"Sleeping Sattelite" by Tasmin Archer

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Seriously....what a great goddamn song, even if everything else she did was a rancid dollop of pabulum.

Agreed?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 00:11 (twenty-two years ago)

not here. hated it. still do.

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 00:16 (twenty-two years ago)

I like it. Then again, I would.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 00:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Beautiful song. And a much needed breath of fresh air at the time.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 00:18 (twenty-two years ago)

It's got a nice tune but the lyrics annoy me.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 00:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, the lyrics aren't gold, but I still quite like it.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 00:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Fantastic song, but actually compares quite badly to the rest of her catalogue because of the daft lyrics - her second album Bloom is a lost gem of a thing. Still have no idea how it got to No 1.

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 00:53 (twenty-two years ago)

It felt like it was actually quite ruthlessly forced onto the charts - I remember hearing adverts for it on radio - does that still happen? radio adverts for a single?? they were really hyping it up, I expected it to go straight in at #1 and stay there for about 3 months but it didn't - it went in at 3 I think then climed to 1 the next week but only managed a fortnight at the top and it didn't sell that many copies. Neither Radio 1 or 2 were that much of a force at this point in time (1992) it seemed and the only times I heard it were on Capital Radio (London only - I wonder what percentage of the people who bought it were from London in fact) so it was taken as a very strong example of AOR-pop and thrust into the light accordingly but it seemed out of place - mind you Enya was still having top ten hits...

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 01:47 (twenty-two years ago)

satellite

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 01:48 (twenty-two years ago)

what Geir said about this song is *exactly* what Dave Lee Travis said about it at the time (shortly before he left Radio 1, of course).

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 03:06 (twenty-two years ago)

*Loved* the song. Still do. Never heard another song from her, and probably never will as I assume she's out of print and out of the business.

― Joseph McCombs, Wednesday, 18 February 2004 05:39 (twenty-two years ago)

and probably never will as I assume she's out of print and out of the business.

Not quite yet... As expected: http://www.tasminarcher.com

And like what everyone else was saying: great song, cringeworthy lyrics

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 06:14 (twenty-two years ago)

I've always wondered if the Radiohead lyric "blame it on the satellite" had anything to do with this song, or it was just a coincidence that they chose to describe the moon as thus...

― A Wyck, Wednesday, 18 February 2004 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

what is the song really about?

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:01 (twenty-two years ago)

this tune is lush. but that other hit she had was good too. what was that called? am i9 making that up?

― ambrose (ambrose), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:09 (twenty-two years ago)

It is about man's wanton destruction of Mother Earth. Not as dippy as that sounds, but still dippy.

I was completely unaware of the whole marketing push (well, I was only 8/9 which probably explains that) - all I remember was seeing all of these fly posters around London and assuming I'd never hear the actual song as per 90% of fly posters, then suddenly finding that she was at No 1.

I really do recommend Bloom though, it's sophisticated and smoky and her voice cracks in the most gorgeous ways all over it. And there's nothing about the dreams that died with the eagle's flight!

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

and she covered 'Shipbuilding'

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Five top 40 hits according to Everyhit - after SS there was In Your Care (16), Lords Of The New Church (26), Arienne (30) and Shipbuilding (40) - definite case of diminishing returns even though "In Your Care" is the best of those.

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:16 (twenty-two years ago)

i actually really love this song. correct me if i'm wrong but wan't there a happy harcore version that totally chipmunked the vocals and stuff? if not there should have been...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:20 (twenty-two years ago)

i can't believe that other people like this song. it was my guilty pleasure for a solid three months after it first came out. it's the chord changes, i think. i haven't taken the time to deconstruct but i suspect it probably lives in a key and does some things modally that not a lot of other pop does.

everyone's right about the lyrics though.

― mark p (Mark P), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I remember hearing many US radio commercials promoting her album ("Great Expectations" I believe). The song was everywhere for a month or so, and then she disappeared. Nice tune though....

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 17:58 (twenty-two years ago)

two months pass...

Must be something wrong with me. It was primarily the lyrics which attracted my attention to this song in the first place, although admittedly it's only that the rest of the song is quite listenable that it remains on my play list.

What I got from the lyrics is that the world is going down the gurgler and could do with some type of big and daring co-operative endeavour to capture its collective imagination in the same way the Apollo lunar landing program did (did it really make the world stop and band together for a while. I dunno, but that seems to be the premise); however because its been done already, it wouldn't work second time round, so the dream has died, as it were. eg a manned mars mission wouldn't have the same impact.

Anyone else like to explain how they see it?

By the way, obviously it would take a hell of a lot more to unite the world than just getting together to put a couple of dudes onto Mars for a day or a week, especially as everyone would end up arguing over which country the dudes should come from. The whole things a bit naive.

But it was food for thought at the time.

― Colin McDonald, Sunday, 25 April 2004 00:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember it was highest climber in the top 40 two weeks running (first from 38-ish to 13, then from 13 to 4, then to 1, i think). That doesn't happen any more. Great Expectations still clutters up the £4.97 bit of Music Zones the length and breadth of the country, it was actually quite an ace album (although not so ace that I didn't sell it several years ago) and Ripped Inside was particularly wringy and fantastic (subject to digging it out and relistening and realising I am wholly wrong re. this)

― Alex in Doncaster (Alex in Doncaster), Sunday, 25 April 2004 13:18 (twenty-one years ago)

six months pass...

Being away from blighty and having heard the song again I decided to download it.

It sounds sweeter than I remember it sounding at the time.
A beautiful song. Interesting what Mark says about chord changes.

Its just memorable melodic pop that brings the best of an era of your life back.

Another tune thats been playing on my mind is Paul Hardcastle's 19. That also sounds as brilliant as ever.

― Alex Markovic, Saturday, 20 November 2004 19:42 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

Such a great song...

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 23:57 (nineteen years ago)

four years pass...

it's sad she flew to the moon too soon

― Quantum of Pie (NickB), Saturday, 6 August 2011 23:32 (fourteen years ago)

i have been hearing this EVERYWHERE lately.

― king of torts (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Sunday, 7 August 2011 00:06 (fourteen years ago)

I haven't heard it for years, but it is really good

― Why'd You Wanna Tweet Me So Bad? (dog latin), Sunday, 7 August 2011 00:32 (fourteen years ago)

two months pass...

Tom/Popular gets to Sleeping Satellite. Worth reading...

― Stockhausen's Ekranoplan Quartet (Elvis Telecom), Friday, 7 October 2011 00:34 (fourteen years ago)

yeah i've been revisiting her albums based on that discussion, they hold up!

― lex pretend, Friday, 7 October 2011 07:31 (fourteen years ago)

Contra Tom, I love this record precisely because its bizarre lyric slips by unnoticed. Also, as he points out, there's something especially charming about early 90s one-hit wonders - breakbeats for all.

― Science, you guys. Science. (DL), Friday, 7 October 2011 09:10 (fourteen years ago)

Possibly the archetypal 90s song if one had to be picked. Haven't heard it in a very long time.

― dog latin, Friday, 7 October 2011 09:59 (fourteen years ago)

Rival contender for archetypal early 90s one-hit wonder: Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover. Nothing says early 90s like the When the Levee Breaks beat.

― Science, you guys. Science. (DL), Friday, 7 October 2011 11:22 (fourteen years ago)

Much of my early-90s one-hit-wonder knowledge is structured by which Now! comp various songs appeared on. I'm certain this was on 23. Maybe 24?

― dog latin, Friday, 7 October 2011 11:27 (fourteen years ago)

Ah, I was right! And look at the other songs on that side: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_That's_What_I_Call_Music!_23_(UK_series)

John Secada, Charles & Eddie. I may as well be sitting in the passenger seat on my way home from karate practice right now...

― dog latin, Friday, 7 October 2011 11:29 (fourteen years ago)

So many reissue and cover singles back then... Retromania, hot even in '92.

― dog latin, Friday, 7 October 2011 11:31 (fourteen years ago)

always have thus as the uk equivalent to lisa loeb's 'stay'

Charles and eddie, what a tune!

― at-zing-two-boards (darraghmac), Friday, 7 October 2011 14:43 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah, it's still a fave.

― dog latin, Friday, 7 October 2011 14:54 (fourteen years ago)

"Right Beside You" was a hit for Sophie B Hawkins in 94

Maybe more of a UK smash, dunno

― Master of Treacle, Friday, 7 October 2011 15:41 (fourteen years ago)

Oh God you're right - forgot all about that one.

― Science, you guys. Science. (DL), Friday, 7 October 2011 15:42 (fourteen years ago)

Agree that early 90s one-hit wonders need their own thread - "You" - Ten Sharp anyone?

― Master of Treacle, Friday, 7 October 2011 15:45 (fourteen years ago)

Wikipedia led me to a video of Sophie B Hawkins at an event for gay conservatives where she's talking about gun rights and drill-baby-drill and the deficit. She calls herself "liberal in bed and conservative in the head". Not what I expected TBH.

― Science, you guys. Science. (DL), Friday, 7 October 2011 15:46 (fourteen years ago)

Yeah, we discussed it here btw

― Young Swell (Le Bateau Ivre), Friday, 7 October 2011 15:48 (fourteen years ago)

Ha, and Geir brought up Sleeping Satellite on that thread - they're twins.

― Science, you guys. Science. (DL), Friday, 7 October 2011 15:51 (fourteen years ago)

I'm shocked Alex in NYC loves this.

― lumber up, limbaugh down (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 7 October 2011 15:56 (fourteen years ago)

i have never heard this song before! nice chorus.

― queen latifah approximately (donna rouge), Friday, 7 October 2011 16:07 (fourteen years ago)

six years pass...

classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGL2lcaRYqk

― In a slipshod style (Ross), Thursday, 21 December 2017 04:59 (eight years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.