Space Dementia (song)

Muse song
Name	Space Dementia
Album/single	Origin of Symmetry (3), » Hullabaloo (18), Hullabaloo DVD (11)
Length	6:20, 6:03 (unmastered)
Alternative titles	-
First live performance	12th April 2001 (full) 24th June 2006 (outro for Knights of Cydonia)
Latest live performance	17th August 2008
Recorded	Real World Studio Wiltshire, 2001
Writer/composer	Matthew Bellamy
Producer	John Leckie

<flashmp3>http://www.musewiki.org/images/SpaceDementia.mp3%7Crightbg=0xDDEEFF%7Cleftbg=0xDDEEFF%7Cbg=0xFFFFFF</flashmp3>

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Information

Matt recording for Space Dementia

Space dementia is the term NASA uses to describe the hypothetical mental condition a few astronauts experience when they're in space. This can be contributed towards feelings of insignificance, insecurity lack of social contact and the astronauts awareness of total isolation from the human race. The song starts with a piano introduction (Rachmaninov inspired) and heads into a heavy verse, with hammering piano and guitar, the chorus is introduced by a looping synth keyboard, followed by a delicate vocal show, before hammering piano introduces the next verse. However, the chorus vocal line (from "... and tear us apart", until the end of the chorus) and chords are an exact reduction of part of Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto 1st Movement at about 1:30. The song is finished with an elaborate extended chorus, then a heavy codus, incorporating huge amounts of phase effects, piano and distorted bass and contains sound of Matt's fly being zipped and unzipped.

H8

A comment from Matt detailed the meaning of 'H8' in a 2003 interview: "Using a microcomputer (Hitachi H8 / 3048F) which can be built into the industrial machines, you can learn and understand the inputs /outputs of the microcomputer as a basis of robot control and conduct the experiments by C-language for steppingmotor control, servomotor control (PWM control) and serial communication. H8 model, a 16-bit microcomputer consists of 32-bit registers, has a flash ROM of 128KB, a RAM of 4KB (SRAM) with external extension of 128KB and 78 I/O terminals with the built-in A/D and D/Aconverters. H8 is a microcomputer usually built into a TV, VTR, mobile-phone and car navigator. Since it has ample I/O terminals, H8 microcomputer is also used as a brain of a small robot."

Live

From on Southside Festival on June the 24th 2006, a guitar adaption of the Space Dementia ending has been used as an outro for Knights of Cydonia. The playing of this outro was ceased between sometime in late October 2006 and Nottingham 17th November 2006. However, the song made a return to the live setlist at Monterrey Arena 16th July 2008, and was last played at Weston Park 17th August 2008.

Trivia

The band were having trouble finding the right sound for the outro of this song but found it when they recorded Matt zipping his trousers up. Listen carefully to the outro and you can hear several zip noises. The song was used in a Dior commercial as can be seen here

When Muse first demoed the song for John Leckie, the piano was so overpowered by the bass and drums Leckie had to put his head in the piano whilst Matt played

A mistake in the printing of the lyrics for Space Dementia printed in Origin of Symmetry's sleeve - "H8" is mistakenly written as "Height".

Lyrics

Mmmmm
H8 is the one for me
It gives me all I need
And helps me coexist
With the chill

You make me sick
Because I adore you so
I love all the dirty tricks
And twisted games you play
On me

Space dementia in your eyes and 
Peace will arise
And tear us apart
And make us meaningless again

Mmmm, yeah
You'll make us wanna die
I'd cut your name in my heart
We'll destroy this world for you
I know you want me to
Feel your pain

Space dementia in your eyes and 
Venus will arise
And tear us apart
And make us meaningless again

Ooooh ...

References

Back to Origin of Symmetry