"Mr. Spaceman" is a song by the American rockbandthe Byrds and was the third track on their 1966 album, Fifth Dimension.[1] It was released as the third single from the album in September 1966,[2] reaching number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, but failing to chart in the United Kingdom.[3][4] Upon its release as a single, the music press coined the term "space-rock" to describe it, although since then, this term has come to refer to a genre of rock music originating from 1970s progressive and psychedelic music.[5][6]
Musically, "Mr. Spaceman" has a country-style backing, albeit with touches of psychedelia, and can clearly be seen as a precursor to the band's later exploration of country music on Sweetheart of the Rodeo.[8][1][9] As such, the song has been cited by critics as one of the earliest examples of country rock.[10] The title also recalled that of the Byrds' earlier worldwide smash hit and debut single, "Mr. Tambourine Man".
The single release of the song was accompanied by a spoof press announcement from the Byrds' co-manager, Eddie Tickner, stating that he had taken out a $1,000,000 insurance policy with Lloyd's of London against his clients being kidnapped by extraterrestrial visitors.[11] Despite Tickner's statement being an obvious publicity stunt and the deliberately tongue-in-cheek nature of the song's lyrics, both McGuinn and fellow band member David Crosby felt hopeful about communicating with alien life forms through the medium of AM radio broadcast.[7] In a later interview with Pete Frame for ZigZag magazine, McGuinn explained how he believed that this would have been possible: "I was interested in astronomy and the possibility of connecting with extraterrestrial life and I thought that it might work the other way round, if we tried to contact them. I thought that the song being played on the air might be a way of getting through to them. But even if there had been anybody up there listening, they wouldn't have heard because I found out later that AM airwaves diffuse in space too rapidly."[5]
Billboard magazine described the song as "off-beat rhythm material with clever lyrics".[12]Cash Box said that it is "a quick moving, infectious, happy-go-lucky ditty with the UFO scene as its theme," and which it expected would be a hit.[13]Record World said it is "cute and singalongable" with a "bouncy, jaunty melody."[14]
The song "Mr. Spaceman" written by Jim McGuinn (a.k.a. Roger McGuinn) should not be confused with the Steve Weber song "Mister Spaceman", found on the Holy Modal Rounders' self-titled debut album.[19]