Klaatu was a Canadian progressive rock band formed in 1973 and disbanded in… Read Full Bio ↴Klaatu was a Canadian progressive rock band formed in 1973 and disbanded in 1982. Members John Woloschuk, Dee Long and Terry Draper lived in Toronto. They released five studio albums, the most famous of which is the 1976 debut 3:47 EST (AKA Klaatu), which, due to a rumor started by a DJ, was believed by some to be a front for new work by the Beatles. The album's artwork contained no credits for the performers, and there were at times vocal similarities with Lennon and McCartney. That album's song "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" became a hit when covered by carpenters. As the Beatle rumors subsided, subsequent albums garnered diminishing sales, and the fourth album, Endangered Species (1980), was produced by LA studio musicians with very little input from the band. Their last album, Magentalane (1981), was a return to the band's form (though on a smaller scale, without the elaborate orchestrations which characterized their first albums), but was never released in the US.

Klaatu was named after Michael Rennie's character in the classic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). The band has reunited a number of times since their breakup for small-scale live performances.

Calling Occupants
Klaatu Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In your mind you have capacities you know
To telepath messages through the vast unknown
Please close your eyes and concentrate
With every thought you think
Upon the recitation we're about to sing

Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft

Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft

You've been observing our earth
And we'd like to make a contact with you

We are your friends

Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants and interplanetary ultra-emissaries

We've been observing your earth
And one night we'll make a contact with you

We are your friends

Calling occupants of interplanetary, quite extraordinary craft
And, Please come in peace we beseech you

Only a landing will teach them
Our earth may never survive
So do come we beg you
Please interstellar policemen
Won't you give us a sign
Give us a sign that we've reached you
With your mind you have ability to form

And transmit thought energy far beyond the norm
You close your eyes
You concentrate
Together that's the way
To send the message
We declare World Contact Day
Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft
Ahhh
Calling occupants
Calling occupants
Calling occupants

Calling occupants
Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft

Overall Meaning

The song "Calling Occupants" by Klaatu is a message sent out to interplanetary beings from Earth. The lyrics suggest that humanity has been observed and now seeks communication with the unknown. The opening lines acknowledge the human capability for telepathy and the vastness of the universe. The call to action is for listeners to concentrate and join in the recitation that follows, which is the message to the interplanetary occupants. The repetition of the phrase "calling occupants of interplanetary craft" emphasizes the desire to make contact.

The lyrics then state that the occupants have been observing Earth and that humanity desires communication with them. The song suggests a friendly approach and that the occupants are considered to be friends. The lines "Please come in peace we beseech you" and "Only a landing will teach them" indicate a cautious willingness to learn from the occupants. The song ends with a call to action for listeners to use their minds to send the message and declare "World Contact Day."

The song was originally written and recorded by the Canadian band Klaatu in 1976. The lyrics were inspired by the World Contact Day holiday that was established in the 1950s by a group of UFO enthusiasts. The song gained popularity in the United States after being covered by the Carpenters in 1977.

Line by Line Meaning

In your mind you have capacities you know
You have the ability to use telepathy and communicate your thoughts through the vast unknown.

To telepath messages through the vast unknown
You can communicate messages without speaking, using only your mind.

Please close your eyes and concentrate
If you focus your thoughts, you can send a message to interplanetary beings.

With every thought you think
Every thought you have has the potential to be transmitted through telepathy.

Upon the recitation we're about to sing
As you listen to our message, concentrate and use your telepathic abilities to communicate back.

Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
We are attempting to contact extraterrestrial beings.

Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft
We are calling out to the most unique and advanced spacecraft in the galaxy.

You've been observing our earth
We know that you have been monitoring our planet.

And we'd like to make a contact with you
We want to establish communication with you.

We are your friends
We come in peace and wish to establish friendly relations with you.

Calling occupants and interplanetary ultra-emissaries
We are calling out to any extraterrestrial beings who are ambassadors or emissaries.

And one night we'll make a contact with you
We hope to make contact with you very soon.

Calling occupants of interplanetary, quite extraordinary craft
We are calling to spacecraft that are particularly unique and remarkable.

And, Please come in peace we beseech you
We ask that you come to us in a peaceful manner.

Only a landing will teach them
The only way to truly communicate with extraterrestrial beings is for them to make contact with us on our planet.

Our earth may never survive
The state of our planet is precarious, and we may not survive much longer without outside help.

So do come we beg you
Please come to us and help us.

Please interstellar policemen
We are asking for those who can enforce laws across the galaxy to help us in our time of need.

Won't you give us a sign
We are asking for some indication that our message has been received and understood.

Give us a sign that we've reached you
We want to know that our message has been received and that you understand our intentions.

With your mind you have ability to form
You have the power to create and transmit thoughts using only your mind.

And transmit thought energy far beyond the norm
Your telepathic abilities allow you to send messages that go beyond traditional means of communication.

Together that's the way
Only by working together can we bridge the gap between our planets.

To send the message
We must use all of our resources to craft and send our message.

We declare World Contact Day
We have designated a day for contacting extraterrestrial beings and hope that they will choose to join us on this day.

Ahhh
An exclamation of awe and wonder at the potential of contact with extraterrestrial beings.

Calling occupants
Continuation of the call to possible extraterrestrial beings.

Calling occupants of interplanetary, most extraordinary craft
Final call to the most advanced and fascinating extraterrestrial spacecraft out there.

Contributed by Gianna D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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