I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper
Encyclopedia
"I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper", sometimes cited as "(I Lost My Heart to A) Starship Trooper", is a 1978 single written by Jeff Calvert and Max West of Typically Tropical
and performed by Sarah Brightman
and Hot Gossip
. It is notable as the debut of the then teenage Brightman as a singer, and reached number six in the UK Singles Chart
.
The song is a lightweight space disco
track that cashed in on the media hype surrounding the original Star Wars
film: the lyrics include the lines "And evil Darth Vader
has been banished to Mars" and "Or are you like a droid, devoid of emotion". The song also samples music from Star Wars, Thus Spoke Zarathustra
(from 2001: A Space Odyssey
), and the "spaceship communication" melody from Close Encounters of the Third Kind
.
Many of the lyrics contain mild sexual innuendo; for example, "Take me, make me feel the force". Other television
and film
science fiction
references are "Flash Gordon
's left me, he's gone to the stars", "What my body needs is close encounter three
", and "Fighting for the Federation" and "Static on the comm - it's Starfleet Command
".
The song was performed on The Kenny Everett Video Show by its regular dance troupe Hot Gossip. Its lead, Sarah Brightman, was dressed in a silver catsuit and platform shoes.
Typically Tropical
Typically Tropical are a British band. They are best known for the song "Barbados".The band was actually a duo comprising Geraint Wyn Hughes and Jeffrey Calvert, who had met through Hughes' band, Quasar. They wrote and recorded songs at Morgan Studios, where Calvert worked with his father, when...
and performed by Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
and Hot Gossip
Hot Gossip
-Formation:Arlene Phillips came to London to learn and teach developing American Jazz dance routines. Employed as a dance teacher, she taught at locations including the Pineapple Dance Studios and the Italia Conti Stage School. In 1974, Phillips started forming the core of a troupe; Italia Conti...
. It is notable as the debut of the then teenage Brightman as a singer, and reached number six in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
The song is a lightweight space disco
Space disco
Space disco is a term used to describe the fusion of disco music with futuristic themes, sounds and visuals, which was popular in the late 1970s...
track that cashed in on the media hype surrounding the original Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
film: the lyrics include the lines "And evil Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
has been banished to Mars" and "Or are you like a droid, devoid of emotion". The song also samples music from Star Wars, Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Also sprach Zarathustra (Richard Strauss)
Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 is a tone poem by Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical treatise of the same name. The composer conducted its first performance on 27 November 1896 in Frankfurt...
(from 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
), and the "spaceship communication" melody from Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
.
Many of the lyrics contain mild sexual innuendo; for example, "Take me, make me feel the force". Other television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
references are "Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
's left me, he's gone to the stars", "What my body needs is close encounter three
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
", and "Fighting for the Federation" and "Static on the comm - it's Starfleet Command
Starfleet Command
Starfleet Command may refer to:*Starfleet Command, headquarters/command center of Starfleet in Star Trek.*Star Trek: Starfleet Command, a space battle simulation game set in the Star Trek universe....
".
The song was performed on The Kenny Everett Video Show by its regular dance troupe Hot Gossip. Its lead, Sarah Brightman, was dressed in a silver catsuit and platform shoes.