Contact
Daft Punk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it's definitely not a particle that's nearby
It is a bright object and it's obviously rotating because it's flashing
It's way out in the distance, certainly rotating in a very rhythmic fashion
Because the flashes come around almost on time
As we look back at the earth it's up at about 11 o'clock
About maybe ten or twelve diameters
But there's something out there
The lyrics of Daft Punk's song Contact appear to be a sample of an actual conversation between an astronaut named Eugene Cernan and mission control during Apollo 17, the final mission of the US government's Apollo program. In the conversation, Cernan describes what he sees through his spacecraft's window, which is a bright object rotating and flashing rhythmically way out in the distance. The object is so far away that it is up at about 11 o'clock when they look back at the earth, which is about ten or twelve diameters away.
The lyrics are intriguing as they seem to suggest the presence of extraterrestrial life or at least an unidentified flying object. The idea of astronauts encountering alien beings or seeing strange objects in space has always been fertile ground for science fiction, and Daft Punk's use of a real-life conversation from an Apollo mission adds an extra layer of authenticity to the song. The lyrics are atmospheric and mysterious, perfectly reflecting the sense of awe and wonder that space exploration can evoke.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey Bob I'm looking at what Jack was talking about
I am currently observing the same phenomenon that Jack was discussing.
And it's definitely not a particle that's nearby
The object being observed is not a nearby particle.
It is a bright object and it's obviously rotating because it's flashing
The observed object is bright and flashing, which indicates rotation.
It's way out in the distance, certainly rotating in a very rhythmic fashion
The object is located far away and is rotating in a consistent and rhythmic manner.
Because the flashes come around almost on time
The flashes of light from the object are occurring in a pattern and at regular intervals.
As we look back at the earth it's up at about 11 o'clock
When observing the object from Earth, it is located at approximately the 11 o'clock position.
About maybe ten or twelve diameters
It is difficult to accurately determine the distance of the object, but it appears to be around ten or twelve times the diameter of Earth.
I don't know whether that does you any good
I am unsure if this information is helpful to you.
But there's something out there
Regardless of the details, there is definitely an unidentified object being observed.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Stephane Queme, Daryl Braithwaite, Thomas Bangalter, Guillaume Emmanuel Homem Christo, Garth Ivan Richard Porter, Anthony Paul Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@QuickM8tey
So, from what I've read about the monumental undertaking that was the production of this album, I can completely understand why Daft Punk never tried to tour it or follow up quickly on its success. The whole story of RAM's production is like something out of a dream or a legend.
From some interviews the two gave, I found out that when they were in the early stages of brainstorming Thomas and Guy-Man felt the odds were completely against them -- they did not know if they could make a good or great album. After all, they were roughly 20 years old as a band and few bands can put out something good, let alone something great by that time. So they had to come to terms with the possibility that nobody would like this album pretty early on while also finding a way to break the curse of making a bad album as an older band. This is what led them to experiment with their sound in RAM.
Eventually, the two settled on the idea of composing it entirely with live musicians to form something of an 'Ultimate Band', composed of anybody they could have possibly wanted. Daft Punk would go on to recruit Paul Williams, the composer and songwriter of their favorite movie, and the singer/songwriter of their favorite contemporary rock band: Julian Casablancas of The Strokes among others. The band brought on top audio talent to help them like Mick Guzauski (worked with Celine Dion, MJ, Madonna and more big names). Originally, they only brought on Nile Rodgers to get something for Get Lucky, but they were so pleased with his sound that they hired him long term. As a result, his guitar can be heard throughout the album. Nile's parts were recorded in the same studio that had recorded Jimi Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland", the first album the robots listened to as friends when they were schoolmates. Much of the songs were produced at very famous music studios, which had something of a morale boost on the older musicians that were recruited to play.
The group even contacted NASA and was given access to their mission recording archives. The band searched them and Thomas insisted on something involving Gene Cernan (the last man to walk the moon as of this writing) and that led to sample you can hear in the introduction of Contact. Remarkably enough, Pharrell Williams came up with and sang out the lyrics of Get Lucky while he was drunk partying out one night with Daft Punk. There's a ton more to it all, like them extensively interviewing Giorgio Moroder, one of their musical inspirations so they could make a song around his life's story or how Touch is such a touching song partially because it was inspired by the singer's gratefulness for every sober day he'd had after quitting alcohol or even how they kept the album's contents a secret even from Columbia Records. They literally just shipped out one copy for mass production at a factory.
In a GQ interview before Random Access Memories was released, the reporter mentioned how in Daft Arts (Daft Punk's secret recording studio), there was a big poster on the wall. It was of Earth. That photograph was probably the famous Blue Marble image and more importantly I think it perfectly describes what I think Daft Punk were going for with RAM. Daft Punk were trying to make something out of this world. They wanted to transcend people's expectations of them, their own expectations of themselves and the stale EDM sound of the time. Having won Album of the Year, can really anyone say they failed?
So there you have it. Random Access Memories is more than just an album. It is a success story, a story of personal growth featuring two people you would never have expected to be underdogs otherwise. That's not even mentioning the people who had their careers revitalized by this album like Pharrell and Nile. The final product here is a testament to creativity and a beacon of hope for artists whose works they too may not believe in as they struggle to reach their creative destination.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk. I have a playlist of all my favorite songs that I'll eventually finish curating and when I'm done I'll be overjoyed if the algorithm decides that it's worthy.
@QuickM8tey
So, from what I've read about the monumental undertaking that was the production of this album, I can completely understand why Daft Punk never tried to tour it or follow up quickly on its success. The whole story of RAM's production is like something out of a dream or a legend.
From some interviews the two gave, I found out that when they were in the early stages of brainstorming Thomas and Guy-Man felt the odds were completely against them -- they did not know if they could make a good or great album. After all, they were roughly 20 years old as a band and few bands can put out something good, let alone something great by that time. So they had to come to terms with the possibility that nobody would like this album pretty early on while also finding a way to break the curse of making a bad album as an older band. This is what led them to experiment with their sound in RAM.
Eventually, the two settled on the idea of composing it entirely with live musicians to form something of an 'Ultimate Band', composed of anybody they could have possibly wanted. Daft Punk would go on to recruit Paul Williams, the composer and songwriter of their favorite movie, and the singer/songwriter of their favorite contemporary rock band: Julian Casablancas of The Strokes among others. The band brought on top audio talent to help them like Mick Guzauski (worked with Celine Dion, MJ, Madonna and more big names). Originally, they only brought on Nile Rodgers to get something for Get Lucky, but they were so pleased with his sound that they hired him long term. As a result, his guitar can be heard throughout the album. Nile's parts were recorded in the same studio that had recorded Jimi Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland", the first album the robots listened to as friends when they were schoolmates. Much of the songs were produced at very famous music studios, which had something of a morale boost on the older musicians that were recruited to play.
The group even contacted NASA and was given access to their mission recording archives. The band searched them and Thomas insisted on something involving Gene Cernan (the last man to walk the moon as of this writing) and that led to sample you can hear in the introduction of Contact. Remarkably enough, Pharrell Williams came up with and sang out the lyrics of Get Lucky while he was drunk partying out one night with Daft Punk. There's a ton more to it all, like them extensively interviewing Giorgio Moroder, one of their musical inspirations so they could make a song around his life's story or how Touch is such a touching song partially because it was inspired by the singer's gratefulness for every sober day he'd had after quitting alcohol or even how they kept the album's contents a secret even from Columbia Records. They literally just shipped out one copy for mass production at a factory.
In a GQ interview before Random Access Memories was released, the reporter mentioned how in Daft Arts (Daft Punk's secret recording studio), there was a big poster on the wall. It was of Earth. That photograph was probably the famous Blue Marble image and more importantly I think it perfectly describes what I think Daft Punk were going for with RAM. Daft Punk were trying to make something out of this world. They wanted to transcend people's expectations of them, their own expectations of themselves and the stale EDM sound of the time. Having won Album of the Year, can really anyone say they failed?
So there you have it. Random Access Memories is more than just an album. It is a success story, a story of personal growth featuring two people you would never have expected to be underdogs otherwise. That's not even mentioning the people who had their careers revitalized by this album like Pharrell and Nile. The final product here is a testament to creativity and a beacon of hope for artists whose works they too may not believe in as they struggle to reach their creative destination.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk. I have a playlist of all my favorite songs that I'll eventually finish curating and when I'm done I'll be overjoyed if the algorithm decides that it's worthy.
@rainbobow_8125
Wow.
Reading this and listening to the music in the same time made my cry (like the good one) and
music is the only thing that makes me feel like this
I never cried before
I'm 14 and Daft Punk is one of my favourite band
@titomunay
As a huge fan of this duo I am also pleased to know a bit more about them, so thank you for this TED talk. Please, give us the link of your playlist. Cheers!
@SSuki21
Thank you! I love this!
@titomunay
@@QuickM8tey thank you for making the playlist public. I saw you gave it a name. Did you have any experience related to the name of your playlist? If yes, and if you want, do you have an email or other way of taking a little bit about it?
@QuickM8tey
@@titomunay Just check the about page on my channel.
@MatthewJohnson-zx9zs
RIP Gene Cernan (the Apollo astronaut whose voice is sampled here) - he passed away today at age 82. Last man to walk on the Moon. (3 years ago I spelled his name wrong. Just realizing it now and making the correction.)
@Sleelan
Gene Cernan (probably a typo) was the last man to walk on the moon. Not the last man alive to have walked on the moon, but his feet left the lunar surface last, and we haven't been there since.
@logandarklighter
@@Sleelan I think ZeOverman is referring to the optimistic hope that we will return. Not in the historic sense.
@cristianclewis257
how poetic