"Spaceman" is composed in the
key of
G major and is set in
common time with a slow
tempo of 69 beats per minute.[2] The song is three minutes and forty seconds long.[3]
Critical reception
Tom Demalon from
AllMusic stated that the song's "yearning lyrics are delivered over a quiet, martial drum rhythm."[4]Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Follow-up to the gold-selling "
What's Up?" is fueled by a similar wall-shattering vocal performance. The tune itself is a strumming, guitar-anchored
rock ballad, deriving much of its motion from a rolling, militaristic beat. While it is not immediately catchy, slowly ingratiating track will likely meet with warm approval at top 40 and album-rock levels."[5] Dave Jennings from Melody Maker said, "More histrionics, this time at a slower pace and with tacky "military" drumming."[6] Alan Jones from Music Week gave "Spaceman" three out of five, adding that the song "offers pretty much the same mix [as its predecessor], with the same unrestrained vocals and loosely fitting instrumentation. But it's a less heady brew that won't fare quite so well."[7]
Music video
The song's accompanying music video was directed by American film director
Scott Kalvert and filmed in Los Angeles.[8] It features the band performing the song in several locations, including inside a house with colorful lights, in a sunny park, and under a
full moon. The video was added to the playlists of
MTV and
The Box on the week ending September 26, 1993.[9]
Track listings
All songs were written by
Linda Perry, with co-writing from
Shaunna Hall on "Spaceman" and Roger Rocha on "Strange".
^Spaceman (UK CD single liner notes). 4 Non Blondes. Interscope Records. 1993. A8349CD, 6544-95992-2.{{
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^Spaceman (UK 7-inch single sleeve). 4 Non Blondes. Interscope Records. 1993. A8349, 6544-98349-7.{{
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^Spaceman (UK cassette single sleeve). 4 Non Blondes. Interscope Records. 1993. A8349C, 6544-98349-4.{{
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^Spaceman (UK 12-inch single sleeve). 4 Non Blondes. Interscope Records. 1993. A8349T, 6544-95993-0.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)