Born in Buffalo, Cowley moved to San Francisco in 1971, beginning an intensive study of the synthesizer. Working at the City Disco, as a light technician, he met Sylvester (originally of the Cockettes gay Theatre group) who was there performing. They began to collaborate, and Cowley's aggressive synthesizer style became associated with Sylvester. Their club-dancing fan base responded enthusiastically to hits like "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)", "Dance (Disco Heat)", and their most successful single, "Do You Wanna Funk".
Cowley's own hits included "Menergy" in 1981, a frank celebration of the gay club sex scene, and "Megatron Man". In 1982, Patrick Cowley became the DJ at the "Menergy" parties at The EndUp in San Francisco. He also wrote and produced the dance single "Right on Target" for San Francisco artist Paul Parker, which reached #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. Cowley also did a 15+ minute long remix of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love", which is now a collector's item. His final album, Mind Warp, was composed as he felt the increasing effects of HIV infection, and its songs reflect his increasing detachment from conventional reality as the disease progressed. Cowley's released work to-date includes six LP full length albums (ranging from Hi-NRG to trance inducing long-form ambient/krautrock synth exploration pieces) and a dozen singles and EPs. Groups including the Pet Shop Boys and New Order cite Cowley's style as a major influence.
Patrick died from complications of AIDS on November 12, 1982, an early victim of the disease.
Teen Planet
Patrick Cowley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Teen planet, teen planet
They came to replenish their population
Teen planet, teen planet
They're checking out all you boys and girls
Teen planet, teen planet
So you better get ready for a vacation
Teen planet, teen planet
They make you wear plastic clothes
They make you breath stuffy air
They make you eat greasy food
They do not practice self control
The space ship landed in Minnesota
Teen planet, teen planet
They came to do their grocery shopping
Teen planet, teen planet
They're sucking up lots of rum and cola
Teen planet, teen planet
They're getting all the dip and potato chips
Teen planet, teen planet
They make you buy 45's
They make you wear Clearasil
They make you learn the latest dance
They will not practice self control
Don't waste your time trying to run away
Teen planet, teen planet
You're stuck on teen planet and you're gonna stay
Teen planet, teen planet
So pack your things 'cause it's time to go
Teen planet, teen planet
We're gonna shuffle off, shuffle off to Buffalo
They make you wear plastic shoes
They make you buy 45's
They make you eat greasy food
They don't wanna practice self control
The song Teen Planet by Patrick Cowley is an upbeat sci-fi pop song about a group of aliens who visit earth to replenish their population. The aliens are depicted as being interested in only teenage boys and girls, hence the name Teen Planet. The lyrics describe their arrival, shopping for groceries and partying, and how they make the humans on earth wear specific clothing and eat greasy fast food. There is a strong element of control and manipulation, with lines such as "They make you wear plastic clothes" and "They make you eat greasy food."
The chorus of the song repeats "Teen planet, teen planet" which can be interpreted both as a reference to the aliens' interest in teenagers, and as a reminder to the listener that they are stuck on the planet against their will. The song ends with the suggestion that it is time to leave, with the repeated line "We're gonna shuffle off, shuffle off to Buffalo." Overall, the song can be seen as a commentary on the mass consumer culture of the 1980s and the desire for control and conformity.
Line by Line Meaning
The space ship came from another world
An extraterrestrial spaceship came to Earth
They came to replenish their population
The aliens came to find new members for their society
They're checking out all you boys and girls
The visitors are observing everyone, not just adults
So you better get ready for a vacation
Prepare for an adventure
They make you wear plastic clothes
The visitors have imposed wearing certain types of clothing
They make you breath stuffy air
They use a different type of air that feels uncomfortable for humans
They make you eat greasy food
The aliens serve food that is oily and dirty
They do not practice self control
The other beings don't have any discipline of their actions and thoughts
The space ship landed in Minnesota
The UFO landed on the ground in Minnesota
They came to do their grocery shopping
The aliens are filling their baskets with food
They're sucking up lots of rum and cola
The visitors also want to drink lots of soda
They're getting all the dip and potato chips
The beings want to try all the snack foods
They make you buy 45's
The guests enforce people to buy certain types of music
They make you wear Clearasil
The extraterrestrials make people use a certain type of skin care product
They make you learn the latest dance
The beings are forcing humans to learn current dances
They will not practice self control
The aliens show a lack of control and discipline
Don't waste your time trying to run away
Trying to escape is pointless
You're stuck on teen planet and you're gonna stay
You have no choice but to remain on the alien planet
So pack your things 'cause it's time to go
It's time to leave
We're gonna shuffle off, shuffle off to Buffalo
They are departing on a journey
They make you wear plastic shoes
The aliens have made wearing certain types of shoes mandatory
Contributed by Alex Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.