Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode
has drifted through interstellar space for nearly 50 years. Since their 1977 launch, NASA’s twin Voyager 1 and 2 space probes have carried the rock ‘n’ roll track on identical gold-plated phonograph records, intended as a sonic representation of Earth for potential intelligent alien life.
The probes have exited the heliosphere. Currently located approximately one light-day away, the crafts remain under NASA’s control via transmitter contact for scientific experiments. Their ultimate fate is much longer: they are expected to float through the galaxy for billions of years.
Rock ‘n’ roll sparks internal debate
The inclusion of Berry’s hit was not a consensus decision. Within the committee tasked with selecting the music, the track sparked notable internal disagreement. According to Grunge, ethnomusicologist and committee member Alan Lomax viewed the song as adolescent.
Carl Sagan, the renowned scientist, defended the choice. His reasoning was demographic: adolescents represent a major component of the human population. NASA’s goal for the Golden Records was a diverse global spectrum, pairing non-Western cultures and languages with the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Louis Armstrong, and Blind Willie Johnson.
A multi-millennial Earth introduction
The Voyager probes travel in different directions. It will take tens of thousands of years for them to approach other star systems where alien life might exist. Should the crafts survive the journey and be discovered, Berry’s song will serve as a primary introduction to our planet.
In the five decades since launch, rock ‘n’ roll has branched into several subgenres while remaining a dominant global musical form. As Grunge reports, if alien life were to find a record lacking rock music, it would fail to provide an accurate depiction of the world.
