“The Loneliest Man in the Universe”
Song by Brad Peterson [released July 2020]
Song Information:
“The Loneliest Man in the Universe” was written and recorded in my garden-shed studio, June of 2020.
Notes: Brad Peterson releases his new recording for summer 2020. Brad describes the song’s inspiration as such:
“I’ve long felt that the pinnacle of human achievement took place in July of 1969, culminating with Apollo 11’s mission to the moon and back.
Perhaps seemingly unrelated, as a recording artist and songwriter, my lodestars are members of a group responsible for making record albums. For example: Paul McCartney may have written a good song, but the Beatles helped refine the performance, Geroge Martin helped arrange it, Geoff Emerick engineered the recording et al. I study the recording techniques, and also enjoy the artisanship of the equipment they used and their design. Revolver is a good example of such an assembly of crew, technology, and effort.
As an engineer and scientist, my archetypes [some might say heroes] are the team responsible for the lunar landing. Folks are likely to know who Neil Armstrong was, but amongst the 300,000 workers who contributed, I’ve become a fan of men like: Gene Kranz (Chief Flight Director), Bill Tindall (Aerospace Engineer ), and perhaps the least sung astronaut of the Apollo 11 mission, Michael Collins.
While the world’s headlines in the summer of ’69 were mostly about landing, another profound occurrence was quietly happening when Michael Collins flew around the far-side of the moon -completely on his own, becoming the furthest any solitary human had ever been. I find it orphic that Mike was completely cut off from all communication to all mankind during this event. I’ve always enjoyed the playful misnomer: “The Loneliest Man in the Universe”; it’s been on my “song ideas list” for years.
The only “non musical instrument” hanging on the walls of my garden-shed recording studio, is a framed autographed photo of the 3 Apollo 11 astronauts along with the mission patch, and a replica of the placard which was mounted to one of the legs of the lunar module. It is with respect that I recorded ‘The Loneliest Man in the Universe’ nearly 51 years after the event that inspires me so.”
Lyrics:
revolving around the dark side now
he’s flying solo
his vision is fixed on the instruments
the lunar surface below
columbia come back we know
isn’t perfect but could be worse
can you’re confirm you omni bravo
loneliest man in the universe
a quarter million miles from home
so dark and quiet
it’s you, your wit, that’s it, within[your] metallic island
columbia come come back
we can’t read you
we’re not receiving telemetry
the stars, the sun, the moon, and you
were never really lonely now as it seems
what in the world were you
thinking when the eagle flew
one lone soul on your own
revolving around the dark side now
he’s flying solo
his vision is fixed on the instruments
the lunar surface below
columbia come now we know
if you a transmitting you can’t be heard
will you confirm you’re omni bravo
loneliest man in the universe
columbia come back we know
isn’t perfect but could be worse
will you confirm you omni bravo
loneliest man in the universe
Image Gallery
BRAD PETERSON Photographs of Brad Peterson: Brad Peterson is an indie-singer-songwriter from a wooded area near Lake Michigan north of Chicago, where he built a little back-yard garden shed – effectively a music-making laboratory where he Writes, Records and Produces all his music. [...]
Genre : Americana, Alternative, Adult Alternative, Indie, Indie-pop, Singer-Songwriter, Alt-Folk
BPM: 118
Key: E major
ISRC: QZAMM1882847
UPC: 193339341767
ISWC: T9328773655
Keywords: Apollo 11, NASA, acoustic guitar, stand-up bass, acoustic bass, standup bass, drums, retro, 69, michael collins, acetone, tremolo, clave, bossa nova, percussion, varispeed tape, vibrato guitar, pedal steel, guitar, vocal harmony, acoustic, vintage, retro, throwback, sentimental, heartfelt, tender, emotive, heartwarming, moving, nostalgic
Listen if you like: Hers, Summer Salt, Yung Heazy, Banes World, ansire, RICEWINE, TEMPOREX, No Vacation, Gus Dapperton, Brad stank, Michael Seyer, Lunar Vacation, The Marías, Mellow Fellow, Jakob Ogawa, Hala, Acid Ghost, Yellow Days, Black Pool, Men I Trust, CASTLEBEAT, Sunset Rollercoaster, Boyscott, The Buttertones, SadGirl, Triathalon, Vundabar, Dreamgirl, Goth Babe, Loving, Joy Again, Good Morning, The Walters, Current Joys, Kid Bloom, The Symposium, Magroove, Vansire, Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, The dB’s, Matthew Sweet, The Posies, Marshall Crenshaw, Flamin’ Groovies, Teenage Fanclub, Nick Lowe, The Soft Boys, The Feelies, Emitt Rhodes, Paul Westerberg, Gene Clark, The Replacements, Raspberries, John Cale, Guided By Voices, The Nerves, The Modern Lovers, Big Star, Dwight Twilley Band, Dennis Wilson, Shoes, Game Theory, Robyn Hitchcock, The Flying Burrito Brothers, ELO, Mott The Hoople, Badfinger, Raspberries, Todd Rundgren, Ringo Starr, Emitt Rhodes, Big Star, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Hollies, The Move, The Grass Roots, The Guess Who, Jeff Lynne, Harry Nilsson, The Association, Faces, The Monkees, Blood, Sweat & Tears, The Zombies, Mott The Hoople, Tommy James & The Shondells, Flamin’ Groovies, The Turtles, The Beach Boys, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Herman’s Hermits, The Mamas & The Papas, Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Buckinghams, The Troggs, Sonny & Cher, The Young Rascals, The Box Tops, Manfred Mann, The Cowsills, The Searchers, The Spencer Davis Group, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, Something, Sung Hoon, Sufjan Stevens, Fleet Foxes, Andrew Bird, The Antlers, Grizzly Bear, Beirut, Iron & Wine, Neutral Milk Hotel, S. Carey, Volcano Choir, Broken Social Scene, The Mountain Goats, Perfume Genius, Elliott Smith, Dirty Projectors, The National, St. Vincent, Animal Collective, Sharon Van Etten, Mount Eerie, The Microphones, Sung Hoon
