| "Reach for the Stars (Mars Edition)" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Promotional single by will.i.am | |
| from the album #willpower | |
| Released | August 28, 2012 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:21 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
|
"Reach for the Stars" [1] (and their instrumental-driven version subtitled "Mars Edition" and "NASA Edition" [2] [3]), is a song written, produced and recorded by American recording artist will.i.am in commemoration of the landing of the Curiosity rover on the planet Mars. First released on August 28, 2012 as a promotional single, the song also appears on the deluxe edition of his fourth studio album #willpower (2013). "Reach for the Stars (Mars Edition)" became the first song in history to be broadcast from another planet, completing a journey of more than 300 million miles between Mars and Earth. [4]
"Reach for the Stars" was written in February 2011, after NASA asked will.i.am to write and produce a song for the Curiosity rover's landing on Mars. The songwriter said that the experience with NASA administrator Charles Bolden discussing the possibility of broadcasting a song from Mars was "surreal", The song is part of NASA's educational outreach, with will.i.am stating that the song "aims to encourage youth to study science." Rather than produce a song via the computer, will.i.am said that he wanted to show "human collaboration", which featured a 40-piece orchestra. He added that "people in my field aren't supposed to try and execute something classical, or orchestral, so I wanted to break that stigma, [and have something] that would be timeless and translated in different cultures." [5] [6]
NASA confirmed during the Mars Science Laboratory launch tweet-up on November 24, 2011 that it partnered with will.i.am to deliver a song for Curiosity's landing. [7] After being uploaded to the rover, which landed near the equator of Mars, the song was broadcast live from the planet, completing a journey of more than 300 million miles (approximately 482 million kilometers). [8] It became the first song in history to be broadcast from another planet and the second song to be broadcast in space, after the Beatles' " Across the Universe" was beamed into space by NASA in 2008. [8]
- Digital download [9]
- "Reach for the Stars (Mars Edition)" – 4:21
- will.i.am – co-writer, producer, recording
- Jordan Miller – vocals
- Lil Jon – background vocals
- Dante Santiago – background vocals
- Dr. Luke – producer
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States [10] | August 28, 2012 | Digital download | will.i.am Music, Interscope Records |
| United Kingdom [11] | September 5, 2012 | Polydor Records |
- ^ Reach For the Stars by will.i.am, retrieved 2019-11-30
- ^ Reach for the Stars (Mars Edition) - Single by will.i.am, retrieved 2019-11-30
- ^ will.i.am - Reach For The Stars (Mars Edition) - Listen on Deezer, retrieved 2019-12-29
- ^ Karimi, Faith (August 29, 2012). "Will.i.am premieres song -- from Mars". CNN. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ^ "Will.i.am track played on Mars using speakers from the Curiosity rover". news.com.au. News Corp Australia. August 29, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
- ^ "Students 'Reach for the Stars' with will.i.am". www.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-29.
- ^ "#NASATweetup: Rock Star Will 1x Partners with NASA, Has a S.Y.S.T.E.M. to Make Science and Technology Cool". Solo Travel Girl. 27 November 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Will.i.am & Mars: 'Reach For The Stars' Beamed From Curiosity Rover". The Huffington Post. August 29, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
- ^ "Reach for the Stars (Mars Edition) – Single by will.i.am". iTunes Store (US). Apple. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
- ^ "Reach For The Stars (Mars Edition)". Amazon.com (US). Retrieved January 25, 2014.
- ^ "Reach For The Stars (Mars Edition)". Amazon.com (UK). Retrieved January 25, 2014.