1001 Songs Challenge #498: Another Girl, Another Planet (1978)

On 11 February 2019 I set myself the challenge of reading 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery (ed.) and following the book’s advice to the letter. I’ve previously read 1001 Films… and started 1001 Albums… but felt 1001 Songs… would be a sensible place to start for what I have in mind here.

My challenge is to read about one song per day and listen to it (YouTube and Spotify, I need you tonight!) before sharing my own thoughts. Some songs I will love, others I’ll hate, and I’m sure there will be those that leave me perplexed but listen to them I shall.

I’ll also try, and most likely fail, to pinpoint the best song from the 1001 on offer but I’m nothing if not foolhardy. Instead of one song, I’m predicting I’ll have about 100 favourites by the end and may have to resort to a Top 10 so far to maintain any semblance of sanity.

So long as I post every day (including Christmas) then this challenge should come to an end on Wednesday 8 November 2021. Staying with the Barney Stinson theme I am hoping that the whole experience will prove to be… legendary!

 

The Only Ones – Another Girl, Another Planet (1978)

We’re staying in the UK, dear reader, and remaining in London today as well so no travelling in our itinerary, a chance to relax in the hotel and take in the city scenes. Formed in 1976 The Only Ones emerged in the punk scene and sought the same success as their contemporaries but it never seemed to work out for them. When we join the group in 1978 it is with the release of their most well-known track – Another Girl, Another Planet. 

In Another Girl, Another Planet the narrator is professing his love for a girl and it sounds like these feelings may transcend the laws of physics. This doesn’t sound like the healthiest of relationships though, there is a sense of friction in there, but this person also makes him feel like he is in a different world and on “another planet” as the title suggests. The title of “another girl, another planet” suggests that the narrator has a desire to be on the move though, shifting from one doomed relationship to the next, like the rolling stone that gathers no moss. 

Another Girl, Another Planet has a catchy opening and soon progresses into an absorbing rock song. Upon release it failed to hit the UK Top 40 and the band would disband by 1982. However, the group reformed in 2007 after renewed interest in this song following its use in a Vodafone advert. The group were able to tour for the next decade and do pretty well for themselves though this song still remains a hit that got away.

 

Favourite songs so far:

The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964)

Simon & Garfunkel – The Sounds of Silence (1965)

The Doors – The End (1967)

The Beatles – A Day in the Life (1967)

Rod Stewart – Maggie May (1971)

Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (1975)

Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way (1977)

Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Queen – Don’t Stop Me Now (1978)

The Police – Roxanne (1978)