I love how 1995's "M.C. Spy-D" theme tune (which I own on CD, because I am a total loser, and because it only cost 50 cents) mashes up Queen's "We Will Rock You" with a very ill-advised hip hop vibe. And then at some point, it feels as though May is trying to do his own version of Prince's "Batdance," by changing tempos and grooves several times for no reason. It's a relief when it finally gets to a May-esque guitar solo, which is the only thing we really love him for anyway.

I guess May recorded this masterpiece as the theme tune for a BBC radio series about Spidey's adventures, but it was also released as CD single on its own merits.

Sample lyrics:

There's a new street fighter on your window sill
The weapon is peace, the word is... chill.

...

Our hero is lithe, and as thin as a rake
He's as sharp as a scythe with the muscles of a snake
He can run, he can crawl, he can grapple in the air
Watch him wrap it all up without turning a hair
The amazing Spiderman!

...

Now the city's sleeping
Spy-D do his creeping
Creeping, he is creeping
We'll be weeping, weeping, weeping, woo!
To the wall he's clinging
A spider's web he's spinning
A better life he's bringing
For all the stranded pretty, pretty women!

Khoury talked to the true stars of the movie - amongst them, Topol, Brian Blessed and Queen's Brian May, who explained how the classic theme music was created:

So for the title track I wanted to portray the cartoon-like quality that I saw in it… but the ‘soaring guitars’ were just the normal vocabulary of my dreams!

Goddammit, I really want to dream like Brian May now. Blessed is just as helpful in the amazing quote department:

And it [the set] was full of dwarfs and all kinds of people. I love dwarfs. They’re the happiest people in the world. And I loved to chase them around the set and stuff like that. So the whole thing was colossal fun.

Even Topol offers up this helpful recollection:

Yeah, it was a fun movie to do it. And the main thing, I quit smoking on that film. [laughs]

Despite the somewhat scattered nostalgia of those involved, the article is actually remarkably fun and full of information about the movie and just why we never saw a Flash 2. It's still not too late, of course...

Hail Flash Gordon! [Comic Book Resources]

Drummer Roger Taylor brought this to the band's attention, and they decided to gank it for their next cover. They contacted the artist of the original piece, Frank Kelly Freas, who painted the cover based on his own work. It features Freddie Mercury and Brian May dead in the robot's giant hand, while Taylor and bassist John Deacon plummet to the ground. It's definitely one of Queen's most identifiable album covers, which also contained the hits "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions."

Artist Frank Kelly Freas was involved in the science fiction field from 1950, until his death in 2005. He painted everything from pieces for NASA, to book covers, to magazine covers, to buxom beauties as nose art on fighter planes to Mad Magazine, and even the covers for the GURPS books for Lensman and Planet Krishna. He won numerous awards, and was often hailed of "The Dean of Science Fiction Artists." You can check out his awards, browse his art, and even buy pieces of his work at his website, which is chock full of information including a brief documentary by his wife Laura.

1. Space Oddity by David Bowie. The ultimate science fiction ballad. If only the bar let you wave a lighter around.
Singing ability required: Moderate. You just need to be able to intone "Ground control to Major Tom" in a sort of monotone, count down from five, and then wave your beer bottle over your head to the rousing chorus.

2. Rocket Man by Elton John. The other ultimate science fiction ballad, and pretty much a rip-off of the Bowie song, only cheesier.
Singing ability required: High. Unless you decide to do a cover version of the famous Shatner rendition, in which case you need absolutely no vocal chops whatsoever.

3. Rapture by Blondie. Mostly for the rap about the Man from Mars. Who knows what the other part of the song is about anyway?
Singing ability required: High. But here's what you do. Either you find your cute friend who can actually sing to do the singing part, OR you cover the Go Home Productions mash-up of "Rapture" with "Riders On The Storm" by the Doors. (You can find this mash-up online pretty easily, I think, and it still includes the Blondie rap.) But this is the crucial part: memorize the rap. You don't have to be Kanye West to pull it off, but you do have to have it memorized, especially if you're already sorta drunk. Promise me you'll memorize it in advance, so you don't embarrass me too much. Or else, don't tell anybody I told you to do this.

4. 1999 by Prince. It's sort of an apocalyptic party song, about nuclear war or something. And on the album, it starts out with that robot that only wants you to have some fun.
Singing ability required: Fairly high. This is the one you drag all your friends up there to help you sing. Bonus points if you actually work out in advance which one of you will be Dez Dickerson (bass) and which one will be Lisa (alto).

5. She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby. It's pretty much the classic mad-scientist boogie number, from one of the most scifi-ish singers of all time.
Singing ability required: Moderate. If everybody is really really drunk, you can just sort of chant the lyrics and then put everything you've got into screaming "She blinded me! With! Science!" when appropriate. Or if that's too hard, just do the screaming part.

6. Anything by They Might Be Giants. Especially if they've got "Particle Man." They're sure to have that Istanbul/Constantinople song, which isn't really scifi, but TMBG has instant scifi cred anyway.
Singing ability: Fairly high, but you can bluff your way through it if you at least remember the lyrics.

7. Flash Gordon by Queen. Or, in a pinch, Another One Bites The Dust, which is sort of post-apocalyptic sounding. Do NOT try to sing Bohemian Rhapsody. It's not science fictional, for one thing, and your friends will disown you. You're not as funny as Wayne and Garth. Trust me.
Singing ability required: High. Sorry. It's Freddy Mercury.

8. Atomic Dog by George Clinton. Why is the dog atomic? Was there some kind of nuclear disaster, or bizarre scientific mishap? (Hint: Clinton also made the awesome Dope Dogs album, all about weird drug-related experiments on puppies.) Whatever the reason, this dog is probably chasing the cat using a jetpack or something. In an ideal universe, your karaoke bar would have "Unfunky UFO" or "Mothership Connection" or "Dr. Funkenstein." But we both know that's not going to happen.
Singing ability required: Pretty high, but you can pretty much just chant your way through it. If you can master the "bow-wow-wow-yippie-yi-yippie-yay" part, you're home free. This is another song you can bring your friends up for, and just have a dance party.

9. Styx, Mr. Roboto. Well, duh. His brain is IBM.
Singing ability required: I'd say moderate. Annalee just did an impromptu performance of it for me. If you put a lot of energy and emotion into "I'm just a man whose circumstances went beyond his control," and "Secret secret I've got a secret," you're home free.

10. Anything by Daft Punk, especially Technologic. It's pretty much all weird robots or creepy cyber-voices chanting about how they're going to fix everything.
Singing ability required: Not that much, really. Just chant and sound as robotic as you can. But work out a dance routine with a couple of your friends.