A golden oldie keeps on going

So back in the summer of 1985, director Robert Zemeckis releases a little time-travel movie. Maybe you’ve heard of it – “Back to the Future.” In the film teenager Marty McFly travels back in time 30 years to 1955 using a time machine in the shape of a DeLorean automobile.

Shenanigans ensue as Marty desperately tries to get (that’s right) “back to the future!” He even winds up performing at the high school’s “Enchantment Under the Sea” Dance, stunning the crowd with a blistering rendition of Chuck Berry’s rock ‘n’ roll classic, “Johnny B. Goode.”

Since it’s a time-travel movie, it’s funny because that tune won’t disrupt the music business for another three years – in 1958.

But if you think Mr. Berry’s rousing song will be long-lived because of its inclusion in a science-fiction movie classic that’s now almost 40 years old, then perhaps you’ve forgotten about the Golden Record.

Let me take you back to 1977, and NASA is about to go deep. Deep into space. Not once, but twice.

Voyagers 1 and 2 left Earth in 1977.

On Aug. 20, 1977, Voyager 2 begins its interstellar mission, launching from Cape Canaveral in Florida. About two weeks later, Voyager 1 launches from the Cape on Sept. 5. That’s right: Voyager 2 took off for the stars before No. 1.

On their way out of our solar system, both spacecraft swung by some of the far-off planets with Voyager 1 sending back images of Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 2 really came through and sent home close-up images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune before it also headed off for interstellar space to someday perhaps come into contact with extraterrestrial life.

Voyagers' Golden Record

Here’s the thing: they didn’t go empty-handed. Both spacecraft have embedded in their structure a Golden Record.

It’s a 12-inch, gold-plated copper phonograph record, encased in a protective aluminum jacket. The kit includes a needle to play the record and instructions in a symbolic language to explain how to do so.

Remember, it’s 1977. That’s years before CDs come along; not to mention music streaming isn’t even a twinkle in anyone’s eye then.

The Voyagers are now billions and billions of miles from Earth (you can actually check it live on their mission page on NASA’s website.) This highly scientific mission had a chance to carry images and sounds of Earth to deep space, and it was decided to include music as well. Dr. Carl Sagan led a committee for NASA to select the record’s contents.

The records have 90 minutes of music from around the world, with about 30 different selections. There’s the “Alima Song” from Zaire, “El Cascabel” from Mexico, the “Izlel ye Delyo Haydutin” from Bulgaria and part of “The Magic Flute” from Austria.

And guess which American tune is included in this eclectic mix. That’s right – Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode!”

Chuck Berry

In his book Murmurs of Earth, Sagan explains why the Voyager missions even included Golden Records and describes the committee’s selections.

That was more than 45 years ago now. Voyager 1 and 2 are now in the space between stars, speeding away from us at more than 30,000 miles per hour. Faster than anything ever created by humans.

Gives a different take on Berry’s immortal lyrics: Go, Johnny, go, go!