Space Force has an official theme song and it’s an earworm

For some reason I imagined the official space force song would be like the theme from the 1960s Batman TV show, but with “Batman” replaced with “Space Force”. I was very wrong. On Tuesday, Space Force unveiled its official song, a patriotic tune full of shimmering cymbals and space references.

The song is called Semper Supra after Space Force’s motto, which in Latin means “always on top”. Space Force members are called Guardians. “It was created to capture the esprit de corps of current and future Guardians, and intends to bring the military together with a sense of pride,” Space Force said in a statement.

The lyrics are short: “We are the mighty watchful eye / the Guardians beyond the blue / the invisible front line / the brave and faithful fighters / boldly reaching into space / there is no limit to our sky /standing guard night and day/we’re the Space Force from above.”

Space Force, the new branch of the US military, received ratings for everything from its name to its logo and uniforms, often with sci-fi fans pointing out similarities to their favorite fictional franchises. It’s a little harder to find a sci-fi reference in Semper Supra, but it might be worth listening to Firefly’s theme song “You Can’t Take The Sky From Me” again.

Singer-songwriter James Teachenor, a former member of the Air Force Band at the Air Force Academy, was the primary creator of the song. Coast Guard trombonist Sean Nelson worked on the arrangement, saying, “At first it started with vocals and piano. I familiarized myself with the songs from the other branches, but I wanted this one to have its own modern twist to reflect what The Force space is — modern, new, and very advanced.”

The marching band sound and choral arrangement are reminiscent of theme songs from other branches of the United States military. I don’t really grasp the modern elements of the melody, but it’s now completely stuck in my head. At least it’s not Baby Shark.