The second number one of 1996, and one of the year’s most interesting hits, is yet another Levi’s assisted chart-topper.
Spaceman, by Babylon Zoo (their 1st and only #1)
5 weeks, from 21st January – 24th February 1996
I had no idea before starting this blog the extent of the jeans brand’s grip on the British charts. I make this, I think, the seventh Levi’s-assisted #1 in under ten years, but I admit I’ve lost count. (If we treated Levi’s as an act in themselves, they’d be up there with the Stones and ABBA in the overall list.) And almost all of them have been good #1s – re-released oldies from the Clash and the Steve Miller Band, as well as quirky, newer hits from Stiltskin and Shaggy. And let’s remember that, kicking off this whole era of Levi’s domination, they helped ‘Stand By Me’ to a belated but very deserving number one position
‘Spaceman’ is not at that level, but it is a remarkable chart-topper. People harshly suggested that it made #1 solely because the advert featured just the opening fifteen seconds, which make the song sound like a high-speed techno number. Space man, I always wanted you to go, Into space, Man… trills a high-pitched alien vocal, as we prepare our glowsticks.
Except, most of the song is a much heavier, rockier beast. It lurches from Britpop verses to industrial grunge in the chorus, before ending on a trip-hop, dance beat once again. It’s ear-catching, attention grabbing… And I’m going to stick my neck out and say it’s good. Lyrically it also treads novel ground. The singer, to summarise, is sick of life on earth. The sickening taste, Homophobic jokes, Images of fascist votes, Beam me up because I can’t breathe… are not your average #1 single’s lyrics. I can’t get off the carousel, I can’t get off this world…
Of course, that bit didn’t feature in the commercial. But it’s unfair to suggest that people were duped into buying this record. And the fact that it remained on top for five weeks, with plenty of airplay one presumes, clearly shows the song’s popularity. It became the fastest-selling debut single ever, going on to sell well over a million copies. It may be OTT and hyperactive, lurching from one sound to another, but I like its gothic silliness. There’s also a case for it being the first glam rock number one in quite a few years…
It was also my 10th birthday number one, so I feel a personal connection to it too. Babylon Zoo were a band from Wolverhampton, who had never charted before ‘Spaceman’ went, well, intergalactic. They’re cast as one-hit wonders, even though two further songs from their debut went Top 40. They struggled to sell albums, though, and suffered some terrible reviews for their live shows. They disbanded in 1999.
The UK Number Ones Blog 
This song sounds like a summation of 90s British popular music lol. It’s cool. I like it. It’s a little trippy, a little weird, a little rockin’. Never heard it before.
Good way to sum it up. It was HUGE, everywhere for a few months, but is a bit unfairly forgotten these days
It has a nasty sound…that I liked… it’s just not up my alley…but much better than the previous song. I do like this more than many of the nubmer 1s…at least it has some noise to it.
I remember the NME and Melody Maker slating this, constantly going on about the ‘rave/dance music fans duped by the advert ‘ story, but if that was the case it would have likely dropped from number one after a week and out of the charts very quickly. I wasn’t keen on it at the time, but hearing it again now it definitely has something, and it’s quirky. A bit miffed it kept the Bluetones off the top though, not on a par with Pulp and R&J but I did love Slight Return. I’ve done some research and this is the 7th Levi number one, with one more to go, fronted by a puppet
Yeah I’m not buying that either… The advert surely helped, but it went on to become the fastest selling debut ever.
Stand By Me, The Joker, Should I Stay or Should I Go, Inside, Boombastic, Spaceman… I get six… what am I missing?
I just found out recently that Flat Eric was for Levis. Must have passed me by at the time…
I had the Hollies down but looking it up in more detail now that was for Millar Light beer. So seven altogether when Flat Eric comes along, not a bad tally for an advertising campaign
I was going to include the Bluebells, but that was for Volkswagen, and then there was also the Hollies for Budweiser. It was certainly a decade or so where TV ads made their impact.
I rushed out to buy it along with hordes of people – but it really WAS the intro and outro that was the main appeal. The rest of the record was treading water as filler. It sounded good for a while (a bit grungey), then it got a bit dull with repeat listens. A dance remix would have made far more sense and it’s not something I ever choose to listen to these days…
I loved this at the time and still think it holds up. It’s remarkably advanced for a number 1 single in 1996 to contain a line about the sickening taste of homophobic jokes.
Yes that line stood out. Though I had no idea those were the lyrics until I looked them up, so I wonder how many people realised at the time