My Top 10 Sci-Fi Songs
- scottdavismktg
- Jul 30, 2018
- 11 min read
Updated: Aug 8, 2018
Let's get this out of the way right away...I am not choosing Styx. I don't care how often you Domo Arigato, me. I shall not fall for....Mr Roboto, Himitsu wo shiritai (Damn! fell for it!). Also out of the running is David Bowie's Life on Mars...because despite the title (and being a great song with Rick Wakeman of Yes on the piano), it's not really about living on the red planet. ScFi is also not the point of Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole" (or Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" for that matter) Nor is "Stranger in A Strange Land" by Spock's Beard about the Robert Heinlein sci-fi novel with whom shares its title or its band name. Nor is Paranoid Android by Radiohead about the robot Marvin from Hitchhiker's Guide (but Subterranean Homesick Alien is a sci-fi song---sort of). Space Oddity? sure; you'll just have to read on to see if it makes the list.
But let's talk robots and little green men and FTL spaceships named for Don Quixote's horse! Sci-fi has always been my go to literature ever since I could read. It is my preferred movie and TV watching experience. I feel the genre is part of my DNA, but the subject doesn't always make for a good song. It tends to be a novelty song like "The Flying Purple People Eater" by Sheb Woolsey and "The Humans are Dead" by Flight of the Conchords or some overwrought, cape-wearing psuedo-existential attempt like In "Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth" by Coheed and Cambria. Please don't get me started on songs about elves, magical realms or questing knights.
Actually, when choosing my top 10 science fiction songs, I am going to try and avoid the obvious candidates like Mr. Spaceman (Byrds), Rocket Man (Elton John), Twilight Zone (Golden Earring), Space Trucker (Deep Purple) She Blinded Me with Science (Thomas Dolby), or anything sung by either Bill Shatner or Leonard Nimoy (click on either at you own risk ;0 ). Oh, seminal soundtracks like Star Wars, Star Trek, Blade Runner or 2001: A Space Odyssey don't factor in either.
So let's step on the transporter (and Beam Me up Scotty...ughh did I just do that?):
1. Science Fiction Double Feature (Rocky Horror Picture Show 1975) -The disembodied lips open the musical cult film Rocky Horror Picture Show It's is a great tribute to B-movies and serialized sci-fi shorts (it references 11 different movies from Forbidden Planet to It Came from Outer Space). Richard O'Brien, who plays the weird handyman Riff Raff (and is the movie and music's primary writer) sings-- I just love the lyric "And Flash Gordon was there in silver underwear" Musically you got your hook-laden, mid-70s style piano, acoustic guitar complete with sticky sweet strings, and it is just a great little sing-a-long. To those uninitiated, Rocky Horror is a heavy audience participation film, and this song gets the crowd started with, um...let's just call it a racy call-and-response.
2. Godzilla (Blue Oyster Cult / Spectres 1977) The thing with BOC is there are so many sci-fi themed songs to choose from. Veteran of the Psychic Wars (co-written by author Michael Moorcock) Black Blade, ETI, Astronomy, Subhuman and about a dozen others (including the entire 1988 album Imaginos) fill out the spacey void. There are also a bunch that sound like sci-fi but aren't: Flaming Telepaths, Harvester of Eyes and ME 262. So why Godzilla? It is one of their more accessible tunes. It's a fairly straightforward progression. But, the reason it gets the nod (over BOC songs I actually like better) is that it is so cheesily infectious; the iconic heavy metal guitar riffs, thumping bass, and the great line “Helpless people on subway trains Scream, bug-eyed, as he looks in on them!" It's pure heavy metal camp, but a damn enjoyable song.
3. Cygnus X1 (Rush / A Farewell to Kings 1977): This is simply the best progressive metal song ever recorded. So much so, I almost can't classify it in the metal category as it draws upon several interesting non-metal aspects. The story is simply about an explorer aboard the spaceship Rocinante as he journeys toward the eponymous black hole, believing there may be something beyond it. It starts with the obligatory ethereal narrator until Geddy Lee adds his syncopated bass line. At the 2 1/2 minute mark the song really ratchets it up with the introduction of Alex Lifeson's growling guitar. This is the song that made me fall in love with Rush. Trivia: this song features the highest note sung by Geddy Lee on any album: (Bb5 at 9:27).
4. Lasers and Feelings (The Doubleclicks /Lasers and Feeling 2013): What could be better than a love song to an ego-maniacal Bond supervillain or some sort of Doctor Doom. It borders on a novelty tune, but it's so damn clever. But, it's not a novelty song. It's pop folk tune masquerading as a novelty song presented in nerd core style: "You've got a master plan, and it's evil. Your hopes are for worldwide upheaval They seem violent and somewhat medieval But I'm thinking that my love could save you." The Doubleclicks (two Portland sisters) have made a career in this "by and for geeks" style and despite the charming wink and a nod goofiness, it is just a really nice tune.
5. R Daneel Olivaw (Dreadnaught / Musica en Flagrante 2004): A song about one of Isaac Asimov's more famous robot characters. I love the description of this band: Zappa meets Yes at Willie Nelson's BBQ. This is a truly eclectic band (not to be mistaken for an extreme metal band of the same name). They are self-described Progabilly. The song is instrumental and provides a great laid back groove and some Wurlitzer like organ. It's a good introduction to the band’s eclectic sound. The echoed, staccato piano drives the tune until it bursts out at the 2 minute mark where we get a cool time signature change punctuated by French horns and some strings. This is truly a cool groove eclectic piece.
https://dreadnaughtmusic.bandcamp.com/track/r-daneel-olivaw
6. Watcher of the Skies (Genesis / Foxtrot 1972): It is the opening mellotron and "church" organ lines (intentionally atonal) that sets the tone for the superb material that lies ahead. It cross-fades with Collins' drums and Rutherford's bass in the driving single-note 6/4 staccato pattern (a nod to Holst's Mars suite). Steve Hackett's fuzz guitar adds what is perhaps the its most essential element. This song is simply fantastic. It probably makes my Top 50 all time tunes and definitely a Top 5 Genesis song. The lyrics were not written by Peter Gabriel, but by Banks and Rutherford, who were influenced by Arthur C Clarke's Childhoods End. During performances, Gabriel wore bat wings on the side of his head, glowing UV make-up around his eyes, and a multi-colored cape--I used the live footage for you to see that! Yes I know, the whole cape and costume wearing thing is a bit ridiculous, but in Gabriel's defense it was done for two main reasons. One is Gabriel was notoriously self-conscious about himself on stage and this was a means to embolden himself. Second, is that Genesis instruments would often work themselves out of tune between songs or gear would fail, and Gabriel would need to vamp between songs. So he would tell these surreal stories which aligned themselves to these characters.
7. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt. 1" (The Flaming Lips/ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots 2002) Beautiful, quirky, psychedelic pop. It is everything that Hot in Herre by Nelly isn't (both released July 2002) Both try to be playful, but only the Lips succeed. Musically, it rides a simple melody and ridiculously infectious. Much of the Lips catalog can sail into electronic mood pieces, but this one (and much of the album) does not. It still retains the familiar Lips modern take on psychedelia by infusing it with industrial, EDM and alt/indie components. Lyrically it's generally silly. It sings the praises of an army of Japanese girls training to take on aforementioned rose-colored automatons at a kung-fu compound right out of a Bruce Lee movie. However, this song is simply a metaphor about battling cancer. I know that other songs were discounted due to tangential attachment to sci-fi theme. The difference here is the song never breaks "character."
8. Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (Klaatu/ 3:47 EST 1976): Richard Carpenter loved this song so much he adapted it and made it a chart topper in a version sung by his sister Karen! This version by the Canadian band Klaatu (a band once rumored to be the Beatles re-united in disguise) is seven minute ditty that combines a spacey, trippy feel with an immaculate, rich string, brass and piano arrangement and lovely vocal harmonies. It is right out of the Magical Mystery Tour playbook, hence the Beatles comparisons. Discounting the first 50 seconds or so, which is simply birdsong, the androgynous vocals layer on top of a mellotron and double track until the 1:45 minute mark is when the song shifts into melodic gear. Now you can listen to the 3:23 radio edit, but where's the fun in that--you miss the time and mood changes. You can hear a bit of early Pink Floyd, some David Bowie even a nod to King Crimsons Court of the Crimson King. The song is based on a 1953 event spurred by an organization called the "International Flying Saucer Bureau." They sent a message to all its members urging them to participate in an experiment termed "World Contact Day" whereby, at a predetermined date and time, they would attempt to collectively send out a telepathic message to visitors from outer space.
9. M'Ars Poetica (Solaris / Marsbéli Krónikák 1984) This is a instrumental interpretation of Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles by Hungarian band Solaris. Dominated by analog keys, the suite displays an overly melodic interplay between piano, guitar, and flute. They can get lumped in with Camel or late period Tangerine Dream. I almost chose the title track (which is deliciously bombastic) from the same album, but that track is actually 3 different songs and part of a side-long suite. What is more surprising, is that this song came out in 1984 when this style of music was faaaaar out of favor. However this was Hungary, so as a Soviet satellite, was likely 10 years behind the rest of the world culturally. Small favors from an oppressive state, I guess. Why I chose this is the song is the most aggressive (maybe intense is a better term) on the album in terms of guitar/synth interplay, but also layers in a bit of Hungarian folk.
10. 1984 (David Bowie / Diamond Dogs 1974) Not a great song, but because it is an artistic interpretation of one of my favorite novels (which can be argued really wasn't science fiction, but not today!), it gets a mention. It is brought low by the Shaft-inspired disco themes (wah wah guitar and treacly violin)...but considering true disco wouldn't come on the scene for another 2 years, you can make the argument that this is a song ahead of its time. And I love the line: "They'll split your pretty cranium, and fill it full of air And tell that you're eighty, but brother, you won't care." Sounds awfully familiar today. And, I chose this over Space Oddity for the same reason I left out Elton's Rocket Man---too obvious. Sorry to those who were hoping to find out more about Major Tom (who makes subsequent appearances in future Bowie songs: "Ashes to Ashes", "Hallo Spaceboy", "New Killer Star" and shown in his last music video: "Blackstar."
Here's a few more that just missed the cut:
· Astronomy Domine (Pink Floyd)
· No Spill Blood -- based on Wells' Island of Dr Moreau (Oingo Boingo)
· Planet Claire (B52s)
· Sirens of Titan (Al Stewart---yes, Year of the Cat Al Stewart)
· The Ballad Of Davy Crockett (In Outer Space) They Might be Giants
· Death Ray (Mogwai)
· I Love You Miss Robot (Buggles)
· Weird Science (Oingo Boingo)
· Welcome to Mars (Billy Nayer Show)
· Flight of the Moorglade (Jon Anderson)
· Science Fiction Suite (Acqua Fragile)
· Planet of Insects --based on Heinlein's Starship Trooper (Amplifier)
· Cyberdust from Mars (Karmakanic)
There's a bunch more out there including many by Iron Maiden (To Tame a Land which is about one of my favorite books, Dune, but the song just leaves me cold). I also didn't list Mars, Bringer of War by Emerson Lake and Palmer (based on Gustav Holst's The Planets because I had to draw the line somewhere! And I left off Kate Bush's Experiment IV (about a secret plan to create a sound that can kill people) simply because it's not one of her stronger pieces. And, I am also not a fan of Queen's Flash despite the long running, call and response inside joke in my house: Flash a-ah! Savior of the universe!.
What did I leave off the list? What shouldn't be on it? Challenge me.
WHAT I AM LISTENING TO THIS WEEK:
Nine Inch Nails Fragile-Right (US) 1999 Unlike their previous output, this NIN album tones down the industrial noise and relies more on soundscapes, electronic beats,ambient noise, rock-laden guitar, and the usage of melodies as harmonies. This may make it more "accessible," but I really like Reznor's experimentation--his use of minor key modalities and funk bass lines which provide an enjoyable foray through a variety of textures. NIN fans will gravitate towards "kick you in the nuts" songs like Starfuckers, but my preference is Where is Everybody or Ripe with Decay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7eAdBg6Z38
Panic! at the Disco Death of a Bachelor (US-Las Vegas) 2016 Last week, I added PatD to my list of bands I shouldn't like, but do. These guys have a excellent body of work to legitimize their standing in my eyes. This album gives me a bit of everything. They infuse a modern dance pop framework with a great deal of throwback sounds to days past. I heard some Queen, Blood Sweat and Tears, B52s and two obviously Sinatra-influenced songs. I like Pretty. Odd. and Vices and Virtues a bit more than this album, but apart from the first cut, "Victorious," there is no clunker on the album. Throughout this album, I catch them showcasing elements of glam, which reminds me of a little known, one-album band called Vaganza. There's a touch of the less gloomy parts from My Chemical Romance and some really well-executed swing grooves. There are about 4 truly superior cuts on this album, but I think the jive-juiced Crazy=Genius is pure magic. High energy jive (reminds you a bit of Brian Setzer) and the lyrics are awesome: "You dance on a tightrope of weird/Oh, but when I wake up /You're so normal that you just disappear/You're so straight like commuters/With briefcases towing the line/There's no residue of a torturer inside of your eyes" or the chorus refrain:"You're just like Mike Love but you wanna be Brian Wilson" --pretty much says everything about this song. I find this album to be the perfect bridge (peace offering?) between my friends who like music I find generally superfluous, cynically derivative and poorly executed (sorry, guys) like Demi Lovato, Drake and CardiB and my own library of preferences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrhTaT8WKFg
Brimstone Solar Radiation Band Smogasbord (Norway) 2009 These retro-philes out of Norway have put together a very tasty selection of psych-tinged art-rock songs enveloped in a modern mix and production value. This is more of the latter day Beatles meets Blue Cheer or possibly The Amboy Dukes or The Zombies However you describe it, it is not a complete 60's throwback--they have a definitive modern sensibility in putting together songs that actually try to downplay the retro-ness they wear on their sleeves. In all honesty, there is not a dud track among them. Later on they adjusted their band name to just Brimstone to further move away from the retro label.
https://brimstonenor.bandcamp.com/album/smorgasbord
Elton John The Big Picture (UK) 1997 Elton is recognized as one of the greats. But there is a 15 year period between his 7-year streak of sheer brilliance and a post-2001 renaissance of semi-good efforts, that all he put out was dreck. I don't even include the 5 year stretch from 78-83 he was completely coked out of his mind and recording without Bernie Taupin. From the mid 80s on, he was offering up junk that was so far removed from the sublime Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters or Burn Down the Mission that it might have been better if he never recorded. Most of his catalog of the period, including this stinker (and the horrid Disney stuff), borders on an over-orchestrated Johnny Mathis record that Nana might have liked. Or, possibly music for grossly rich people who aren't into music--like a gaudy rococo-style frame. This is one of those albums you find perennially in the $0.50 bin. It's a big step down from his previous mediocre effort Made in England. I try to find a nugget or two that, years ago, I might put on an Elton mix tape, but presciently-titled The End Will Come is about as close I can get.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVEHtkHOi-8
No Byrds? They were one of the pioneers of SF rock back in the mid-1960s...