Girl From Mars
Encyclopedia
"Girl from Mars" is a single by Northern Ireland
band Ash
, the second to be released from the album 1977. It was released on 31 July 1995 on CD, a 7" vinyl, and as a cassette. "Girl from Mars" was Ash's first Top 40 single, reaching number 11 on the UK Singles Chart
, and the first single to bring the band to mainstream prominence.
The song was written by Tim Wheeler
when he was sixteen, and was played by the band on their first Top of the Pops
appearance two weeks after their A-level exams.
The song is also found on the greatest hits collection "Intergalactic Sonic 7″s", the soundtrack to the television program Gilmore Girls
"Our Little Corner of the World", and live versions can be found on their "Live at the Wireless
" album, "Tokyo Blitz" DVD and "Numbskull" EP.
The track has been used by NASA
as the hold music on their telephone lines.
Two different videos exists for the single. The first, the UK promo video, was directed by Peter Christopherson
and is described by the band as a "cross between 'Give It Away' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
and the 'Natrel Plus' TV ad". The band (especially drummer Rick McMurray) hated the video so much that when the time came to release the song in America, they re-filmed it. Directed by Jesse Peretz
(who also directed Foo Fighters
's "Big Me
" video), the video sees Ash playing the song as part of an art exhibition, and mesmerizing a small girl watching the band.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
band Ash
Ash (band)
Ash are an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The band has sold 8 million albums worldwide.-Band beginning, Trailer and 1977 :...
, the second to be released from the album 1977. It was released on 31 July 1995 on CD, a 7" vinyl, and as a cassette. "Girl from Mars" was Ash's first Top 40 single, reaching number 11 on 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 ...
, and the first single to bring the band to mainstream prominence.
The song was written by Tim Wheeler
Tim Wheeler
Tim Wheeler is the Northern Irish guitarist, songwriter and vocalist for the rock band, Ash. He formed the band with Mark Hamilton and they were originally called Vietnam. Wheeler can be seen playing a Korina Gibson Flying V in almost all of Ash's music videos...
when he was sixteen, and was played by the band on their first Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
appearance two weeks after their A-level exams.
The song is also found on the greatest hits collection "Intergalactic Sonic 7″s", the soundtrack to the television program Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
"Our Little Corner of the World", and live versions can be found on their "Live at the Wireless
Live at the Wireless (Ash album)
Live at the Wireless was a limited edition, live album by Ash, released in 1997. It was recorded live at the Triple J Studios in Australia during the group's 1996 Australian tour and printed on the band's own Deathstar label....
" album, "Tokyo Blitz" DVD and "Numbskull" EP.
The track has been used by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
as the hold music on their telephone lines.
Two different videos exists for the single. The first, the UK promo video, was directed by Peter Christopherson
Peter Christopherson
Peter Martin Christopherson, a.k.a. Sleazy was a musician, video director and designer, and former member of the influential British design agency Hipgnosis....
and is described by the band as a "cross between 'Give It Away' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
and the 'Natrel Plus' TV ad". The band (especially drummer Rick McMurray) hated the video so much that when the time came to release the song in America, they re-filmed it. Directed by Jesse Peretz
Jesse Peretz
Jesse Peretz is an American bass guitar player, feature film director, and Grammy-Award winning music video director.-Life and career:...
(who also directed Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
's "Big Me
Big Me
"Big Me" is the fourth major single, released in 1996, by the Foo Fighters from their self-titled debut album Foo Fighters. Although it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100, the song became a crossover hit for the band on pop radio during the spring of 1996, when it reached #13 on the Billboard...
" video), the video sees Ash playing the song as part of an art exhibition, and mesmerizing a small girl watching the band.
Track listing
- "Girl From Mars" (Wheeler)
- "Astral Conversations with Toulouse Lautrec" (Ash)
- "Cantina Band" (John WilliamsJohn WilliamsJohn Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
)