Bruno Mars “Locked Out Of Heaven” But Not Out Of Our ‘Musical Solar System’
Bruno Mars tickets will be collected beginning June 22 in Washington D.C. The R&B singer will stay on the road through Sept. 1 (San Juan, Puerto Rico). The ubiquitous singer has tapped Ellie Goulding and Fitz and the Tantrums to serve as openers. The entire production has been dubbed “The Moonshine Jungle World Tour.”
Mars’ upcoming trek got everyone here at Clickitticket thinking about the solar system. Get it? “Bruno” is the nickname of a famous astronaut. So in honor of the “Locked out of Heaven” singer, we’ve scoured the heavens, and our iTunes, and put together a musical journey through our little corner of the galaxy. For the ten most prominent celestial bodies in our solar system we found the greatest artist, song(s), or album that shares its name.
Sun – The Beatles “Sun” Songs Tetralogy
The Beatles recorded four songs with the word “sun” in the title: “I’ll Follow the Sun” from Beatles for Sale; “Good Day Sunshine” from Revolver; “Here Comes the Sun” from Abbey Road; and “Sun King” also from Abbey Road. The “Sun” has been a frequent source of inspiration throughout the history of popular music. Besides the aforementioned four great songs from the Fab Four you have the Violent Femmes’ classic song “Blister in the Sun,” The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun,” and the 1968 Doors album Waiting For The Sun.
Mercury – Freddie Mercury
Mercury Records is one of the world’s most popular record labels. However, we think record labels are meaningless unless you’re a record collector or an artist. That’s why we’re going with Freddie Mercury to represent the nearest planet to the Sun. Queen’s former front man is the best rock singer of all-time. Not the greatest, that probably falls to someone like Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, or John Lennon, but the best (as in technique and timbre). Those who knew his gift claimed he had a four octave range.
Venus – “Venus” By Shocking Blue
“Venus” by Ed Marshall and Peter De Angelis was the first number one hit for Frankie Avalon. Avalon was one of the big teen heartthrobs that bridged the gap from rock and roll of the late 1950s and the arrival of The Beatles in 1964. However, that’s not the song we picked. We went with “Venus” by Shocking Blue which was later covered by Bananarama. Written by the band’s guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen, “Venus” went to number one in 1970 and then again in 1986 when it was covered by the three British women. Both versions have been used in countless television shows, movies, and commercials.
Earth – Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song”
Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song” failed to make the cut for Dangerous but was featured on HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It was not released as a single in the U.S. but it was in the U.K. In fact, it was a huge hit there and in Europe—it was his first number one single in Germany. The song, about Earth and its fauna, inspired an epic music video that showcased various environmental concerns. The video was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award. The song was written by Michael Jackson in an Austria hotel room.
Moon – Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon
Quite simply, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon is one of the greatest albums of all-time. It dropped in 1973 and went straight to number one. Now, it stayed on top for just a week but remained on the charts for 741 weeks or from 1973 to 1988. In total, the album has sold more than 50 million copies. If Pink Floyd had recorded the album acoustically it probably still would have sold 25 million copies but the band, using Abbey Road Studios, recorded Dark Side of the Moon with state-of-the-art techniques and equipment. The amazing recording process was led by engineer and sonic genius Alan Parsons. There is a theory floating around the internet that the album was recorded as a soundtrack to the film Wizard of Oz. If you listen to Dark Side while watching the 1939 flick a few things line up. The band, as well as Alan Parsons, rejects the rumors.
Mars – Bruno Mars
With all due respect to Mars Volta and Hoodoo Guru’s second studio album, Mars Needs Guitars!, we had to select Bruno Mars to represent the red planet. After all, Bruno Mars has been nominated for 14 Grammy Awards, and has been covered on the Fox musical-dramedy Glee—and as we all know there’s no better dipstick for fame than being covered by Glee. Mars’ debut, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, has sold more than six million copies. His sophomore effort, Unorthodox Jukebox, dropped in December and has already been certified gold. Mars’ singles, "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade," have both sold more than ten million copies. As for his upcoming tour, look for Bruno Mars in Philadelphia on June 24; Bruno Mars in Boston on June 26; and Bruno Mars in Miami on Aug. 30. On July 27 and July 28, Los Angeles welcomes Bruno Mars to Staples Center.
Jupiter – Drops of Jupiter by Train
Train’s “Drops of Jupiter” was released in February of 2001. It was the lead single of the album of the same name which was released March 27, 2001. The song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 while the album topped out at number six. The entire band is credited as writing the song but Patrick Monahan said the ditty was inspired by the death of his mother. The opening line came to him in a dream.
Saturn – Return of Saturn by No Doubt
Return of Saturn (2011) was No Doubt’s follow up to their smash hit, Tragic Kingdom (2000). Tragic Kingdom sold more than 16 million copies worldwide and featured the singles “Don’t Speak,” “Just A Girl,” and “Spiderwebs.” Return of Saturn was succeeded by the multiple-Platinum Rock Steady. Conventional wisdom says Tragic Kingdom was the zenith of No Doubt’s success, Return of Saturn was the band’s slump, and Rock Steady was their return. We disagree. We think Return of Saturn is their strongest work anchored by the mature songs of “Simple Kind of Life,” “Bathwater,” and “Magic’s in the Makeup.”
Uranus – Uranus by Shellac
This entry is probably where you thought we’d invoke “Uranus, the Magician” from Holst’s The Planets. If you’ve noticed we haven’t even mentioned that seminal work. That’s because it’s not a piece of popular music (although it’s very popular) it’s a piece of classical music. Instead, we’re going with the Chicago post-hardcore band Shellac and their second EP, Uranus (1993). The trio formed in 1992 and performs live sporadically. Shellac is known for their minimalist sound which is code for they’re not very good. Their album, The Futurist, was released only to their friends. The names of the 750-plus recipients are written on the front of the album sleeve.
Neptune – The Neptunes
The Neptunes are one of greatest production teams/record producers of all-time. The duo consists of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo and they’ve worked with a number of big-time acts including Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Britney Spears, Usher, and Ludacris. The Neptunes are responsible for dozens of top ten hits and have received 12 Grammy Awards nominations; they won Producer of the Year in 2004. Billboard magazine ranked The Neptunes as the top producers of the 2000s and readers of Vibe Magazine placed them at number three on their list of the greatest hip hop producers of all-time.
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