Nick Jonas’ “Spaceman” Lyrics Meaning
If you were to do a research on Nick Jonas’ “Spaceman” around the time of its release, most of the related headlines would falsely imply that it is primarily about Nick Jonas’s appreciation of his wife, Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra. And yes, as of late that has proven to be his favorite topic.
Inspiration
And whereas most of the “Spaceman” album itself may be based on such a theme, this song isn’t per se. Rather it was inspired by what has arguably been the second most-harped upon musical theme of the time, behind romance itself, which is how the vocalist and others have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Even more specifically, this is Nick Jonas’s reaction to the quarantining and isolation which were (and in some places still are) the official response to dealing with the aforementioned disease. Or stated differently the title, of course, is a metaphor. And what it is based on is the singer comparing himself to a “spaceman”.
Or more specifically we can say that he is likening himself to an astronaut. Why? Because just as such professionals tend to be up there all alone in orbit, right now the vocalist also finds himself painfully isolated.
Elements of Politics in “Spaceman”
Being that this song does in fact speak to 2020, there is a political element also. That is in the pre-chorus when Jonas alludes to what was a popular notion at the time – that the spread of the coronavirus in the United States had something to do with the politician(s) in charge.
But he further implies, based on his own personal viewpoint, that such is not the case. That is to say that he hopes the situation will change for the better but doesn’t really feel such is feasible via a political party.
A Hopeless Romantic
But of course no matter what, Nick Jonas is a hopeless romantic. So what is making his isolation in particular especially painful is the fact that he is separated from an unspecified addressee. The said addressee is most notably mentioned in the second verse.
Well, at least this person is unspecified within the lyrics themselves. But as for who it actually is, as you may have already guessed. The unspecified person would in fact be Priyanka Chopra.
All in All
So basically what we have here is a song in which the vocalist is detailing his disposition due to ‘being alone’. This is not by his own design or anything he’s done wrong but rather is a result of the societal impact of the coronavirus.
And what is really disturbing about this reality for him the most is being separated from the woman he loves, i.e. wife. And at this point it should be noted that due to professional commitments, Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra tend to reside in different parts of the world.
So with that in mind, we can conclude that COVID-related quarantines coupled with travel restrictions is what by and large kept them apart during this era, as expressed.
Meanwhile in terms of how this song relates to others outside of the singer, under his estimation Jonas has concluded that he is not the only one who has felt “completely disconnected from the world” during these isolated times. Thus “Spaceman” is also empathetic in nature. And it finds the singer being able to understand that the general frustration and ‘hope for better days’ he is experiencing is more of a universal sentiment.
Facts about “Spaceman”
This is the title song, as well as lead single, from Nick Jonas’s fourth solo album. It marks the first solo project he’s dropped since 2016’s “Last Year Was Complicated”. And it’s also been noted that “Spaceman” is the first album that he or any of his siblings have put out since the Jonas Brothers (the family group he belongs to) reunited in 2019. The band had actually disbanded in 2013.
Nick had been teasing the forthcoming of this song (and project in general) in various ways leading up to its release.
The official release date of this track, via Island Records, was on 25 February 2021. And Nick personally debuted it to the world on 27 February by performing it on Saturday Night Live, where he hosted said episode.
Priyanka has publicly stated that she is “proud of all the work” which Nick Jonas “put into” creating “this song and album”. The singer’s wife has also half-jokingly stated that a person should ‘not talk to her until they’ve listened to the album’.
And Nick Jonas has stated that “most of the songs” on the project, in its entirety, serve as “love letters” to his wife.
Writing and Production of “Spaceman”
This track was produced by Greg Kurstin (who seems to be everywhere these days). And Kurstin also assisted Nick Jonas in writing it, as did MoZella.
And by the way, Nick and Priyanka got hitched in December of 2018, after he proposed to her during July of that same year. And for the record, he did in fact spend some time with her in India (her homeland) during 2020. Apparently they were there to celebrate a traditional Hindu festival known as Holi together.
