Side B: What "Satellite of Love" Tastes Like

Arpana Gvalani
Dec 17, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Dec 24, 2025

U2- Satellite of Love (original Lou Reed)

Earthy chicken with orange, apricots and bread

(Track 8 of "What a Song Tastes Like" Series)

Some songs don’t enter your life through albums. They slip in quietly through films - sitting in the background, doing their job, not asking for attention. You hear them once, maybe twice, and then one day you realise they’ve unpacked and are living rent-free in your head.

That’s probably why I’ve always had a soft spot for soundtracks. They’re not trying to steal the scene. They hold the mood together while the story gets on with its business. U2, for me, often shows up in that space. Sometimes with great emotional weight — In the Name of the Father being a powerful reminder of how music can carry history and heart without ever raising its voice.

And then there are the quieter appearances. The ones you almost miss if you’re not paying attention. Satellite of Love came to me that way, through a film that felt more like a mood than a moment (Million Dollar Hotel). Not the kind of movie everyone quotes, but the kind that leaves a trace if you happen to stumble upon it at the right time.

Lou Reed’s original version of the song is raw and unmistakably his. This U2 cover, though, is the one that stayed with me. Not because it’s better, or cleverer, or needs defending — it just feels familiar. Like a voice I recognise without needing to explain where from. It’s also the version that kept playing while I was cooking, which, in this series, is usually how a dish earns its place.

The song doesn’t rush. It doesn’t build toward a big finish. It just keeps circling, steady and unbothered. That felt like the right energy to turn the record over and begin Side B.

So the food followed suit. An earthy chicken dish, cooked slowly, finished with citrus and dried apricots, with bread always close by because some meals work better when you can tear into them.

Nothing flashy. No show-off moments. Just something warm and grounding that knows how to sit quietly next to the music.

That’s what Side B feels like to me. Less explaining, more listening. Less proving, more settling in. Still curious, still playful — just without the need to announce itself.

Some songs stay.Some dishes do too.This one did.

The Recipe

Earthy Chicken with Orange, Apricots & Bread

(Serves 2–3, with good music playing)

This is not a dramatic dish. It doesn’t need one-pan theatrics or last-minute tricks. It’s steady, warm, and forgiving — the kind of food you cook when you want the song to lead and the kitchen to keep up.

Ingredients

Chicken breast or thigh, cut into thick strips
Garlic cloves, lightly crushed
Dried apricots, halved
Fresh orange (juice + a few wedges)
Fresh, or, dry thyme
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper
Bread, for serving

Method

Heat olive oil in an oven-safe pan. Add the garlic and apricots and let them sizzle gently until fragrant. Add the chicken, season well, and let it colour without rushing.

Pour in fresh orange juice, scatter in thyme, and add the orange wedges. Let everything come together briefly on the stove, then slide the pan into a moderate oven and let it finish cooking slowly until the chicken is tender and the juices have settled into something worth mopping up.

Bring the pan back to the table, spoon the garlicky citrus jus over the chicken, and serve with bread. Tear. Scoop. Repeat.

No garnish required. The song’s doing enough already.