"Satellite of Love" is a song by American musician Lou Reed. It is the second single from his 1972 album Transformer. At the time of its release, it achieved minor US chart success (No. 119), though it later became a staple of his concerts and compilation albums.
Background and recording
"Satellite of Love" was composed in 1970 while Reed was still a member of the Velvet Underground. Fellow member Doug Yule, in a 2005 interview, recalled Reed's first mentioning the song to him in the summer of 1970 while they were riding in the back of a limousine with Steve Sesnick: "Steve was there going on about "how we needed airplay", and Lou said "I have this song 'Satellite of Love', and he mentioned the satellite that had just gone up which was a big deal in the news at the time, cause the space race was happening, and Steve Sesnick said 'Yeah, yeah – that'll do it!'"[2] While the band had soon recorded a demo track in the summer of 1970 during the sessions for Loaded, it did not make the final album.
The song is about a man who observes a satellite launch on television, and contemplates what Reed describes as feelings of "the worst kind of jealousy" about his unfaithful girlfriend.[3] The chorus is:
I watched it for a little while
I love to watch things on TV
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
David Bowie, who produced the album with Mick Ronson, provided background vocals, especially for the final chorus. Reed wrote later: "He has a melodic sense that's just well above anyone else in rock & roll. Most people could not sing some of his melodies. He can really go for a high note. Take 'Satellite of Love', on my Transformer album. There's a part at the very end where his voice goes all the way up. It's fabulous."[4]
The existence of the original Velvet Underground version was unknown until the release of the box set Peel Slowly and See in 1995. It also appears on the 1997 Rhino Records 2-CD version of the Loaded album.
In addition to being more up-tempo, the band's version contains a significant change in the lyrics. The lines:
Reflecting on the original lyrics, Reed said, "Jesus. Best left forgotten. Obviously, I didn't want to use real names yet. I probably wanted to make sure I wasn't using a name that really meant something to me."[3]
The song topped the Far Out's top ten list of Lou Reed's songs.[5]Cash Box called it "another strange effort that should attract a varied crowd of record buyers" and "stands a great commercial shot at scoring many chart points."[6]Record World called it a "cosmic composition" and said that "David Bowie's genius is there in the production."[7]
Morrissey's live cover of the song was digitally released on 2 December 2013 as a tribute to Reed, following his death in 2013. The song was recorded on 25 November 2011 in at the Chelsea Ballroom of Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in Nevada.[10][11][12] The 7" and 12" vinyl version and a three-track digital version were also released on January 28, 2014.[13] All three versions of the single were supported by additional live tracks, including a rendition of the Smiths' song "Vicar in a Tutu", a cover of Buzzcocks' song "You Say You Don't Love Me" and his 1992 song "You're Gonna Need Someone on Your Side".[13][14] The cover topped the U.S. BillboardHot Singles Sales chart.[15]
U2 performed the song for the 1992 Zoo TV Tour featuring Lou Reed via a giant screen. Tyler Golsen of the Far Out Magazine listed the live performance as one of "seven of the best Lou Reed covers of all time."[16]
