083: Sparks - 1983 Bonus content

The bonus round for In Outer Space is basically a lesson in why B-sides exist. We start with “Sports” — a track everyone agrees was wisely kept off the album. It’s not catchy enough to justify its length, doesn’t develop, and feels more like an 80s sportswear jingle idea stretched past breaking point. As a curiosity it has value, but mostly as proof that Sparks made the right call leaving it in the margins.

Then the mood flips completely with “Minnie Mouse”, Sparks’ 1983 contribution to Disney’s Splashdance. It shouldn’t work on paper — a children’s-song premise delivered with full Sparks commitment — but the riff is instant, the tone is ridiculous in the best way, and the sheer fact that it exists is part of the charm. We also share Russell’s great 2008 story about Disney initially hating the earlier “Mickey Mouse” track… before deciding it was free advertising and asking for another.

Finally, “Get Crazy” arrives via a wonderfully unhelpful “video” (a collage of cult-film chaos), and it lands as the party song that In Outer Space arguably never quite gets elsewhere. It’s straightforward, loud, and fun — the kind of track that would’ve fit the album better than “Prayin’ for a Party,” and it comes with the perfect footnote: Russell was once lined up to appear in the film before being replaced, and in hindsight he wasn’t exactly heartbroken.