'Fly me to the moon / Let me play amongst the stars' - The stars are actually suns at the centres of inumerous galaxies, millions of miles away. So one wouldn't have any better chance of playing amongst them by being on the moon.
'Let me know what Spring is like / On Jupiter and Mars' - Although the planets in our solar system do have seasons of a sort, Spring wouldn't be any more stimulating on Mars than any other point in its cycle. Jupiter is a gas giant, with no solid surface and clouds of acidic atmosphere. It being May would not dispel this.
'In other words (the original title) / Hold my hand' - In exactly what way is travelling throughout the solar system, analysing the seasonal differences on other worlds analagous with grasping someone's sweaty palm?
'In other words / Darling kiss me' - Just a second. In the previous line, the interstellar journey was a token of the desire to hold hands. Now it's a plea for tonsil hockey. Make your mind up.
'Fill my heart with song / And let me sing for ever more ' - Right, now Howard has just abandoned the whole astronomy as love metaphor stuff. Probably because he quickly realised he hadn't the faintest idea about the subject and anyway, it wasn't really working. Also, I find it hard to believe anyone would wish to 'sing for ever more'. It would play havoc with your vocal cords and if it were this particular song you were stuck with, everyone would take you for a doofus.
And that is why I dislike 'Fly Me To The Moon' so very much.
Magnus Shaw, November 2010
