Spaceman (4 Non Blondes song)

"Spaceman" is a song by American alternative rock band 4 Non Blondes. It is the sixth track on their only studio album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More! (1992),[1] and was released as the album's third single in September 1993 by Interscope and Atlantic Records. While the album's lead single, "What's Up?", became a worldwide hit, "Spaceman" reached the top 20 only in Austria, Iceland, Italy and Switzerland and missed the US Billboard Hot 100. The music video for the song was directed by Scott Kalvert.

"Spaceman"
Single by 4 Non Blondes
from the album Bigger, Better, Faster, More!
B-side"Pleasantly Blue"
ReleasedSeptember 1993
StudioGroove Masters (Santa Monica, California)
GenreRock
Length3:40
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)David Tickle
4 Non Blondes singles chronology
"What's Up?"
(1993)		 "Spaceman"
(1993)		 "Mary's House"
(1993)
Music video
"Spaceman" on YouTube

Composition

"Spaceman" is composed in the key of G major and is set in common time with a slow tempo of 69 beats per minute.[2] The song is three minutes and forty seconds long.[3]

Critical reception

Tom Demalon from AllMusic stated that the song's "yearning lyrics are delivered over a quiet, martial drum rhythm."[4] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Follow-up to the gold-selling "What's Up?" is fueled by a similar wall-shattering vocal performance. The tune itself is a strumming, guitar-anchored rock ballad, deriving much of its motion from a rolling, militaristic beat. While it is not immediately catchy, slowly ingratiating track will likely meet with warm approval at top 40 and album-rock levels."[5] Dave Jennings from Melody Maker said, "More histrionics, this time at a slower pace and with tacky "military" drumming."[6] Alan Jones from Music Week gave "Spaceman" three out of five, adding that the song "offers pretty much the same mix [as its predecessor], with the same unrestrained vocals and loosely fitting instrumentation. But it's a less heady brew that won't fare quite so well."[7]

Music video

The song's accompanying music video was directed by Scott Kalvert and filmed in Los Angeles.[8] It features the band performing the song in several locations, including inside a house with colorful lights, in a sunny park, and under a full moon. The video was added to the playlists of MTV and The Box on the week ending September 26, 1993.[9]

Track listings

All songs were written by Linda Perry, with co-writing from Shaunna Hall on "Spaceman" and Roger Rocha on "Strange".

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the Bigger, Better, Faster, More! album booklet.[16]

Studios

Personnel

  • Linda Perry – writing, vocals, acoustic and electric guitar
  • Shaunna Hall – writing, additional guitar
  • Roger Rocha – guitar
  • Christa Hillhouse – bass, vocals
  • Dawn Richardson – drums
  • Rory Kaplan – Mellotron
  • Suzie Katayama – accordion
  • David Tickle – production, recording, mixing
  • Mark Hensley – engineering
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering

Charts

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States September 1993 Cassette Interscope
United Kingdom October 4, 1993
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [31]

References
  1. "4 Non Blondes – Bigger, Better, Faster, More!". AllMusic. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  2. "Spaceman by 4 Non Blondes – Sheet Music". Musicnotes. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  3. "4 Non Blondes – Spaceman [Vinyl Single] Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  4. Demalon, Tom. "4 Non Blondes – Bigger, Better, Faster, More!". AllMusic. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  5. Flick, Larry (September 18, 1993). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 38. p. 73. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  6. Jennings, Dave (October 9, 1993). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 36. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  7. Jones, Alan (October 9, 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream – Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 18. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  8. "Production Notes". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 40. October 2, 1993. p. 58.
  9. "Video Monitor". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 41. October 9, 1993. p. 47.
  10. Spaceman (US cassette single sleeve). 4 Non Blondes. Interscope Records, Atlantic Records. 1993. 4-98374.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. "4 Non Blondes – Spaceman". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  12. Spaceman (UK CD single liner notes). 4 Non Blondes. Interscope Records. 1993. A8349CD, 6544-95992-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. Spaceman (UK 7-inch single sleeve). 4 Non Blondes. Interscope Records. 1993. A8349, 6544-98349-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. Spaceman (UK cassette single sleeve). 4 Non Blondes. Interscope Records. 1993. A8349C, 6544-98349-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. Spaceman (UK 12-inch single sleeve). 4 Non Blondes. Interscope Records. 1993. A8349T, 6544-95993-0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. Bigger, Better, Faster, More! (US CD album booklet). 4 Non Blondes. Interscope Records, Atlantic Records. 1992. INTD-92112, 7 92112-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 107.
  18. "4 Non Blondes – Spaceman" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  19. "4 Non Blondes – Spaceman" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  20. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 49. December 4, 1993. p. 11. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  21. "4 Non Blondes – Spaceman" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  22. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (07.10–13.10)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). October 7, 1993. p. 20. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  23. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved June 8, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "4 Non Blondes".
  24. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 49, 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  25. "4 Non Blondes – Spaceman" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  26. "4 Non Blondes – Spaceman". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  27. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  28. "4 Non Blondes Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  29. "4 Non Blondes Chart History (Mainstream Rock Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  30. "Árslistinn 1993". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 4, 1994. p. 17. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  31. "Single Releases". Music Week. October 2, 1993. p. 25. Misprinted as September 27.
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