Today is the 34th Anniversary of the horrific Challenger Disaster that look the lives of 7 astronauts, including that of a teacher. The song was inspired by vocalist Matt Sharp when
came upon a video of raw, uncut CNN news footage of a select group of school children and families of the seven Challenger astronauts watching the take-off, and tragic aftermath, from the bleachers about 3 1/2 miles away from the launch pad, at Cape Canaveral.
The five unfiltered minutes of close ups of spectators’ faces left a lasting impression… “The scope of emotions, in those images, absolutely has had a profound impact on me,” states Sharp. “As the camera moves across these beautiful, colorful faces, all glowing with pride and joy; beaming with the optimism from the limitless potential of their children, the camera operator captured the best of what we can experience in this life. Then suddenly that joy fades into a haze of uncertainty and confusion; ultimately morphing into the horror and the worst of what we face in the human experience.”
The Rentals wanted to make sure to pay tribute to the lost; Francis R. Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Gregory Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe and the families of the innocent victims, as well as, the NASA family as a whole.
