[Note: check out any videos that might interest you at the links below.]
Last September, we did a quick flyover of Sci-Fi Rock ‘n Roll (see Rock ’n Roll – It’s Out Of This World). Anticipating winter, I thought putting together a playlist of my favorites would be fun. Well, winter didn’t go as planned. However, encouraged by fans (yes, I know—a tidbit of presumption), I’ve put together Steve’s SciFi Favorites.
I chose twenty as a manageable number that lasts about an hour and a half. The selection method was semi-scientific.
The easy ones were those I listened to even before working on the list:
Rapture by Blondie (check out the video here)
Rocket Man by Elton John (with the bonus of a video of an interpretive reading by William Shatner)
Space Oddity by David Bowie
Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra (How can you not include Frank in any playlist?)
Some I chose more for the video than the song. But the music is fabulous on its own. Check these out:
Intergalactic by the Beastie Boys (video)
Hangar 18 by Megadeth (video)
There were several I chose as a nod to the music or groups I grew up listening to:
’39 by Queen
Mr. Spaceman by The Byrds (with a bonus version, again featuring William Shatner)
In the Year 2525 by Zager and Evans (with a spookily prophetic video)
2000 Light Years from Home by the Rolling Stones
And I included a couple just for fun:
Particle Man by They Might Be Giants (of Fish Heads fame)
Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley (video)
As a final note, the songs cover many of the science fiction sub-genres. We’ve got aliens coming to eat humans (Rapture, Purple People Eater), outer space exploration (Rocket Man, Space Oddity), escaping Earth (Final Countdown), time travel/relativity (’39), and even a dystopian future (In the Year 2525). And maybe an alien abduction song (Spaceman). Check out the lyrics and see what other science fiction themes you can identify.
Here’s the iTunes playlist. We’ll see how long it takes to get in the “overplayed” category.
Here’s the readable list:
| Song Title | Length | Artist | Album | Genre |
| Rapture | 6:31 | Blondie | Autoamerican | Rock |
| Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To …) [Remastered] | 4:42 | Elton John | Diamonds (Deluxe) | Pop |
| Space Oddity | 5:16 | David Bowie | Best of Bowie | Rock |
| Fly Me to the Moon (feat. Count Basie and His Orchestra) | 2:28 | Frank Sinatra | Nothing But the Best (Remastered) | Jazz |
| Mr. Roboto | 5:29 | Styx | Greatest Hits | Rock |
| Iron Man | 5:55 | Black Sabbath | Paranoid | Metal |
| Mr. Spaceman | 2:09 | The Byrds | Greatest Hits | Rock |
| 2000 Light Years from Home | 4:45 | The Rolling Stones | Their Satanic Majesties Request | Rock |
| In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus) | 3:20 | Zager & Evans | In the Year 2525 (Exordium Terminus) | Rock |
| The Final Countdown | 5:10 | Europe | The Final Countdown (Expanded Edition) | Hard Rock |
| Intergalactic | 3:51 | Beastie Boys | Hello Nasty | Hip-Hop/Rap |
| Purple People Eater (Remastered) | 2:15 | Sheb Wooley | Purple People Eater (Remastered) – Single | Country |
| Hangar 18 | 5:14 | Megadeth | Rust In Peace (Remastered) | Metal |
| Interstellar Overdrive | 9:41 | Pink Floyd | The Piper at the Gates of Dawn | Rock |
| Particle Man | 1:56 | They Might Be Giants | Flood | Alternative |
| Spaceman | 4:45 | The Killers | Day & Age | Alternative |
| Through the Never | 4:04 | Metallica | Metallica | Metal |
| Space Station #5 | 5:15 | Montrose | Montrose | Hard Rock |
| ’39 | 3:31 | Queen | A Night at the Opera (Deluxe Edition) | Rock |
| Caught Somewhere In Time (2015 Remastered Version) | 7:27 | Iron Maiden | Somewhere in Time (2015 Remastered … | Metal |
In my post last year, I included links to lists others have compiled. One such list is The 23 Greatest Sci-Fi Songs of All Time. Gizmodo put out a list, The Top 100 Science Fiction-Themed Songs Of All Time, as did Ranker with The 100 Best Science Fiction-Themed Songs of All Time. I relied on these lists to find songs I wasn’t personally familiar with. It was fun listening to dozens of songs and picking my favorites.
So, what do you think? Do you have some favorites? Are there any songs that should have made my list? Do you like science fiction songs, or are they not on your playlist?
Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by.
[Disclaimer: Please accept my apologies for any ads that pop up before the linked videos. They do not reflect my position, nor do I endorse any of the products. It’s just a YouTube thing I can’t get around.]