International   

Beatles to beam across the universe

— Photo: AP

The Beatles seen on an album cover in 1965.

Miami: The songs of the Beatles have always enjoyed a global appeal. Now one of their best-loved recordings is to be beamed into the galaxy in an attempt to introduce the Fab Four’s music to alien ears.

NASA will broadcast the song, Across the Universe, through the transmitters of its deep space communications network on Monday — the 40th anniversary of its recording at London’s Abbey Road studios. The music will be converted into digital data and sent on a 431 light year-journey towards Polaris, the North Star, in a stunt that also commemorates the space agency’s 50th anniversary.

The former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, who co-wrote the song with John Lennon and played an extraterrestrial concert from Earth to the crew of the international space station in 2005, said he was excited by the project. “Well done NASA,” he said. “Send my love to the aliens.”

Whether there is anything out there to hear the broadcast is another matter. But according to Briton Martin Lewis, a Los Angeles-based former producer of Beatles DVDs who came up with the idea, it would be fun trying to collect the royalties.

“We don’t know if there’s life out there, but I’d like to think the U.S. government wouldn’t be spending taxpayers’ money on this if there was no hope,” he said.

Mr. Lewis said he chose the 1968 song, which the group never released as a single, because its title and lyrics represent a spirit of friendship and harmony.

“It never had the highest profile and is a bit of a forgotten classic,” he said. “But it has universal appeal. It transcends ages, borders, language and other barriers.”

Other Beatles favourites, such as Here Comes the Sun, Ticket to Ride and A Hard Day’s Night, have been played in space as wake-up music to astronauts aboard the space station and on shuttle missions. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Beatles to beam across the universe
Medvedev seeks to consolidate position
U.K. team to discuss immigration with India
Port work will continue: Pakistan
LTTE to blame: Rajapaksa
Anti-war group supports Obama
Cocaine haul
La Nina to blame, says China
The cup that runneth over
Missing Indian woman died at WTC: court
India, U.S. to cooperate in space exploration

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu