Leonard Nimoy saying, “Pure energy” was taken from the Star Trek episode Errand of Mercy. Both the sound of Nimoy’s voice and this energetic video led to this song becoming a surprise hit. One radio station in Boston played the song on a continuous loop for 25 hours straight, leading people to call the station because they thought “Pure Energy” was a warning that something had gone wrong in the DJ booth.
Mark Pellington was one of those directors who did videos for just about everyone during the first decade of the MTV-era. He has also directed feature films like Arlington Road and The Mothman Prophecies.
Enjoy!
I’d not heard this song before. When I read the mention of the “pure energy” sample from Spock, I thought about a rap track from the 1990s that has the phrase “pure energy” being recited in the chorus. I figured it must be the same sample. I listened to this song from Information Society. Yes, it’s the same audio clip!
I’ve always remembered the rap song, but I couldn’t quite recall the name of the rapper. Not even the Who Sampled website could tell me!
Turns out Pure Energy (1990) was recorded by King Sun. All those times I heard it many years ago, I never knew that was Spock in the chorus! Thanks for posting the video from Information Society, and thanks for taking me back to the King Sun track that I hadn’t heard in aeons!
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