The song that NASA used to wake up astronauts and became a space nightmare

On the morning of September 15, 1973, Mission Control transmitted to the Skylab station a song that begins with a scream. It was “Paralyzed”, by the Texan Legendary Stardust Cowboy, chosen to get the crew of Skylab 3 out of bed. The effect was so immediate that the scare was not restricted to orbit: it also woke people up on the ground, in their own ground control.

The track is a rare case of a space alarm clock that worked against its own goal. After the initial scream, the singer splices something that is barely recognized as lyrics, over a disconnected accompaniment. Astronaut Owen Garriott would have compared the result to the sound of the united order of the American Marines.

Where tradition comes from

The custom of waking astronauts to music began in mid-December 1965, on Gemini 6. Grammy Award-winning singer Jack Jones recorded a version of “Hello, Dolly” with the lyrics altered to play with Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford. Other Gemini missions also received music, but the practice only became a daily routine after Apollo 10.

The original motivation was anything but scientific: it was to create team spirit between the crew and the ground staff. Only later did science prove NASA right. A study published in the journal PLOS One indicates that waking up to a melodic sound reduces reports of sleep inertia, that feeling of disorientation that insists on pulling back into bed.

The repertoire has always been eclectic. The Apollo missions included Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and the Tijuana Brass, with occasional doses of classical music and even American college anthems. There was also room for the Muppets’ “Pigs in Space” sketch and a “Good Morning Discovery!” recorded by Robin Williams. At Artemis 2, in 2026, the selection was made available on Spotify.

The cowboy who christened Ziggy Stardust

Behind the Legendary Stardust Cowboy is Norman Carl Odam, born in Lubbock, Texas. “Paralyzed” was recorded in Fort Worth in 1968, released by Mercury Records and reached the Billboard 200 chart before rising into orbit, although it also usually appears on lists of the worst recordings ever made.

The character, however, left an unlikely mark. David Bowie was Odam’s labelmate at Mercury in the late 1960s and took from him Ziggy Stardust’s “Stardust,” his 1972 alter ego. In 2002, he recorded “I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship”, the second single from the Texan, on the album Heathen.