What do you need to create a great song? First, the lyrics. Second, a musician. Third, a spacecraft.

If you doubt it, these two artists will immediately convince you.

“I’ve always had an interest in space”, Andy Furlong says. For some time now he has been following ESA on Twitter (@esa) from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

When he saw people starting to tweet and shout “Wake up, Rosetta,” Furlong got hooked:

And has a good reason to think so. The 54-year-old Englishman writes lyrics for songwriters: “I’ve written lyrics since I was a kid,” he says.

This might explain why it took him less than three (!) hours to present the Rosetta community an elaborate song – via Twitter!

“I came across this tweet one night when I couldn’t sleep and was surfing Twitter on my phone,” says Kristof Han, a 19-year-old student from Singapore.

When Kristof saw Furlong’s lyrics, he decided to get out of bed and grab his guitar: “I used a progression I had came up with earlier but had not written any lyrics to go with.”

Then he adapted Furlong’s Rosetta love song to the tune.

Han says he is a bit upset in terms of sound quality since he didn’t have better recording equipment. But we say: Don’t bother sweat it! We love it as much we love Andy Furlong’s lyrics, which we are happy to have the permission to provide in full!

WAKE UP ROSETTA

Ten years ago you departed
That’s when it all began
The long, long journey started
Holding on to Ariane

Even though we cannot see you
When we stare up at the sky
Where you’re sleeping in the darkness
It was never forever goodbye

(‘Cause we’re gonna shout…)
Wake Up Rosetta
Wake Up Rosetta
Here comes a passing comet
It’s got your name written on it
So Wake Up Rosetta
Wake Up Rosetta
Wake Up Rosetta
Rosetta wake up

With help from planets Earth and Mars
You travelled around the Sun
From so far away, the ESA
Have believed in you from Day I

Very soon they’re gonna shake you
Are you ready to open your eyes?
They are standing by to wake you
From the journey of your life

(Everybody shouts)
Wake Up Rosetta
Wake Up Rosetta
Here comes a passing comet
It’s got your name written on it
So Wake Up Rosetta
Wake Up Rosetta
Wake Up Rosetta
Rosetta wake up

So Rosetta, there’s no sleeping in
When you hear the alarm bells ring…

© 2014 Andy Furlong

Kristof Han recently formed a new band and has plans to re-record the song “to do it some justice.”

However, he is afraid his studies in Aerospace Engineering won’t let him have the time to do so in the near future.

At ESA we are more than optimistic. What is more likely: The re-recording of an already great song (with already great lyrics!)? Or a spacecraft millions of kilometres away inspiring connections between a 54-year-old songwriter from Canada and a 19-year-old guitar hero from Singapore, who write songs based on a hashtag? 🙂