Satellite's gone up to the skies
Things like that drive me out of my mind
I watched it for a little while
I like to watch things on TV

Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of

Satellite's gone way up to Mars
Soon it'll be filled with parkin' cars
I watched it for a little while
I love to watch things on TV

Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of

I've been told that you've been bold
With Harry, Mark and John
Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday through Thursday
With Harry, Mark and John

Satellite's gone up to the skies
Things like that drive me out of my mind
I watched it for a little while
I love to watch things on TV

Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of

Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite (satellite) of love
Satellite (satellite) of love
Satellite (satellite) of love
Satellite (satellite) of love
Satellite (satellite) of love


Lyrics submitted by spliphstar

Satellite Of Love Lyrics as written by Lou Reed

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Satellite Of Love song meanings
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32 Comments

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  • +7
    General Comment

    Good looking woman are always surrounded by guys, these guys are sometimes referred to as Satellites.

    I think he probably was jealous of either them (Harry, Mark and John) or the attention she got.

    As for the whole TV aspect, I think that was a metaphor. I think like most artists, he's an observer rather than someone who takes part. He could just mean that he was observing life and for him it's like watching TV.

    d9930380on October 03, 2007   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    I lost my virginity to this song... well half of it.

    whateveryouwantittobeon July 07, 2010   Link
  • +3
    Song Meaning

    Because this was being performed live as early as 1969, it was written when Russia was sending satellites to Mars. Therefore, the allusion to watching satellites lift off on television was reasonable. However, the two Mars satellites sent at that specific time both failed on lift-off.

    Lou Reed stated this is a song of jealousy. It is about a guy watching a satellite leave Earth and suddenly realizing that his lover has left him. Lou had at least one, but likely two lovers at the time. Nico is well-known as a short fling. There are rumors of a more serious relationship that ended while he was seeing Nico. Further, John Cale, his partner, left him.

    Lou Reed stated that Harry, Mark, and John are real names. He originally used fake names when performing this song, but switched to real names under the influence of David Bowie.

    For many years, this was considered a solo work written while working with David Bowie. Then, recording of the some performed live while Reed was still with the Velvet Underground emerged. I found it interesting that the band members who performed the song generally had no memory of doing so. The end result is there was one history in which this was a solo song heavily influence by David Bowie, so it likely had no real meaning. Then, later, it was recognized as work written by Lou Reed at a time when the two events (satellites and a lover leaving him) both took place.

    kainawon June 30, 2014   Link
  • +2
    Song Meaning

    A satellite is defined by the object it orbits. It is forever falling toward its attractor, yet paradoxically never gets any nearer. To get closer, it would need to lose its own forward motion, and would soon be burned.

    Going "way up to mars" is adventurous. Filling it with "parking cars" transorms the exotic to the mundane, worthy not of getting off the sofa. tv is voyeuristic--a decidedly one-way communication.

    When one is driven out of one's mind, it can be by a thing one loves, despises or both. To drive you really out of your mind, probably both. After such a drive, one parks it on Mars.

    --adrian

    AHandson March 02, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    knives to this song....makes me so damn happy

    pretentiouson June 14, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I once saw a documentary that dealt with the whole album in general and each song in particular. According to Lou himself he often write songs and don't realize what they're about untill years later. He said in the interview that he'd just recently understood what this song was about - jealousy

    HateSaikoon January 28, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song has a great video. Or possibly it was a micckeh take, but either way it was great. if Lou says its about Jealousy, I believe him.

    Comrade_Liaron May 29, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This was in Velvet Goldmine, wasn't it..?

    itsatsixon April 06, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    yeah

    pretencious_snobon April 30, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    who are Harry, Mark and John?

    paranoidandroid83on May 07, 2004   Link

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