Kansas City Playlist: Artemis II Round Trip

Tonight we look toward the heavens as hope springs eternal despite the realization that neither science nor technology hold much promise of making the world any less chaotic.  

Maybe that's too deep, but it's Holy Week and so we ask forgiveness for our constant juxtaposition betwixt faith & reason. 

Accordingly, we share some of our space exploration reading amid this era of digital information . . .  

NASA Disappoints Artemis II Astronauts By Cutting Off Chappell Roan Wakeup Song

This is a lot cooler than Katy Perry going into space: NASA played Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club" to wake up the astronauts on Artemis II this morning. However, mission control abruptly cut the audio after Roan sang "heels." "We were all eagerly awaiting the chorus," Commander Reid Wiseman joked.

'Not the moon that I'm used to seeing': Artemis II astronauts describe seeing the far side

In an interview with NBC News from space, the crew of NASA's Artemis II moon mission described seeing the moon from a new angle, feelings of awe and humility, and taking care of their human needs.

Artemis II crew more than halfway to their moon destination

The crew is on track to perform their historic "fly around" to the far side of the moon on Monday.

Artemis II is going so well that we're left to talk about frozen urine

I think the fixation on the toilet is kind of human nature."

NASA Answers Your Most Pressing Artemis II Questions - NASA

The first crewed test flight under NASA's Artemis program is underway. Four Artemis II astronauts are flying aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft around the Moon

And all of this inspires our www.TonysKansasCity.com playlist on the topic of the moon and assorted smooth jazz/rock fusion . . .

To start . . . We take a moment to realize how far this nation has journeyed in a relatively short time. What some might forget, The Marcels who recorded "Blue Moon" in 1961 were a racially integrated group from Pittsburgh, which led to backlash while touring the South.

A fun fact about our second favorite musical Irishman . . . Despite being the title track of his iconic 1970 album, Van Morrison did not release "Moondance" as a single until September 1977—seven and a half years after the album's release. It was initially considered too jazzy for radio, but became a classic over time.

Our favorite running joke regarding this tune . . . The widely misheard lyric "there's a bathroom on the right" instead of "bad moon on the rise," which John Fogerty has jokingly sung live.

A bit more current lunar tribute amid this playlist dedicated to nostalgia . . .

For the bridge . . . Our 80s touchstone song . . . The Police filmed the music video for "Walking on the Moon" at the Kennedy Space Center on October 23, 1979, where drummer Stewart Copeland famously played his drumsticks on a massive Saturn V rocket. The song itself was written by a slightly intoxicated Sting, who originally pictured the lyric as "walking round the room" before changing it.

Of course, Fly Me Too The Moon is the obvious choice BUT this 1965 clip of Frank Sinatra signing at At The Kiel Opera House in St. Louis, MO is one of our faves . . .

In conclusion . . . The timeless classic "Moon River" by Andy Williams was almost cut from Breakfast at Tiffany's after a studio executive thought it was too long, but Audrey Hepburn intervened, insisting it stay. The song was written for her, with lyrics inspired by songwriter Johnny Mercer's childhood.

As always, thanks for reading this week and have a safe & fun Saturday night.