Wayne's Notes from the Album:

"Thought of as an ending of a fantastical adventure, an evening ride over the city - serene and exultant."

Wayne's Notes from Christmas On Mars: Once Beyond Hopelessness:

"We recorded 'Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon' initially for 'Christmas On Mars' (Pavonis Mons is a spot on Mars). The scene, which was never shot, was hazily imagined to be a 'pleasant' hallucination where Steven's character is looking out of a window and, since it's always dark outside, he dreams of watching a sunset with some hot air balloon coming in fro a landing on the surface of Mars. Well, the flavor and dumb triumphantness of didn't seem to fit. We tried, but it seemed too upbeat and 'pop' for 'Christmas On Mars'... but having it be part of the 'Yoshimi' song collection seemed perfect.

"Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon" was originally written for Christmas On Mars, but when the scene was cut and it became apparent that the tone of the song didn't fit with other completed tracks for the film, the band decided to conclude the Yoshimi album with it. The decision netted the Lips their first Grammy award, for the Best Rock Instrumental Performance of 2002. They would go on to winner another Grammy in the same category in 2006 for "The Wizard Turns On."