Starship Trooper
| "Starship Trooper" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
| "Starship Trooper" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| A-side | "I've Seen All Good People: Your Move" (UK) |
"Starship Trooper" is a song written by Jon Anderson, Steve Howe and Chris Squire that first appeared on Yes' 1971 album The Yes Album. The song is in three parts, "Life Seeker," "Disillusion" and "Würm." "Life Seeker" was released as a single on the b-side of the UK release of "Your Move."
Lyrics and music
The title of "Starship Trooper" comes from the 1959 novel by Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers.[1] "Starship Trooper" was constructed from pieces of music written separately by Anderson, Howe and Squire.[2] Howe had written the instrumental "Würm" section while he was in an earlier band,[2] Squire wrote most of the "Disillusion" section and Anderson wrote most of the rest of the song, particularly "Life Seeker."[3]
The song was heavily constructed in the recording studio, and as a result the band were never able to play it live quite the way it was recorded.[3] The song changes mood, rhythm, tempo and style continually, but according to Yes biographer Chris Welch, it still manages to "hang together."[4] Authors Pete Brown and Lisa Sharken describe the "Würm" section as "a Bolero-paced chord sequence that builds into an explosive solo.[5] They note that Howe's solo incorporates rockabilly and country music elements rather than on blues-based music with distortion as is typical for these types of solos.[5]
A theme of "Life Seeker" is the search for God.[1][3] Anderson has stated that the lyrics:
- Mother life hold firmly onto me
- Spread my knowledge higher than the day
- Release as much as only you can show
refer to "the point within yourself that knows you," which we call "God."[3] The lyrics accept the fact that "no matter how much you want to get clearer visions of what you're up to, you're only going to get a certain amount."[3]
The song uses UFO imagery.[1] Other themes that have been inferred for the song include new age ideas and environmentalism.[1][6]
Critical reception
Yes biographer Chris Welch describes "Starship Trooper" as "one the most astonishing pieces" in Yes' repertoire.[4] Welch particularly praises the "Würm" section for its "grinding intensity."[4] The New Rolling Stone Album Guide critic Ernesto Lechner described the song as being "ethereal."[7] Pitchfork Media considered "Howe's slow, spacey guitar build at the end" of the song to be "one of the great Yes moments."[8]
Other appearances
"Starship Trooper" has appeared on many of Yes' live albums and DVDs, including Yessongs, 9012Live, Keys to Ascension and Symphonic Live.[9] It has also appeared on compilation albums such as Yesstory.[9]
Personnel
- John Anderson – lead vocals
- Chris Squire – bass guitar, vocals
- Steve Howe – electric and acoustic guitars
- Tony Kaye – Hammond organ
- Bill Bruford – drums, percussion
References
- ^ a b c d Romano, W. (2010). Mountains Come Out of the Sky: The Illustrated History of Prog Rock. Backbeat Books. ISBN 9781617133756.
- ^ a b Howe, S. "Starship Trooper". musicradar.com. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
- ^ a b c d e Yes (1996). Yesstories: Yes In Their Own Words. MacMillan. ISBN 9780312144531.
- ^ a b c Welch, C. (2009). Close to the Edge: The Story of Yes. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857120427.
- ^ a b Brown, P. & Sharken, L. (2003). Gear Secrets of the Guitar Legends: How to Sound Like Your Favorite Players. Hal Leonard. p. 64. ISBN 9780879307516.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Chambers, S. (2002). "Yes: An Endless Dream of '70s, '80s and '90s Rock Music : an Unauthorized Interpretative History in Three Phases". GeneralStore. pp. 22–23. ISBN 9781894263474.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Lechner, E. (2004). Brackett, N. & Hoard, C. (ed.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. p. 895. ISBN 9780743201698.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link) - ^ Dahien, C.; Leone, D. & Tangari, J. "Yes: The Yes Album". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2014-08-25.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "Starship Trooper". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-08-23.