Intergalactic Dating Service
Would you sign up for an intergalactic dating service? You think I’m kidding… but really, hypothetically speaking, would you?
Yes, this is a fictional song about an eHarmony-like dating service where you can meet single extraterrestrials! But under the surface, it does have some deep real-world parallels. For instance… have you ever dated someone who seemed to be from a completely different world than you? Have you ever sat in uncomfortable silence with someone you love, desperately wondering how to break through the communication barriers and connect? Or have you loved someone that you knew you couldn’t really be with? Like… I dunno, maybe Sandra Bullock? All jokes aside, there’s both a funny and serious side to this song. Take a listen or download it below!
DOWNLOAD THE SONG: Intergalactic-Dating-Service.mp3
Stream on Spotify:
Behind The Song:
Before we dive into what inspired this song, I would like to pay tribute to all of the aliens that I would like to meet in the future when intergalactic dating becomes reality. When I was 10, Princess Leiah from Star Wars topped the list. Nowadays I would have to say my intergalactic crush is Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy. Wait, you’re telling me they’re not REAL? Dang it…
I sat down to write this song on my 21st birthday in my rundown college house at Purdue University. The floor of the house was actually tilted at an angle. I set a glass of blackberry wine on the tilted floor and hoped it wouldn’t tip over. Sitting on an old futon in front of a stack of old Super Nintendo games, I scrawled out the lyrics in a notebook. Maybe I’d been playing too many video games instead of going to class. Whatever the inspiration, out came this crazy song.
What flowed out of my subconscious that night was an analogy of the emotional and physical distance we often experience in relationships. I’m sure you’ve experienced this yourself at some point. You go out on a date and neither of you can think of what to say. It feels like every sentence is forced… like you’re fishing for some kind of meaningful response. Maybe this is the norm in your relationship. It was my dating reality during my college years. Sometimes it felt like I was dating someone from an alien planet. You silently hope you’ll grow closer over time but the lack of meaningful connection remains. This was my reality when I wrote Intergalactic Dating Service.
The fictional couple in this song is separated by more than a simple communication problem however. Neither person can survive on the other person’s planet; they literally can’t breathe the air. The story represents loving someone you can’t ultimately be with. The process of letting them go can be very difficult as represented during the bridge of this song. Sometimes we experience stages of denial before we find peace and acceptance. Maybe it’d be easier to let go if we imagined them with a third eye. Or tentacles! That’d ruin a date real fast…
Me, though? I didn’t realize it until later, but I was subconsciously writing about my own relationship problems. At the time of writing this song, I had just gotten engaged to a girl who I really didn’t have much in common with. I wanted to become a career musician, while she was absolutely terrified of what marrying a musician might mean for her future. She wanted a normal traditional family. I wanted to live on the road touring in a rock band. I hoped I could somehow find a way to merge our two worlds. One year later though, she floated away to another planet. It’s funny looking back; when I first wrote this song, I didn’t realize I was currently living it. Obvious as it was, I thought the song I was writing was purely fun science-fiction. Later though, I realized I’d been experiencing denial. It’s funny how the mind works. Songwriting has a way of capturing the subconscious thoughts that we don’t even know are there. The real question though is this; which one of us was the alien??
On the bright side, the experience gave me a song that is both humorous and deep. I also learned some important lessons about what makes a successful relationship. Besides… whenever SpaceX finally makes contact with aliens, maybe I can finally sign up for an intergalactic dating service and meet Gamora! Again you say she’s not real? I say prove it!
I hope you enjoy the song and have a couple laughs. This song was released on my 2020 album Space Coffin and as a single on Spotify and other streaming services.
Click to preview the new album Space Coffin!
