Today, July 20, marks the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, and to celebrate, here are nine awesome songs that are about outer space and space travel.
1 & 2. Pink Floyd - "Astronomy Domine/Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" (1967/1968)
Pink Floyd may be thought of as a "space rock" band, but they actually didn't sing about space very often (despite naming their biggest album The Dark Side of the Moon, which is a metaphor for insanity). However, these two songs from the band's early catalogue directly deal with themes of outer space, and are complemented by heavily psychedelic atmospheres and production.
3. David Bowie - "Space Oddity" (1969)
"Space Oddity" is an obvious choice for this list, since it tells the story of an astronaut and coincided directly with the Apollo 11 mission, which began just nine days after the single was released. Bowie would revisit the song's lead character Major Tom for his 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes."
4 & 5. The B-52's - "Planet Claire/There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)" (1979)
The opening track to the B-52's debut album is the campy sci-fi classic "Planet Claire," which describes a fictional planet where "no one has a head," but this isn't the only space-themed song on the album: the ridiculously titled "There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)" also deals with astronomy, but in a more general way, with lyrics about the planets, Andromeda, and of course, the moon.
6. The Cramps - "Rock On The Moon" (1980)
Back before any human had ever been to outer space, an obscure rockabilly singer named Jimmy Stewart wrote "Rock On The Moon," which is, of course, rockin' out on the moon. Psychobilly band the Cramps would bring this song to a bigger audience with their version of their debut album Songs the Lord Taught Us.
7. Blur - "Far Out" (1994)
The only song on Blur's Parklife album featuring lyrics by bassist Alex James is the brief sci-fi ditty "Far Out," which recalls the whimsical, off-kilter work of Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett.
8. Radiohead - "Sail to the Moon" (2003)
Though this song isn't literally about space travel, Thom Yorke does use the beautiful image of sailing to the moon as a metaphor for what he believes his son Noah can accomplish in his lifetime. Plus, its haunting, ethereal piano figure perfectly conjures up images of a clear night sky.
9. Anything by Hawkwind
If there were any band that completely deserves the "space rock" label, it would be Hawkwind, whose 1973 live album Space Ritual is a master class in heavy, otherworldly psychedelic music. Any album with a song titled "Master of the Universe" is probably going to be an epic, mind-melting experience.
What are some of your favorite space rock songs? Let us know in the comments section below!
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