Song Lyric Spotlight Twofer: Another Satellite/Jupiter Crash

Today we’ll be looking at two different songs. Another Satellite (full lyrics) by XTC and Jupiter Crash (full lyrics) by The Cure.

Both songs use astronomical metaphors, in very different ways, to explore romantic relationships.  They use themes of attraction and insignificance inherent in planetary movements to show the same romantic themes. As Above, So Below.

Another Satellite is from the album, Skylarking.  Like many of my favorite XTC songs, it is dense with metaphor.  Some lyrics:

Abort your mission let’s just say you tried
Before you glimpse I have a darker darker side
I say why in Heaven’s name do you come on these trips
Only to freeze in a total eclipse
Don’t need another satellite

The theme in this song describes unwanted and unrequited attraction as an annoyance in the form of the above-named superfluous satellite.

Jupiter Crash from Wild Mood Swings, on the other hands, presents the singer, not the object, as the one with unwanted attraction.

The song starts out hopefully enough.  The singer brings the object of his affection out to see the spectacle of comets hitting Jupiter.  This is presented as a symbol of their attraction.  Sadly the symbolism was poorly chosen as, after the show, the object of his attraction is singularly unimpressed.  Like many songs by The Cure, this song explores the concepts of futility and isolation.  This is particularly poignant because of the failed attempt to show attraction and inevitability.

The closing lyrics:

Yeah that was it
That was the jupiter crash
Drawn too close and gone in a flash
Just a few bruises in the region of the splash…

She left to the sound of the sea
She just drifted away from me
Yeah,So much for gravity…