"Satellite Of Love" Lyrics by Lou Reed
Satellite's gone up to the sky
Things like that drive me out of my mind
I watched it for a little while
I love to watch things on TV
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite's gone, way up to Mars
It's alright, it's alright
Soon it will be filled with parking cars
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
I watched it for a little while
It's alright
I like to watch things on TV
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
It's alright, satellite, satellite of love
I've been told, baby, that you've been bold, baby
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday
You've been bold, you've been bold
With Harry, Mark and John
Satellite's gone up to the sky
Things like that
Things like that drive me out of my mind
I watched it for a little while
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Monday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Friday
Satellite of love
Wednesday, Monday, Friday, Tuesday
Satellite of love
Monday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Friday
Satellite of love
Wednesday, Monday, Friday, Tuesday
Satellite of love
Monday, Friday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Satellite of love
Wednesday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday
Satellite of love
Tuesday
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love" is a multifaceted song that primarily deals with themes of jealousy, heartbreak, and longing. Released in 1972 on his critically acclaimed Transformer album, the song tells the story of a man watching a satellite launch on television, using the event as a metaphor for emotional distance and detachment. The satellite, orbiting far from Earth, symbolizes the man's emotional isolation from the person he loves. As he watches this event unfold, he reflects on his romantic partner’s infidelity, which becomes more evident as the song progresses. The lines "I've been told that you've been bold / With Harry, Mark, and John" reveal his suspicion and heartbreak over their involvement with other people, highlighting a sense of betrayal.
The juxtaposition of the satellite imagery with these personal emotions adds a sense of grandeur to the song. It gives the sense that while the man is dealing with personal turmoil, the world continues to turn, indifferent to his suffering. The "satellite of love" represents something unattainable or distant, much like the unfaithful lover in the song. Despite the melancholic undertones, the song’s arrangement is somewhat upbeat, and its lush production—helmed by David Bowie—adds to the contrast between the personal pain expressed in the lyrics and the soaring, almost dreamy instrumentation. This contrast gives the song a reflective and bittersweet quality, making it one of Reed's most enduring and complex tracks.