Outa-Space

For the Mellow Trax song, see Outa Space.

"Outa-Space" is an instrumental recorded by Billy Preston that originally appeared on his 1971 A&M Records-debut album, I Wrote a Simple Song. To create the primary instrumental sound, Preston played a clavinet through a wah wah pedal. The song was created by Preston improvising while calling out chord changes to the backing band. He later added organ and hand claps. Preston named the song "Outa-Space" for the instrumental's spacy sound.^[1]

"Outa-Space"
French picture sleeve
Single by Billy Preston
from the album I Wrote a Simple Song
A-side	"I Wrote a Simple Song"
Released	December 20, 1971
Genre	Funk, psychedelic soul
Length	4:10
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	Billy Preston, Joe Greene
Producer(s)	Billy Preston
Billy Preston singles chronology
"My Sweet Lord" (1970) "Outa-Space" (1971) "The Bus" (1972)
Official Audio
"Outa-Space" on YouTube

While he thought it would be a hit, A&M was skeptical and issued it as the B-side of "I Wrote a Simple Song" in December 1971.^[1] However, radio DJs began flipping the single and, while "I Wrote a Simple Song" only reached #77 on the Billboard Hot 100,^[2] "Outa-Space" peaked at #2, showing that Preston's feelings about it were correct.^[1]

A version with vocals, entitled "All Spaced Out," was performed on an episode of The Midnight Special on August 31, 1973.^[3]

Chart performance

"Outa-Space" was kept out of the top spot by "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers.^[4] The instrumental also topped the R&B Singles chart for a week, succeeding "Lean on Me".^[5] The single was certified gold by the RIAA for sales of one million copies.^[1] In late 1972, "Outa-Space" peaked at #44 on the UK Singles Chart.^[6]

"Outa-Space" won the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance of 1972. Billboard ranked it as the #22 song for 1972.^[7]

Personnel

• Billy Preston – piano, Hammond organ, keyboards
• David T. Walker – electric guitar
• George Harrison – guitar, Dobro
• Manuel Kellough – drums
• King Errisson – congas, percussion
• Tommy Vicari – engineer

In pop culture

• In the 1990s, Intel Corporation used the song to promote their MMX-enabled Pentium processors.

References

1. Hogan, Ed. "Billy Preston 'Outa-Space'". AllMusic. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
2. "Billy Preston: Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
3. "Ep 31 – the Midnight Special | August 31, 1973". YouTube. 24 November 2023.
4. "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 85.
6. "Billy Preston". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
7. Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1972