It seems that I am still catching up a little with what was going on around the world while we were on vacation. And in this case, I literally mean around the world. In early February, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield performed the song I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing) with the Barenaked Ladies (BNL) and the Wexford Gleeks, a show choir from Scarborough. The coolest part? Hadfield is currently in space, and he will become the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station this month!
Hadfield and Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies cowrote the song – a commission for the celebration of this year’s Music Monday. Music Monday is a day to celebrate music education, and this year (on May 6 at 1 pm Eastern time), I.S.S. will be performed by students across Canada. But enough from me. If you haven’t heard it already, you really should!
Be sure to check out the Music Monday webpage musical arrangements for all kinds of ensembles.
Order:
Verse 1
Prechorus 1
Chorus
Verse 2
Prechorus 2
Chorus
Bridge
Prechorus 3
Chorus
Repeat last line of chorus 3x
Verse 1:
On solid fuel, and wires
Turn the key, and light the fires
We’re leaving Earth today
This rocket’s burning bright
We’ll soon be out of sight
And orbiting in space
Prechorus 1:
Pushed back in my seat
Look out my window
There goes home
That ball of shiny blue
houses everybody anybody ever knew
Chorus:
So, sing your song
I’m listening
Out where stars are glistening
I can hear your voices bounching off the moon
If you could see
Our Nation
From the International Space Station
You’d know why I want to get back soon.
Verse 2:
Eighteen thousand miles an hour
Fueld by science and solar power
The oceans racing past
At half a thousand tons
Ninety minutes Moon to Sun
A bullet can’t go half this fast
Prechorus 2:
Floating from my seat
Look out my window
There goes home
That brilliant ball of blue
Is where I’m from, and also where I’m going to
Bridge:
All black and white
Just fades to grey.
Where the sun rises
Sixteen times a day
You can’t make out borders from up here.
Just a spinning ball within a tiny atmosphere.
Prechorus 3:
Pushed back in my seat
Look out my window
Here comes home
What once was fuelled by fear
Now has fifteen Nations orbiting together here