SPACE SHUTTLE MUSIC - Solar System Exploration - Nasa

STS-26 September 29-October 3, 1988
9/30/88 Robin Williams opened with “Gooooooood Morning Discovery!!!” in “Good Morning
Vietnam” style. The original recording produced by Houston area DJ from KKBQ, Mike
Cahill, also included original lyrics recorded to the theme music of the TV show “Green
Acres”. Robin Williams was approached by Cahill about doing the tape. NASA knew nothing
of the tape until it was offered as a gift by Cahill.
Mike Cahill, writer, producer for KKBQ Radio, Houston
and a part-time on-call tour guide at JSC, said he had listened
to some wake-up calls a year and a half ago and some of them
were, "You know, kind of awful. So what I did was thought gee it
would be nice to write, produce and custom design songs for the
astronauts. I picked three tunes that were pretty catchy, that
were very short and upbeat. Green Acres was the first one. I
thought gosh that would be the last thing they'll expect to hear.”
Pat Mattingly, who works in Mission Control, found out Cahill was
doing them and said they were looking for new stuff. She gave a
tape to CAPCOM Kathy Sullivan.
Mike wrote the lyrics in early 1987. Threw in Discovery because
knew it would be next Orbiter to fly. He collaborated with Mark
Richardson, the leader of a band named "Eclipse." Mike and Mark
worked on putting the music together. Richardson played keyboard,
guitars, drum machine. Mike called on Patrick Brennan who used to
be with now-defunct group "Popkorn" that played in clubs around
Clear Lake to do the vocals. Mike and Mark helped out on the
chorus for Green Acres.
Green Acres was Mike's favorite. "It was as dopey and stupid and
corny as I had hoped it would be." He said he wanted to show that
NASA people have a sense of humor.
"It's the closest I'll ever get to going to space."
From JSC Query Book
10/1/88 Parody of Beach Boys “I Get Around” with lyrics “We orbit ‘round” was provided by radio
disc jockey Mike Cahill.
10/2/88 Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, CA)“Fight Song”, sung to tune of “Mickey Mouse Club”
by eight HMC students with intro by Robin Williams. Harvey Mudd is the alma mater of
mission specialist Pinky Nelson. He commented afterwards: “There isn’t a dry eye in the
house.”
10/3/88 “Fun, Fun, Fun...” Beach Boys parody with original lyrics.
STS-27 December 2-6, 1988
12/3/88 Army “Fight Song” and Navy “Fight Song” because “Hoot” Gibson and Bill
Shepherd were Navy grads and Mike Mullane graduated from West Point.
12/4/88 Theme from TV show “Rawhide” with satirical lyrics based on an inside
joke between the Atlantis crew and CAPCOM members of the astronaut
class of 1984.
12/5/88 Using “Star Wars” theme music as background, Darth Vader’s voice awoke
the crew with a message followed by satirical lyrics sung to The Beatles
tune, “Do You Want to Know a Secret?” The recording was produced by
Houston radio station KKBQ’s Mike Cahill, Pat Brennan, and Mark
Richardson.
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