"Satellite of Love" is one of Lou Reed's best-known songs from his solo career. It is the second single from his 1972 album Transformer. At the time of its release, it achieved minor chart success, though it later became a staple of his concerts and compilation albums.

"Satellite of Love" was composed in 1970 while Reed was still a member of the Velvet Underground. Fellow member Doug Yule, in a 2005 interview, recalled Reed first mentioning the song to him in the summer of 1970 while they were riding in the back of a limousine with Steve Sesnick: "Steve was there going on about "how we needed airplay", and Lou said "I have this song "Satellite of Love", and he mentioned the satellite that had just gone up which was a big deal in the news at the time, cause the space race was happening, and Steve Sesnick said "Yeah, yeah – that'll do it!" While the band had soon recorded a demo track in the summer of 1970 during the sessions for Loaded, it didn't make the final album.

The song is about a man who observes a satellite launch on television, and contemplates what Reed describes as feelings of "the worst kind of jealousy" about his unfaithful girlfriend. The chorus is:

David Bowie, who produced the album, can be heard providing background vocals, especially at the final chorus. Reed would write later: "He has a melodic sense that's just well above anyone else in rock & roll. Most people could not sing some of his melodies. He can really go for a high note. Take 'Satellite of Love,' on my Transformer album. There's a part at the very end where his voice goes all the way up. It's fabulous."

The existence of the original Velvet Underground version was largely unknown until the release of the box set Peel Slowly and See in 1995, and it also appears on the 1997 Rhino Records 2-CD version of the Loaded album.

...
Wikipedia