Happy Music Monday! Join us now, as we race into… THE FUTUREturetureturetureture! A great many songs in modern music are secretly about science fiction. Today Scott's picked five that he likes the best, and hopes you can throw a few more his way in the comments. Now strap yourselves in, because we're headed out into the stars. Three. Two. One. Ignition. LIFT OFF!
Blue Oyster Cult - Veteran Of The Psychic Wars
Co-written by no less than author Michael Moorcock, this sad story of the survivor of a maddening future war carries the plodding step of the soldier under grinding guitar and icy keyboard. Can't you just hear the starships overhead? To say nothing of those initials that are near and dear to any Wooter's heart.
Four more sci-fi classics inside. We're turning on the hyperspace engines now. We'll see you after the jump.
As always, remember our Spotify playlist will be featuring a great selection from last week's Music Monday comments. The theme of the mix this time is Summertime Songs and it'll be a mix you can enjoy for a few more months. But before you start reminiscing, check out our current Music Monday, right now.
Name one other song that deals with Special Relativity. Name ONE song. Because of the skiffly feel, lots of people (including me) assumed this song was set in 1939, but NOPE. It's a '39 far in the future, when people can go faster than the speed of light, experience time dilation, and return home far younger than their children and friends. The moral of this song? Never, ever doubt a man who is both a rock star and an astrophysics professor.
Between the hand and the mind is the heart. Sound familiar? Janelle Monae is pretty open that her story of a time-traveling android draws from sci-fi classic Metropolis. But it's not just a simple cover. This mix of synth and funk and beats and Sesame Street and, like, everything makes this Afrofuturistic sci-fi pretty awesome.
Mike Batt - Love Makes You Crazy
It really doesn't get more '80s than the line Before the seventh war, there used to be a thing that they called love, right? Mike Batt isn't what anyone would call a superstar, but the staccato chorus of Future Guy doing a PSA against love is worth a nod. Also take note of this video, Tennant fans, because this is how Doctor Who is SUPPOSED to look.
Yes, every teen boy who loves guitar has passed through their Rush phase, and the opening notes of Red Barchetta mix mellow with rockin' in a way that only Canadians can manage. But listen close to the lyrics, and you'll see the secret: this song takes place in a world where the oil companies have lost out to a government who sends policemen after sports cars! And if THAT'S not sci-fi, what is?
You know there's more out there. Scott knows there's more out there. So fill our comments with songs that are actually Sci-Fi stories and let's all tour the galaxy together, huh? And, as always, Space Station Turntable.fm room is therefore the regular Music Monday enjoyment, if you care to dock. Also, let us just remind you: some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use.