io9
The year is 2199, and you've just entered the long phase of your thirty-year journey to the outer reaches of the galaxy. You're about to enter suspended animation when, oops, something goes wrong. You end up stranded an a decent-sized chunk of asteroid, and thanks to the technology of the future, you have a self-replenishing oxygen supply, and a foodgizmo that will keep you flush with nutrient cubes for decades. However, your implanted music device has shorted out during the crash, and you only have one playlist available to you: Great Science Fiction Songs From Back In The Day. What's on that playlist? Click through to find out.
- "Space Oddity" by David Bowie: Mercury Records considered this song about a stranded astronaut to be a gimmick track, and didn't pay much attention to it during production. However, they decided to rush it out to coincide with the Apollo 11 moon landing taking up much of the public attention, and it shot up the UK charts as a result.
Best lyric: "And I think my spaceship knows which way to go"
- "Rocket Man" by Elton John: Elton John's single about an astronaut's mixed feelings about leaving his family behind on a journey to Mars echoed a bit of Bowie's previous "Space Oddity," but has surpassed it in popularity and become one of his most popular.
Best lyric: "Rocket Man, burning out his fuse up here alone."
- "She Blinded Me With Science" by Thomas Dolby: Dolby's over the top homage to mad scientists actually featured a real British scientist with a cool name, Magnus Pyke, yelling out "Science!" during the song. On a side note, this also served as the opening song to the short-lived mutant teenagers tv show, The Misfits of Science.
Best lyric: "Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
- "Fly Me To The Moon" by Frank Sintatra: Originally titled "In Other Words," this song became one of Sinatra's staples, recorded with Count Basie with an arrangement by Quincy Jones. The song was also played by the Apollo 10 astronauts while on their lunar mission, meaning it did literally fly to the moon.
Best lyric: Let me see what spring is like, on Jupiter and Mars.
- "Red Barchetta" by Rush: This song was inspired by the futuristic short story "A Nice Morning Drive" in Road and Track magazine about vehicles of a dystopian era which have become huge, safe, and boring. In the song, the narrator drives an old and illicit car kept by his uncle, and the new futuristic cars can't keep up when he zooms across a narrow bridge. Very early 80s. Very awesome.
Best lyric: "I strip away the old debris, that hides a shining car."
- "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Pt. 1" by The Flaming Lips: This song from the Lips' concept album of the same name is about a young Japanese girl who works for the city, battling the giant robots that keep invading. She's a black belt in karate, she takes a lot of vitamins, and the robots don't stand a chance.
Best lyric: "Those evil-natured robots, they're programmed to destroy us."
- "Mr. Roboto" by Styx: Styx performed this song on their rock opera album Kilroy Was Here. In it, the hero Kilroy is placed in a futuristic rock and roll prison, and escapes by hiding himself inside a menial custodial robot, The Roboto. He escapes the prison inside the metal shell, and offers up his thanks in the form of this song.
Best lyric: "With parts made in Japan, I am the modern man."
- "Space Age Love Song" by Flock of Seagulls: Granted, nothing is particularly science fiction about this song other than the title, but it's so firmly rooted in the 1980s that we had to include it for the sheer amount of nostalgia-power it resonates with. If you catch the retro-arcade wonders documentary Chasing Ghosts, this song runs over a brilliant montage of the videogames of yesteryear.
Best lyric: "I saw your eyes, and you touched my mind."
- "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath: This song about a time-traveling man of steel seeking revenge has not only become a mainstay of anthem rock and Black Sabbath, but it's had a resurgence in popularity thanks to both Guitar Hero and the filmmakers of the upcoming Marvel superhero flick of the same name using it prominently in the trailer. Probably one of the most identifiable guitar riffs in all the world.
Best lyric: "He was turned to steel, in the great magnetic field."
- "Love Missile F1-11" by Sigue Sigue Sputnik: This song, filled with simple repeated lyrics and sound effects, has been brought back to life by being featured in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Bowie even covered it in 2003. We're still not sure why it continues to endure, but hey, it's a love missile, and it closes out our outer space playlist.
Best lyric: "There goes my love rocket red."
Comments
After many years of enjoying the song Iron Man, I sat down and listened to the lyrics, and was astounded to discover that there's an insane story involved there.
As a humourous foloow up to Space Oddity, check out "Bowie's in Space" by Flight of the Conchords.
@braak: You were astounded to discover that something written by Ozzy -- the substance-leaking, bat-head-eating Ozzy of days gone by, no less -- was insane? ;-)
Those are all classic, obv, but if I had to pick one from the past year or so, it'd be "Citizens of Tomorrow" by Tokyo Police Club (and actually, most of their A Lesson in Crime EP). Best lyric: "I have a microchip implanted in my heart / So if I try to escape, the robots will blow me apart."
@braak:
All I see are coked up Ozzy lyrics. What is your subjective impression?
[www.lyricsfreak.com]
I'd make sure to bring Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of War Of The Worlds.
@moff: No, I was astounded that the song was as cogent as it was.
@FrankenPC: I'm not saying it makes sense. But it's clearly the story of some kind of machine man who was sent through time to save the world, and was then forgotten by society, and decided to go on a horrible killing rampage.
That's nutty.
I <3 Sigue Sigue Sputnik: "Mmmm-mmmmmm, I *love* technology (gy, gy, gy, gy...)"
I would put the entire, "Flaunt It," album on this list.
Frederik Thordendal, the guitarist for Meshuggah has a solo project called "Sol Niger Within". It's a jazz/mathy stomp metal hybrid that is all about alien abduction and other sci-fi miscellany. It's a little noodly, but not irritatingly so (at least to me). It's the sci-fi-est thing I've ever heard. Sample lyric:
"The first months, I couldn't seem to grasp, those black moments, holding me in a state of loss. Until one day, when it all caught up on me. After that, I
worked real hard for years at suppressing all abduction memories. Now that I remember it all, I'm scared to death almost all the time. I know they'll be
coming back for me again. They always come back."
To this day, disappointed that a full version-film of "Kilroy Was Here" was never made (and that I was too young to see the concert.)
Cheers to the rest of the list!
Except one. "Rocketman", will not travel on any rockets with me, nor in any cars, nor even on the subway.
@WickedGlee: i think my first exposure to war of the worlds as a child was the remixed soundtrack for the game based on that musical
@AdamL: Best Conchords song EVER. The corresponding episode is even more so.
I do not find it coincidental that I have every single one of these songs on my computer.
OT, I went to see "Howard The Duck" in the theater just because Thomas Dolby had like a 3-second cameo in it. I was 12 and I was thrilled.
BTW, re: Frederik Thordendal, here is a clip of a live medley from the record. It doesn't have any of the lyrics or the mellower jazzy breakdowns, but it's awesome to watch how effortlessly the Swedes rock. If you can't see having a deathmatch session to this, I can't help you.
I love this topic, but as a fan of electro/industrial dance music, I must insist you include something from the industrial repertoire... few other genres incorporate scifi themes as much.
I'd probably include Front 242 of Front Line Assembly, perhaps the song "Mindphaser." Best lyrics: "The sky turns brighter, an evil red. Missiles fly through the air."
Sinatra and Flock of Seagulls stick out from the rest of the bunch. Sinatra, I can handle. Flock of Seagulls gives me hives.
Dark Star - the Grateful Dead.
Best lyric: Dark star crashes, pouring it's light into ashes...
Yeah, yeah I know that the Dead aren't cool, but if you want to go out into deep deep space, there has never ever been a better song.
What no Seatbelt Jazz?
a bit of a stretch but...Sigur Ros seems, at least to me, like music that aliens (the nice kind) would make...
@Bob Bruhin: As long as they include the commercials.
As to Rush, I'd have to include the title track of "2112", as well as about half of the rest of their catalogue, especially "Countdown". Which I have a hard time listening to anymore.
What about 99 Red Balloons? Does that one count?
Humans are Dead! Fotc! We used poisonous gasses
And we poisoned their asses.
The humans are dead.
(Yes they are dead.)
The humans are dead.
(I confirm they are dead.)
It had to be done
(They look like they're dead)
So that we can have fun.
I hope is dead
They're system of oppression
What did it lead to?
Global robots depression.
No Chiron Beta Prime by Johnathon Coulton?
No Hawkwind, no credibility.
What was the band that Michael Moorcock was in? Was that Hawkwind? There's no techno, and obviously no one who haunted an '80's indie music shop contributed to this if Sinatra is included. I way my genitals in the direction of your auntie.
How 'bout "Zager Evans - In The Year 2525" ?
"Still Alive"? It is on another medium, but it fits the genre and has a quite ludicrous lyrics.
@MasterOfPastures: Also a Coulton Song.
Get out of my head, io9! I was listening to "Race for the Prize" earlier today and thinking to myself that the Flaming Lips should get more credit for the sci-fi awesomeness of some of their work.
Try also: James Taylor's "Frozen Man" and my favorite sci-fi tune: Jimmy Webb's "The Moon's a Harsh Mistress" borrowing from RAH's novel title.
You missed an entire SF album: "To Our Children's Children's Children" by the Moody Blues, possibly the best of their theme albums. Songs included: "Higher and Higher", "Eyes of a Child", "Floating", "I Never Thought I'd Live To Be a Hundred", "Gypsy", "Eternity Road", "I Never Thought I'd Live To Be a Million", and "Watching and Waiting".
"Gypsy" is more haunting than either "Space Oddity" or "Rocket Man":
----------------
A gypsy of a strange and distant time
Travelling in panic all direction blind
Aching for the warmth of a burning sun
Freezing in the emptiness of where he'd come from
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Left without a hope of coming home
Speeding through a shadow of a million years
Darkness is the only sound to reach his ears
Frightening him with the visions of eternity
Screaming for a future that can never be
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Left without a hope of coming home
----------------
...and so on. ..bruce..
"Hey Mr. Spaceman" The Holy Modal Rounders.
"Please take me Along" Dan Hicks
'The UFO has Landed in the Ghetto' Ry Cooder
"Talking WWIII Blues" Bob Dylan.
"Stabilize Yourself" Bo Diddley
"Out my Back Door" CCR
"Wooden Ships" Jefferson Airplane
"Plastic Fantastic Lover" Jefferson Airplane
Everything recorded by Captain Beefheart
"Return of the Son of Monster Magnet" Frank Zappa
and so on.. basically the whole old hippie genre, nor counting the weird stuff. ;-)
Oh, come on. "Love Missile F1-11"? Just because a band has the word "Sputnik" in its name doesn't mean it's worth listening to.
First, ditch that song. It sucks. Second, replace it with one of the two following choices:
"39" by Queen -- A song that dares to confront the challenges that relativistic speed time dilation will have on romance;
or
"Starlight" by Muse -- Aside from it general excellentishness (no, it's not a word), it's got a real "Forever War" vibe to it, and that's not bad.
Once you've picked one of these far more worthy songs to replace "Love Missile F1-11"; take the other one and use it to replace "Mr. Roboto." Just because Styx wanted to be "Tarkus"-era Emerson Lake & Palmer doesn't mean their vision should be validated by rational humans.
There. That's better.
Ground Control to Major Tom?
I would replace "Iron Man" with "Into the Void"...if you are going to include Sabbath...
Industrial? how about "Headhunter" by Front 242 with it's Blade Runner type theme...
...or Ministry's "TV II" with it's mantra "...Connect the God Damned Dots..." in reference to cultural hijacking by technology...
Great topic...
what about "'39" by queen?
and hell, nin has a whole sci-fi album...
and i'm sure we're missing out on some new wave stuff here. "metal" perhaps?
Don't forget the entire 'Space' album by the group Space (aka The KLF).
Ok, checking my Ipod's Science Fiction Playlist:
Genesis by VNV
Places Named after Numbers - Frank Black
Supermassive Black Hole - Muse
2 Wicky - Hoverphonic
Robert Onion - Frank black
Big Electric Cat - Adrian Belew
The Happening - The Pixies
Knights of Cydonia - Muse
Circling Overland - Front 242
Praying to the Aliens - Gary Numan
Down in the Park - Covered by Marylin Manson and NIN
Mindphaser - Front line assemby
The Marsist - Frank Black
Watcher of the Skies - Genesis
Hear the Rich Boy - The Auranaught
Really, you could have an entire list of just Frank Black - Pixies Sci-Fi. Big Red is Red/Green/Blue mars set to music. Men in Black synthesizes UFO paranoia to a T.
WTF? Where the HELL is "Still Alive" from Portal?! (Just because it's from a game *doesn't* mean it's not sci-fi!)
*Shakes head in disappointment*
!! SPOILER ALERT, if you haven't finished the game !!
[www.youtube.com]
"Flying Saucer Rock and Roll" - Billy Lee Riley
"Spaceship to Mars" - Gene Vincent
"Telstar" - The Tornados
Somebody already mentioned Captain Beefheart, but I have to type "Big-Eyed Beans From Venus" just because it feels good.
@Mercurypdx: Or Skullcrusher Mountain? Shameful
'The Blob' themesong by Burt Bacharach. Space by The KLF.
One of the best Sci-fi songs is "Destination Venus" from The Rezzillos. They had other Sci-fi songs like "Flying Saucer Attack" too.
Also, there are some nice R'n'R classics such as Purple People Eater, Martian Hop. It's funny because I recently got The Neanderthals record "In Space" which include a wanderful instrumental version of "Space Oddity"
For me, Sci-Fi music is closely tied to Rock'n'Roll, Surf and Psychobilly music...
-Jorge
"Space Oddity"? If you want to be obvious, I guess. "Drive-In Saturday" is better for Bowie-SF, I find. "I'll ring and see if your friends are home/Perhaps the strange ones in the dome..." And another full SF album for the list: Outside.
Grandaddy has a whole SF album too, "The Sophtware Slump."
If you do a list of awesomely bad sci-fi songs, "The Final Countdown" has to be on top of the list.
What, no mention of "I Robot" the concept album by The Alan Parsons Project -- the same guy who made Dark Side of the Moon the fabulous album it is -- and another contender here? Oldies but goodies ...
Oh, and I forgot "Phasors on Stun" by FM. You can't get much more sci-fi than Nash the Slash in full-on electric mando assault mode.
@AMISHJOHN: Of course we have to include the commercials. They sell the cyberpunk theme of the album almost as well as the lyrics. (I love how they open with a blatant reference to Bladerunner, just in case you aren't paying attention.)
@MERCURYPDX: There are way too many Coulton songs that would count. Even, "I Crush Everything," might count if you buy into the idea of an introspective giant squid.
@SCALZI: "39," is an awesome choice, despite the fact they're really making fun of Jefferson Airplane trying to update themselves by changing the name to Jefferson Starship. (Why do you think the travelers in, "39," are called, "The Volunteers?")
@EBone:
4 3 2 1! Another vote for Major Tom.
"spacegrass" clutch
"escape from the prison planet" clutch
"droid" clutch
"tim sult vs the greys" clutch
"saturn III" fu manchu
"space truckin'" deep purple
"your neighborhood spaceman" peeping ton
"jerusalem" sleep
"electric machine" acid king
"the last astronaut" butthole surfers
@robg33: I agree - Peter Schilling definitely needs to be on this list!
How about Ashes To Ashes by David Bowie
I would add:
"Video Killed the Radio Star" and "Still Alive" from the Portal game.
Bonus point for Red Barchetta, but much of the Rush catalog would qualify, as would YES "Starship Trooper" and much of YES's catalog as well.
Hmm, maybe some stuff from Emerson Lake and Palmer too?
"Tarkus", Karn Evil Nine, third impression"
-even "In the Beginning" from The Moody Blues!:
I think; I think I am; therefore I am; I think
---
Of course you are, my bright little star,
I've miles
And miles
Of files
Pretty files of your forefathers' fruit and now to suit our great computer!
You're magnetic ink.
---
I'm more than that; I know I am; at least, I think I must be.
---
There you go, man, keep as cool as you can,
Face piles
Of trials
With smiles.
It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave
And keep on thinking free.
(Old school here.)