Satellite of Love

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This song was first released on Reed’s solo album Transformer, but a recording was first made for The Velvet Underground’s 1970 album Loaded. It did not make the final… Read More

Nov. 8, 19721 viewer48.1K views

Satellite of Love Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Satellite's gone up to the skies
Things like that drive me out of my mind
I watched it for a little while
I like to watch things on TV

[Chorus]
(Bom, bom, bom) Satellite of love
(Bom, bom, bom) Satellite of love
(Bom, bom, bom) Satellite of love
Satellite of—

[Verse 2]
Satellite's gone way up to Mars
Soon it'll be filled with parking cars
I watched it for a little while
I love to watch things on TV

[Chorus]
(Bom, bom, bom) Satellite of love
(Bom, bom, bom) Satellite of love
(Bom, bom, bom) Satellite of love
Satellite of—

[Bridge]
I've been told that you've been bold
With Harry, Mark, and John
Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday through Thursday
With Harry, Mark, and John

About

This song was first released on Reed’s solo album Transformer, but a recording was first made for The Velvet Underground’s 1970 album Loaded. It did not make the final album, and the original version eventually surfaced in 1995 on the Peel Slowly And See collection box set.

The earlier version is more abrasive than the version on Transformer, with a faster tempo, and without the piano line that dominates the later version, which gives the song a uniquely bittersweet feeling. The lyrics are also somewhat different.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Lou Reed say about "Satellite of Love"?

Band member Doug Yule recalls in a 2005 interview that Reed mentioned the song to him in the summer of 1970 while they were riding in the back of a limousine with their manager 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!’”