Outa-Space

"Outa-Space"
French picture sleeve
Single by Billy Preston
from the album I Wrote a Simple Song
A-side	"I Wrote a Simple Song"
Released	December 20, 1971
Genre	Funk, psychedelic soul
Length	4:10
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	Billy Preston, Joe Greene
Producer(s)	Billy Preston
Billy Preston singles chronology
"My Sweet Lord" (1970) "Outa-Space" (1971) "The Bus" (1972)

"Outa-Space" is an instrumental recorded by Billy Preston that originally appeared on his 1971 A&M Records-debut album, I Wrote a Simple Song. To create the primary instrumental sound, Preston played a clavinet through a wah wah pedal. The song was created by Preston improvising while calling out chord changes to the backing band. He later added organ and hand claps. Preston named the song "Outa-Space" for the instrumental's spacy sound.^[1]

While he thought it would be a hit, A&M was skeptical and issued it as the B-side of "I Wrote a Simple Song" in December 1971.^[1] However, radio DJs began flipping the single and, while "I Wrote a Simple Song" only reached #77 on the Billboard Hot 100,^[2] "Outa-Space" peaked at #2, showing that Preston's feelings about it were correct.^[1]

A version with vocals, entitled "All Spaced Out," was performed on an episode of The Midnight Special on August 31, 1973.^[3]