
- Songs from the Black Hole (Tracklist 2)
- Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
- Not Alone: Rivers Cuomo & Friends Live at Fingerprints (Live Video)
Overview
The lead-off track (Act 1, Scene 1) for Songs from the Black Hole is a dramatic rock song with a high-reaching melody and shifting dynamics. The song takes place on the main deck of the spaceship Betsy II on May 10, 2126. The lyrics are a conversation between the main character Jonas and his shipmates Wuan and Dondó. Jonas is excited yet reserved about the prospect of doing what he thinks is his dream job, that is, going out into space to save Nomis from being swallowed by it's sun. Wuan and Dondó are much more upbeat about the experience. In the middle of the song, M1 interjects via vocoder to remind them of the task at hand. In the last verse we find that a female character, Maria, the ship's cook, has entered the scene and that Jonas has a history with her from back at Star Corps Academy.
An interesting parallel in this song (and indeed the whole album) is the space mission concept being a metaphor for the rock star life that Rivers was about to embark upon, heading out on tour and up the charts with a rock band.
Blast Off was played live for the first time with the full band on August 20, 2011, in Seattle. It was the encore song after a "Double Memories Night", during which the band performed both the Blue album and Pinkerton in their entirety.
Rivers
Before the track was officially released onto Alone, it was leaked online during 2002. In response to a thread on the Rivers Correspondence Board analyzing the song alongside Death and Destruction, Rivers (posting as 'ace') mentioned "blast off is one of the greatest melodies ANYONE'S ever written. pure billy joel", thought to be a tounge-in-cheek. He went on to say "BO is a better melody. D+D is a better song."
The version found on Alone features edits, as the original master tape was damaged.
Music video
The music video was directed by Karl Koch and released via iTunes and YouTube to promote Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo although it saw it's debut on Yahoo! on January 11th 2008. The footage is of Rivers in Japan visiting Kyoko's family in December 2007. It was the first time fans saw Rivers with a mustache.
Personnel
- Rivers Cuomo – lead guitar, lead vocals, percussion, rhythm guitar, bass guitar
Lyrics
Demo
<lyrics>[JONAS:] Blast off! Up to the stars we go! And leave behind everything I used to know Somebody's giving me a whole lot of money To do what I think I want to So why am I still feeling blue? Oh Wuan and Dondo!
[WUAN and DONDO:] Goddamn! Get your head out of your hands! Here's to all the times we're gonna have Cooped up for a year With the two best looking babes I've seen all year
[WUAN:] Get me another bottle of beer, 'cause I'm feelin' fine!
[JONAS:] Go ahead and waste your head We've got the time I hope you don't object that I Speak my mind
[M1:] Don't forget the purpose of the mission Or Nomis will get swallowed by its sun Each one of you is a top graduate Of the Star Corps Academy It's up to you to reach for a dream! Oh Wuan and Dondo!
[WUAN:] Go ahead and waste your life On silly fears I hope you don't object if I Crack another beer, yeah!
[DONDO:] Hold on, who is it here that I see? Wasn't she your favorite bitch in the academy?
[JONAS:] I don't know if I wanna lead on this woman You know, I've done that before She's actually a good girl
[DONDO:] Or at least a cheap ho... </lyrics>
Alternate verse
This verse originates from earlier drafts of "Blast Off" and replaces the M1 segment during live performances of the song <lyrics> [WUAN:] Sit back and light up a fat one, man It's gonna be a long, cold trip if you act like that Think of all the chicks and the money and the news crews Waitin' back home for us
[JONAS:] Let me off the magic bus I don't think I belong </lyrics>
