Since many of us first came to Nitcentral through our interest in science fiction in one form or another, I thought a nice idea for a board would be one to discuss the various songs of popular music that are either sci-fi themed or tell a sci-fi story. Many bands have specialized in SF-type songs throughout or in one phase of their career, such as Blue Oyster Cult, Hawkwind, and early Barrett-era Floyd ("Insterstellar Overdrive", "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun".) There also have of course been a number of rock operas or concept albums with a science fiction theme. Among the most famous of these are Rush's 2112, ELO's Time, David Bowie's Diamond Dogs, Emerson Lake and Palmer's "Karn Evil Number 9", Styx's Kilroy Was Here, and Nektar's Remember The Future.
I would also be remiss at this point if I did not make a mention of Magma, one of the more unusual bands in pop music history. Each of their albums is a chapter in the saga of their great sci-fi epic which chronicles the history of planet Earth's contact and relations with an alien race called Kobaiians. The unusual aspect to this mega-rock-opera is that the band developed a language for the alien race - and almost all of the lyrics to their albums are sung in this language!

Here's a random list of individual songs I came up with which I think fall into the Science Fiction category.

BLUE OYSTER CULT has "ETI", "The Vigil", "Veteran of the Psychic Wars", "Monsters", the Imaginos cycle, and many others (I'm sure Ben will add more to this list).
"Space Oddity" - DAVID BOWIE
"Starship Trooper" - YES
"After The Gold Rush" - NEIL YOUNG
"2000 Man" and "2000 Light Years From Home" - THE ROLLING STONES
"The Crystal Ship" - THE DOORS
"Space Truckin'" - DEEP PURPLE
"This Time Tomorrow" and "Supersonic Rocket Ship", THE KINKS
"Iron Man" and "Into The Void" - BLACK SABBATH
"Cygnus X-1", RUSH
"Come Sail Away" - STYX
"Family Doctor" - BREAD
"No Baloney Homo Sapiens" - ALICE COOPER
"Revenge of the Giant Hogweed" - GENESIS
"Invader" - JUDAS PRIEST
"Time Machine" - STRAY
"Robot Man" - SCORPIONS
"Twenty-First Century Schizoid Man" - KING CRIMSON
"Thirteen Questions" - SEATRAIN
"Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive" - MEN AT WORK
"Traveller in Time" - URIAH HEEP
"Cosmic Crusader" - LUCIFER'S FRIEND
"Life In Outer Space" - GRAND FUNK RAILROAD
"Starship" - THE MC5
"To Tame a Land" - IRON MAIDEN (okay, the song is about Frank Herbert's Dune)
"Mr. Spaceman" - THE BYRDS

Please note that I have excluded fantasy-themed songs in this particular thread. That's a whole another, although related, category and there certainly is enough of a fertile field for that in the world and history of rock music. Maybe someone else can start that thread. Maybe I will sometime. I've also excluded such obvious "novelty" songs like "One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater" and concentrated instead on "serious" sci-fi.
Anyway hope you enjoyed my list and think this is a worthwhile topic.

Great idea, Todd!

Major Tom (Coming Home, Peter Schiller(sp?)

Planet Earth, Duran Duran (OK, this one may not fit under 'serious', but...)

Rocket Man, Elton John

Mr. Roboto, Styx (albeit see note on 'serious' above...)

Strange Animal, Gowan

Some Fantastic, Barenaked Ladies

Jimi hendrix recorded a number of Sci Fi songs like "EXP", "Up From The Skies", "1983", "House Burning Down", and "3rd Stone From The Sun".

Also, The Moody Blues devoted quite a few whole albums to that theme. "To Our Children's Children's Children" imediately comes to mind.

Another group who've deal with the realms of Sci Fi is The Flaming Lips ("One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21"), though their peculiar sense of humor makes it hard to decide whether or not something's a novelty ("Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Parts 1 & 2" "The Boy Who Got A Headache and aly Saved The World")

np - (XO) - Elliott Smith

"'39" by Queen, off the 1975 album "A Night at the Opera" (an album best known for "Bohemian Rhapsody"). Freddie Mercury takes a break on this one and guitarist Brian May handles vocals. To my way of thinking, there just aren't enough rock songs about relativity.

"Oh, so many years have gone,
Though I'm older but a year,
Your mother's eyes, from your eyes, cry to me."

Kerrie, "Major Tom (Coming Home)" was performed by Peter Schilling.

And really, for Styx, it's the entire Kilroy Was Here album, not just "Mr. Roboto".

A few others off the top of my head:

"Godzilla" - Blue Oyster Cult (what I call the karoaoke version of the song from B.O.C.'s Cult Classic CD is playing now. Happy birthday, btw, to former Blue Oyster Cult bassist, Jon Rogers!)

The Children of the Sun album by Billy Thorpe.

"From the Sun to the World (Jeff's Boogie #1)" - Electric Light Orchestra

"My Clone Sleeps Alone" - Pat Benatar

"Clones (We're All)" - Alice Cooper

"Magneto and Titanium Man" - Paul McCartney and Wings

"Science Fiction" - the DiVinyls (Not really. But I'm listing it for the title.)

"Science Fiction/Double Feature" and "The Time Warp" from Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack.

"Comic Books" - Debbie Harry

"Looking Out My Back Door" - Creedence Clearwater Revival

"The Prisoner" - Iron Maiden (The song is a tribute to the cult TV show.)

"Thriller" - Michael Jackson

"The Monster Mash" - Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt Kickers Five

"'39" - Queen

"905" - the Who

"The Golden Age of Leather" - Blue Oyster Cult

"I Love the Night" - Blue Oyster Cult

"X-Ray Eyes" - Blue Oyster Cult

"Sole Survivor" - Blue Oyster Cult

"Vengeance (The Pact)" - Blue Oyster Cult (The lyrics were written for the Taarna segment of the movie Heavy Metal.)

"Take Me Away" - Blue Oyster Cult

The I, Robot album by the Alan Parsons Project

"Mission (A New World Record)" - Electric Light Orchestra

np - Breakfast In America - Supertramp

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

And how serious do we want to keep this, anyway? If I were to throw, say, "Slime Creatures from Outer Space" by "Weird Al" Yankovic, into the mix, then all bets would be off.

I see Desmond has beaten me to the punch on listing Queen's "'39". Way ta go!


It's all one song." - Neil Young

Thanks, Benn...
It's kind of fun to try and think of these. I distinctly remember seeing, years ago, a soundtrack for the 10-volume "Mission Earth" series by L. Ron Hubbard, done by Edgar Winter. I have no idea what was on it, but it certainly should qualify.

Speaking of Queen, the title song of Brian May's more recent album, "Another World," deals with parallel universes, so we can throw that in as well.

You're welcome, Desmond.

I remember seeing that L. Ron Hubbard/Edgar Winter CD. I was never that much of an Edgar Winter fan, so I never bought it. Owning They Only Come Out At Night is more than enough Edgar Winter for me. As for Hubbard... the less said, the better.

np - Mother's Milk - the Red Hot Chili Peppers

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Nobody mentioned "Fly Like an Eagle" by the Steve Miller Band??

"War of the Worlds" - Jeff Wayne
"In the Year 2525" - Zager and Evans
"Eighth Day" - Hazel O'Connor
"I lost my heart to a starship trooper" - Sarah Brightman and Hot Gossip
"The Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" - Carpenters
"The Final Countdown" - Europe
"A spaceman came travelling" - Chris DeBurgh
"Marvin" - Marvin, the Paranoid Android
"Spaceman" - Babylon Zoo

I thought of "Fly Like an Eagle" Scott. But lyrically, it doesn't seem to fit beyond the "Time keeps on slipping, slipping into the future" line and the synthesizer sound effects. It seems to be more of a protest song than anything else to me.

"Fly Like an Eagle"

"Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'
Into the future
Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'
Into the future

"I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till I'm free
Oh, Lord, through the revolution

"Feed the babies
Who don't have enough to eat
Shoe the children
With no shoes on their feet
House the people
Livin' in the street
Oh, oh, there's a solution

"I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till I'm free
Fly through the revolution

"Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'
Into the future
Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'
Into the future
Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'
Into the future
Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'
Into the future

"I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till I'm free
Fly through the revolution

"Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'
Into the future
Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'
Into the future."

"Werewolves of London" - Warren Zevon

np - Making Movies - Dire Straits

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

I almost forgot this song -

"Edge of the Universe" - Bee Gees (I prefer the live version, quite frankly.)

np - The Beatles Anthology Volume 1 - the Beatles

It's all one song." - Neil Young

"Girl From Mars" - Ash
"Out Of Space" - Prodigy
"1st Man in Space" - All Seeing I
"Intergalactic" - Beastie Boys

Sophie - good to see someone also remembers the Marvin hit singles. Me, I "acquired them from a reputable source with little money exchanged."

I don't know if I'd call David Bowie's Space Oddity a "Science Fiction" song ... it's more like a "Science Fact" song.

This one may not qualify, but the instrumental song Telestar (the recording I own [on a 45] is done by [I think] The Ventures) evokes notions of a supersonic train ... however, another recording of the tune I've heard in the past made specific reference to a satellite by way of sound effects, much like the above referenced train sounds.

Speaking of whom, "Telestar" composer and producer Joe Meek did an album in 1960 called I Hear A New World that was about space travel.

np - Beautiful Freak - Eels

I thought "Telestar" was about the satellite Telestar. I've never heard differently.

np - All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

"Aldebaran" - Enya
(It's instrumental, but represents the Celts passing Aldebaran on their journey to new territories.)

"Automatic Lover" - Dee D. Jackson
(Used to love that one - yonks since I've heard it.)

"Clouds Across The Moon" - RAH Band
(Rather annoying.)

"Drops of Jupiter" - Seatrain

Benn, I assume you're right about Telestar, but as a little girl I used to play 'submarines' to it - always thought it sounded like a sub surfacing at the end.

Sven, glad you remember the Marvin song. On the down side, I have an awful feeling that Metal Mickey also had a song, but I dread to look...

>Also, The Moody Blues devoted quite a few whole >albums to that theme. "To Our Children's >Children's Children" imediately comes to mind.

Although the Moodies incorporated a lot of space-oriented imagery in those early concept albums, I don't think any one of their songs or concepts really had a definite concrete sci-fi theme.

>"Looking Out My Back Door" - Credence Clearwater Revival

I don't know about this one, it seems to me just one of those trippy image-laden lyrics songs, more related to fantasy than sci-fi. Another Credence song, however, "It Came From Out Of The Skies", is closer to the mark.

>"X-Ray Eyes" - Blue Oyster Cult

This song was inspired by a 1950's film with Ray Milland called X - The Man With The X-Ray Eyes.

>And how serious do we want to keep this, anyway? >If I were to throw, say, "Slime Creatures from >Outer Space" by "Weird Al" Yankovic, into the >mix, then all bets would be off.

Well, I suppose that's no sillier than the Alice Cooper song I listed.

>"Werewolves of London" - Warren Zevon

This is definitely more in the realm of fantasy than sci-fi.

Well, there's the Moodies' song, "Veteran Cosmic Rocker". Does that count?

"'Werewolves of London' - Warren Zevon

"This is definitely more in the realm of fantasy than sci-fi. " - Todd Pence

Yeah, I know. So I was blurring the line. But sci-fi and fantasy are often lumped together.


"This song was inspired by a 1950's film with Ray Milland called X - The Man With The X-Ray Eyes." - Todd

Bzzzzz! Wrong. That movie was released in 1963. The fact that B.O.C. lyricist, John Shirley, wrote "In the 50s Ray Milland pierced the skies" is a nit. One I think I posted on the "Nitpicking Songs" board.

See http://us.imdb.com/Title?0057693 for details.

np - Chamber Music - Coal Chamber

It's all one song." - Neil Young

How about "Radioactive" by The Firm?

You know, I thought that was a 60's film. But the lyric of course screwed me up.

ELO- the entire New World Record album. In fact that band's whole career revolves a great deal around sci-fi.

Bowie- Life On Mars?

Someone mentioned Brian May's album "Another World" which has a ridiculous number called Cyborg. The title track has absolutely nothing to do with sci-fi (for that matter, neither does 39). His first solo album has the brilliant song resurrection. Not to mention a rare ep he did a number of years ago called Starfleet which is one of the best songs I think he has ever written, in Queen and out.

"ELO- the entire New World Record album." - Rodney Hrvatin

Hanh? You're kidding? Have I missed something? "Telephone Line"? "Do Ya"? "Tightrope"? "Livin' Thing"? "Rockaria!"? These are not sci-fi songs. A New World Record is not a concept album of any sort. Only "Mission (A New World Record)" fits.

"The title track has absolutely nothing to do with sci-fi (for that matter, neither does "'39)." -Rodney Hrvatin

Au contraire mon frer. Here are the lyrics to "'39":

"In the year of '39
Assemblied here the volunteers
In the days when land were few.
And the ships sailed on a blue and sunny morn.
The sweetest sight ever seen.

"And the night followed day.
So the storytellers say
That the score brave souls inside
For many a lonely day
Sailed across the milky seas.
Never looked back
Never feared
Never cried.

"Don't you hear my call?
Though you're many years away?
Don't you hear me calling you?
Write your letters in the sands
For the day I take your hand
In the land that our grandfathers knew.

"In the year of the '39
Came a ship in from the blue.
The volunteers came home that day.
And they bring good news of a world
So newly born,
Though their hearts so heavily did weigh.
For the Earth is old and grey
To a new home we'll away.
But my love this cannot be.
For so many years have gone
Though I'm older but a year.
Your mother's eyes from your eyes cry to me.

Don't you hear my call?
Though your many years away.
Don't you hear me calling you?
All the letters in the sand
Cannot heal me like your hand.

For my life still ahead
Pity me."

I've added emphasis to call to your attention to the key lines of the song. "The milky seas" = "The Milky Way". "Came a ship in from the blue" skies.

"For the Earth is old and grey." (Our world is no longer habitable.) "To a new home we'll away." (Colonizing another world.)

The kicker for me are the lines "For so many years have gone though I'm older but a year." You are aware of the theory that states that as you approach the speed of light, time will slow down for you? For instance, if you were able to travel to our nearest star, Alpha Centauri, some 6 light years away, and travel to it at the speed of light, 6 years will pass for you, but centuries will elapse for those of us on Earth.

The song is clearly sci-fi.

np - Frampton Comes Alive - Peter Frampton

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

I think it's a matter of interpretation.
I never looked at it as a song of sci-fi. I look on it as song of a man looking through the years to his childhood. He's returning to the bithplace of his grandparents- they were probably killed in war or something and now he's going back "home".

Hmmm- i WILL agree with you on New World Record though. The title track is what I meant. Still a d a m m good album anyway.

np - I Have A Large CD Collection I Want The World To Know About - Benn

"The Purple People Eater" - Sheb Wooley

"Noesferatu" - Blue Oyster Cult

"Black Blade" - Blue Oyster Cult (Okay, so these last two B.O.C. songs are fantasy based. But as I've already said, fantasy and sci-fi are more often than not lumped together.)

"The Great Sun Jester" - Blue Oyster Cult

"Veterans Of the Psychic Wars" - Blue Oyster Cult (The last three B.O.C. songs were co-written by Michael Moorcock.)

"Venus and Mars (reprise)" - Paul McCartney and Wings ("Standing in the hall of the Great Cathedral/Waiting for the transport to come/Starship 21ZNA9.")

"Space Station #5" - Montrose/Sammy Hagar

np - The Notorious K.I.M. - Lil' Kim

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Benn, please read Todd's original post re: the Purple People Eater.

How 'bout some more stuff from the Heavy Metal soundtrack besides "Veteran..."?

Perhaps "Radar Rider"? Though it's a bit iffy...

"Benn, please read Todd's original post re: the Purple People Eater." - ScottN

Not to mention "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" and fantasy songs. 'Scuse me while I go to a corner and hide my face in embarrassment.

np - Appetite For Destruction - Guns N' Roses

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

That's OK, didn't you see my post over on the "Not in the title" board? I lost track of where I was!

Oh yeah. I saw it. I read every post in the Music boards. I just never commented on it. I figgered my ol' buddy, Derf handled it well.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

"Black Blade" seems to be based in part on Moorcock's Elric novels. "The Great Sun Jester" contains a reference to "The Fireclown", which was the title of one of Moorcock's early novels. However, the song itself bears absolutely no relation to the novel.
Hmm, maybe I should go ahead and start up that fantasy board?

np - Genesis - Wind and Wuthering

Speaking of Genesis - "Watcher of the Skies"

"'Black Blade' seems to be based in part on Moorcock's Elric novels."

Seems to be? I thought it blatantly was. Especially given that Moorcock was the lyricist for the song.

"Hmm, maybe I should go ahead and start up that fantasy board?"

'Tis up to you, sir. I'll play along if you do.

np - Appetite For Destruction - Guns N Roses

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

How about "Building the Perfect Beast" by Don Henley?

Then there's

"1984" - David Bowie/Tina Turner

"(Another) 1984" - Billy Squier

"I'm a Boy" - the Who (According to Pete Townshend it's sci-fi.)

"Back to the Village" - Iron Maiden (Another reference to The Prisoner.)

"Children of the Damned" - Iron Maiden (I believe this is in reference to the movie of the same name.)

np - Double Platinum - KISS

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Oh yeah. Almost forgot about this one:

"Gamera Is Missing" - Buck Dharma

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

I've always been aware that multiple concurrent interpretations of a text can co-exist, and that often more than one of them can simultaneously be considered "right" (I've been in the literature field for a while). Still, I felt the need to defend a couple of my choices for science fiction songs. Benn already handled Queen's "'39" for me, and I admit it took me a long time to recognize the relativity component of the narrative (I wracked my brain for a while trying to make Britain's involvement in World War II--starting in 1939--fit the lyrics before I realized they were talking about space travel). Thanks, Benn. But I still have to defend "Another World" by Brian May. The lyrics are reproduced below; how is this song about anything BUT alternate universes? (Rodney's right about at least one thing, though--"Cyborg" is pretty terrible.)

In another world
Under another sky
I see another story waiting to be told
And another you
Wakes up with another me
For that's the way we've come to be
In another world

In a different place
Way across time and space
A door is open wide
Drawn to a different light
Maybe we'll step inside

In another world
We can show we care
You can be sure I'm waiting there
In another world

Oooh yeah
When the dies were cast
They laid a crazy path
We follow to our graves
But I know in a different world
We journey a different way

So we live
But life isn't what it seems
We're only living in our dreams
In another world

You can believe I'll meet you here
In another world

It helps to remember that Brian May, the author of both songs was studying to get a PhD in astronomy while in college. Actually, all the members of Queen were pretty well educated. Roger Taylor, drums, has a degree in biology. John Deacon, bass, has a degree in electronics. Freddie Mercury had one in illustration and design.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Oh and thank you, Desmond.

The lyrics to "Another World" do seem to be about a parallel universe, btw.

Benn: Okay, so these last two B.O.C. songs are fantasy based. But as I've already said, fantasy and sci-fi are more often than not lumped together.

Taking into account the "admonishments" by ScottN, if a fantasy-based song IS allowed ... how about Peter, Paul and Mary's tune Puff, The Magic Dragon?

how about Peter, Paul and Mary's tune Puff, The Magic Dragon?-Benn

Isn't that a drug song? ;)

As far as both "39" and "Another World" are concerened, I am quite prepared to admit error, I was only basing it on my thoughts about the song from when I heard it.
"Another World" is quite a let down as the final track on that album (not counting the hidden piano track of course). it's slow, tedious and meadering. Given that he had a BRILLIANT ballad called "Why DOn't We Try Again?" earlier on, it seemed superfluous. Should have finished the album with that kickin' version of "All The Way To Memphis".

A slightly tenuous one on me...

'Fly Away' - Lenny Kravitz ('Let's go and see the stars, the Milky Way, or even Mars...')

Well, while checking the lyrics of one song, I found another. I thought the Church's "Metropolis" might qualify, as it may be a reference to either Superman's hometown or a reference to the Fritz Lang film. It doesn't appear to be either. It could be a reference to the movie. I haven't seen the film, so I don't know for sure.

However, the song after it, "Terra Nova Cain", does fit.

You can check the lyrics to "Metropolis" for yourself here -

http://church.tristesse.com/lyrics/gaf.htm

Look under the album Gold Afternoon Fix.

np - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Dunno if this is considered a novelty song or not - it wasn't sung nor marketed as one - but I've always had a soft spot for Kenny Rogers' Planet Texas (It's the biggest place in outer space/The planet known as Texas...), just because it's so utterly goofy.

I just heard about a Swedish electro group called S.P.O.C.K. who amongst other things have a track called "Never trust a Klingon."

http://www.subspace.se/artist/spock.asp

kerrim,

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a talk by Harlan Ellison at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He mentioned that he had been approached to write a screenplay for a film to coincide with the release of Planet Texas. They wanted to have Kenny Rogers play a small town sheriff in a town full of angry, bigoted people (and ALL Southerners are, of course, angry and bigoted, according to the official list of Approved Media Stereotypes) where a Martian (not an alien, a MARTIAN) would crash his flying saucer (not a spacecraft, a FLYING SAUCER). Very cliched, very dumb, and needless to say, he refused.

In complete agreement with you on "All the Way from Memphis," Rodney.

Three more:

"Attack of the Giant Ants" - Blondie

"Workshop of the Telescopes" - Blue Oyster Cult

"R. U. Ready 2 Rock" - Blue Oyster Cult (Well, not really. However, the title is a tribute to Karel Kapec's play, "R.U.R.", which introduced the term "robot" into the science fiction lexicon.)

np - Garage, Inc. - Metallica

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

A correction: Instead of Karel Kapec, it should be Karel Capec. Thank you. We regret the error.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Rodney, if it's any consolation, I used to think "'39" was more or less an ordinary love song. Then someone pointed out to me that it was a sci-fi song. It wasn't until I thought about the lines "For so many years have gone/Though I'm older but a year" that I realized why it was.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

If I may be allowed to nominate yet another Genesis song, it suddenly occurs to me that "Get 'Em Out By Friday" is a lot like the movie Soylent Green. With a denouement just as horrifying, if not nearly as grisly.

Slaps forehead. Of course. There is a Queen song that is indisputably sci-fi:

"Flash" (Gordon, that is.)

np - A Night At the Roxbury Soundtrack - various artists

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Except for the fact that it's comedy, I'd nominate "Star Trekkin'". But it's comedy, so never mind!

Rodney: Not to mention a rare ep he did a number of years ago called Starfleet which is one of the best songs I think he has ever written, in Queen and out.

It was a re-working of the theme tune to the popular (originally Japanese) puppet sci-fi show of the early 80s also called "Starfleet" (or "X-Bomber"). I believe Brian May teamed up with Eddie Van Halen plus others on that one.

Sorry this is so ASTOUNDINGLY late, but about the comment concerning The Moody Blues (written back in the stonge age), To Our Children's Children's Children is entirely written about space travel.

np - The EP Collection - The Kinks

Here's a link to a board I just found which comprehensively covers this discussion:

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/music/sci-fi-refs/

Although most of the stuff listed here is on there, a few songs we have here aren't.

I've just scanned over the site. I'll look at it in a little more detail later. Here are some random thoughts:

Okay, "Sandman" by America is a reference to Nolan Ryan's Logan's Run? It would have to be the book, because the song is copyrighted 1971. Besides, reading the lyrics again, I don't see it as a reference to the book, beyond "I understand you've been running from a man who goes by the name of the Sandman." At best, I would have guessed the song had something to do with war.

I also discounted Alan Parsons' "Sirius" mostly because it's an instrumental and "Eye In the Sky" didn't really seem to be sci-fi. It seems more metaphorical than anything else.

I can't believe they listed "Sleeping Satellite". If it's a lament for the end of the Apollo space program, it really doesn't qualify, does it?

"The '10538 Overture' is a dystopia set in that year.
(Although closer examination of the lyrics indicates that '10538' might
be a person, not a year.)"

To be more precise the last lines of the song of the song goes "Did you see the man running through the streets today?/Did you see his face?/Was it 10538?" Somewhere I read that it was about an escapee from the local insane asylum. Wish I could remember where I read that.

I did consider mentioning J. Geils' "No Anchovies, Please", but I felt it was more comical than anything else.

Icehouse's "Sister". I definitely should have listed that one. It's one of my favorite songs by Icehouse.

np - Dream Academy - Dream Academy

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Nolan Ryan? I hope he put some baseball references in there.
He was always haunted by "Logan's Home Run" off of him.
But seriously, the authors were William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson.

I know that, too. I can't believe I made that mistake. Especially since I'm not a baseball fan. The website that Todd linked identified Logan's Run as being written by "Nolan". Nothing else. It's no excuse. Maybe I miss Dallas more than I thought. At any rate, I struck out on that post.

np - Modern Times - Jefferson Starship

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

America's Dewey Bunnell states that he wrote "Sandman" after talking with various returning Vietnam soldiers about their experiences. The title refers to the fact that many of them were afraid to go to sleep during their tour of duty for fear they would be killed as they slept. So they were "running from the sandman". The song thus apparently has no connection to Logan's Run.

So basically, I was on the right track in thinking it had something to do with war?

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

That website reminded me of a couple of songs. It mentions the band, Planet P, but fails to cite the song, "Why Me?", Planet P's biggest hit. "Adam and Eve", also by Planet P might qualify, too. Then there's Atlanta Rhythm Section's "Alien".

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

This doesn't mention a song, but refers to a previous post mentioning space travel at relativistic speeds to Alpha Centauri taking about six years... Isn't Alpha Centauri only about four and a half light years from Earth?

4.35 light years to be precise. I don't know where I got that 6 and a half from, but for some reason that's the figure that's been, until now, ingrained in my mind.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Amazingly, no one seems to have thought about the band Man or Astro-Man? responcible for Beyond the Black Hole, Your Weight on the Moon, and about a dozen more albums in that cheesy vein.

Also, I'm a bit torn over whether or not to mention "Universial Mind Decoder" by The Byrds, being that it's an instrumental.

np - The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus - The Rolling Stones

How about "Walking on the Moon", by The Police?

You know Scott, I was sure we had that one already, but no, you really are first!

The board I linked to incorrectly states that the group T'Pau got its name from the "Vulcan child bride" from ST:TOS. As we all know, the name came from Vulcan's matriarchal ruler. The compiler got T'Pau confused with T'Pring.

Gasp! Well, I guess we might as well ignore everything else they say, then...

ELO's "Take Me On and On" qualifies, at least according to Jeff Lynne's liner notes on the Flashback box set. According to Lynne it's "(k)ind of a spaceman's point of view, he just wants to keep going out there."

np - Flashback - Electric Light Orchestra

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

"Starman" - David Bowie

Billy Joel, Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway).

"Strangers in Space" - Procul Harum

The All Music Guide to Rock tells of a song called "Ruler of the Universe" by Strange that certainly sounds like a sci-fi song, but I haven't personally heard it, so I'm not sure.

"Fun in Space" by Roger Taylor

"My Star" - Ian Brown.
Probably closer to fact than fiction.

"The Ballad of William Robinson" by Billy Mumy. A really dark sequel to the Lost in Space TV series.

I'm not sure about this one, but how about:

"The Current" by Blue Man Group

"White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane (Or is that more of a fantasy song?)

Then there are Psycho Superstars who have done a ton of sci-fi songs:

The entire "Crypto Critters" CD

"London After Midnight," "Intregalatic Laliby," and "The Mothman Legacy" from the "*....*" CD

"Monster Movie" and "Big Brother Is Watching" from the "Playing With Matches" CD

"We Will Rule The World," "Battle Mech," and "Elvis" from the "You Thought I Was Dead, But No I Faked It" CD

"Hellfire," "Count Cushing," "Graveyard Shift," and "Magican" from the "Paranorama" CD

"Mutantion," "I Wanna' Be A Superhero," "Vampyre in My Closet," and "2+2=5" from the "Killer In The Spot Light" CD

"Paul's Enemy" from the "Crazy SOBs" CD

"Sub-Atomic Culture (The Moleman Song)," "Neon Lights, New Genesis," and "Replosion" from the "They'll Never Know What Hit 'em!" CD

"Jaspul (The Lights Keep Going On And Off)," and "Eden" from the "Tribute TO Sean Catlett" CD

"Dario Argento," "Chainsaw Love," and "Lovecraft Is Dead (Bring on Cthulu)" from the "Take Your Pick" CD

I'm pretty sure that "White Rabbit" doesn't qualify, though Jefferson Airplane DID do a Scifi song called "Have You Seen the Saucers"

I'd say "White Rabbit" is more of a drug song than anything else. If not, then it qualifies as a "fantasy rock" song. But I still think it's a drug song. "One...pill make you larger/And one pill makes you small/And the ones that Mother gives you/Don't do anything at all." Yeah, I'd say it's about drugs.

np - Life Is Killing Me - Type O Negative

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

A few others which might have been missed out above.

Nightflight To Venus - Boney M (A track from the album of the same name)

Star Trekking - The Firm (UK #1 in 1987)

Doctorin' The Timelords (AKA The KLM also a UK #1)

Outer Space Girls - The Spice Girls (B Side of one CD of Too Much, used on the ned credits of the Daria episode 'The Lawndale Files')

I did think Queen's '39 was about WW2 though.

Radiohead's "Subterranean Homesick Alien:"

"High up above, aliens hover
making home movies for the folks back home,

of all these weird creatures
who lock up their spirits,
drill holes in themselves
and live for their secrets.

They're all uptight.

I wish that they'd swoop down in a country lane,
late at night when I'm driving.
Take me on board their beautiful ship,
show me the world as I'd love to see it."

And Marillion's "Under the Sun" describes a future England where global warming has caused half the island to flood: "We go to the beach on the Northern Line...we watch the sea coming up the street."

Then of course, there's Dylan Casey's alien girlfriend/cannibal raveup "Emerald Lady Alien." http://dylancasey.org/neutrinosessions/

Don't forget the magnificent science fiction musical "Captain Eio" with Michael Jackson.

That's "Captain Eo". No "eye".

np - Bloodletting - Concrete Blonde

"Music is a world within itself/And a language we all understand." - Stevie Wonder

Is Captain Eo available on DVD anywhere. It's no longer seen at EPCOT Center. Didn't ILM provide the visual effects for it. Despite the unfortunate controvery surrounding Mr. Jackson, I would still like to see this lavish musical short.

Can't believe everyone on this board, myself included, forgot to mention one of the most obvious: Klaatu's "Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft", later a hit for the Carpenters. Klaatu's follow-up album Hope also is a science-fiction concept album about an intergalactic lighthouse keeper who is the last survivor of his civilization.

Well, Todd, on April 23, 2003, Sophie mentioned the Carpenter's version of the song.

np - Commodores Anthology - the Commodores

"Music is a world within itself and a language we all understand." - Stevie Wonder

"Spacer" by Sheila and B. Devotion
"Star Love" by Cheryl Lynn