Science Fiction References in Music

[the white drew carey]

Y'know, I was just listening to the Naked Raygun album, Jettison, and I was always amused by the references that two of their songs make.

The first song I'm referring to, "The Mule", takes it's name from a pivotal character in the novel Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov and, while not really about the book itself, definitely inspires it's mood and lyrics from all-encompassing events and scenarios found in that novel.

The song right after that, "Coldbringer" is directly based on Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

That led me to remember Method of Destruction (M.O.D. for short) also doing a song based on Batman: The Dark Knight Returns aptly titled: "The Dark Knight Returns".

So, what I'm curious about is what other songs you may know of which are based on Science Fiction, comic book, or some other similar culture that one wouldn't normally find expressed in music?

Edited September 16, 2005 by the white drew carey

[Beltane70]

Do bands named after science fiction characters count?

Two bands that come to mind are T'pau, named after a Star Trek character, and Duran Duran named from a chracter in Barbarella.

[Noriko Takaya]

This is really lame because I'm even admitting this, but I own a CD of Kim Wildes' second album Teases and Dares and there is a song on there called Blade Runner, which is to make a long story short, about Blade Runner. There are even some audio clips from the movie, and this song was not approved by the licensors of the movie. If anyone is interested in hearing this song, PM me. I'll upload it to my server so you can sample it.

[Jolly Rogers]

Iron Maiden has many songs inspired by sci-fi, books, and history. For example, To Tame a Land off their Piece of Mind album is based on Dune.

[yellowlightman]

Tha band Haujobb was based on a reference from Blade Runner. Haujobb is an incorrect translation of "skinjob."

Led Zeppelin wrote some songs about Lord of the Rings, that's... almost science fiction.

The Darren Hayes song, Good Enough has the line:

But I like everything Spielberg's done / except A.I.

[Phyrox]

Don't forget several songs by Blue Öyster Cult, although these aren't really a surprise...

[JsARCLIGHT]

White Zombie's "More Human Than Human" has a few lyrics and it's name lifted directly from Blade Runner...

Information Society's "What's on Your Mind" is possibly the most known one I know that features direct lifts from Star Trek of Kirk, Spock and Bones... most notable being Spock's "Pure Energy" like every five seconds...

[JELEINEN]

Neil Diamond - Turn On Your Heartlight, which was about ET.

[JELEINEN]

On a different note, Blue Oyster Cult had a lot of SF references (including songs written by Michael Moorcock) such as Veteran of a Thousand Pyschic Wars, Black Blade, and Godzilla.

Edited September 17, 2005 by JELEINEN

[the white drew carey]

Band names count. Let's not forget Shai Hulud.

[JELEINEN]

Yes had a song called Starship Troopers.

[Wesker99]

Theres a sci-fi reference in Fatboy Slim's Weapon of Choice. It's "Walk without rhythm and you won't attract the worm." I'm thinking it's a huge dune reference, but I guess I could be wrong.

That and Leonard Nimoy's Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.

EDIT: This is more Horror than Sci-Fi, but Gorillaz frequently uses samples from George Romero's Dead movies in their songs. (M1A1, and the intro to their new CD)

EDIT(2): System of a Down's I-E-A-I-A-I-O uses a riff from the Knight Rider theme, and the one line is "Former cop, undercover, just got shot, now recoverd" which is a reference to Michael Knights origins.

Edited September 17, 2005 by Wesker99

[Mr March]

The Red Hot Chili Pepper's song Californication (from the 1999 album of the same name) features several referential lyrics to science fiction.

"Space may be the final frontier,

But it's made in a Hollywood basement.

Cobain can you hear the spheres,

Singing songs off station to station

And Alderaans not far away

It's Californication"

Jamiroquai's 1996 album Travelling Without Moving (itself a reference to Herbert's "Dune") features several songs referencing science fiction, with the single song Cosmic Girl providing probably the most overt examples.

"Like some baby Barbarella,

With the Stars as her umbrella,

She asked me if I'd like to magnetize

Step in my transporter,

So I can teleport ya.

Sends me into hyperspace,

Where I see her pretty face"

Edited September 17, 2005 by Mr March

[Nied]

Led Zeppelin wrote some songs about Lord of the Rings, that's... almost science fiction.

The only one that I can think of is Ramble On which isn't really about LOTR but does have a reference to it in the last verse

Mine's a tale that can't be told, my freedom I hold dear.

How years ago in days of old, when magic filled the air.

T'was in the darkest depths of Mordor, I met a girl so fair.

But Gollum, and the evil one crept up and slipped away with her, her, her....yeah.

Also my favorite song Led Zeppelin song Kashmir is I think a Dune reference (it's been a while since I listened to the song).

[JELEINEN]

Led Zeppelin wrote some songs about Lord of the Rings, that's... almost science fiction.

The only one that I can think of is Ramble On which isn't really about LOTR but does have a reference to it in the last verse

Mine's a tale that can't be told, my freedom I hold dear.

How years ago in days of old, when magic filled the air.

T'was in the darkest depths of Mordor, I met a girl so fair.

But Gollum, and the evil one crept up and slipped away with her, her, her....yeah.

Also my favorite song Led Zeppelin song Kashmir is I think a Dune reference (it's been a while since I listened to the song).

329352[/snapback]

Misty Mountain Hop has the obvious title reference. Battle of Evermore has the line "the Ring Wraiths are out in black."

Kashmir is about an imaginary trip to Kashmir that Page and Plant wrote while in Morrocco (it's obvious from the song that they've never actually been there).

Edited September 18, 2005 by JELEINEN

[Father Jack]

A couple of blink 182 songs

They have one that was all about star wars (Specifically princess leia, but I can't remember the name.)

Also their song Aliens Exist ends with the phrase "Twelve majestic lies." Which is a refrence to majestic 12 which has been used in numerous sci-fi works.

[Macross_Fanboy]

Well, I know that Hittman mentioned Megatron and Starscream in Dre's Chronic 2001.

[Amped]

Let's not forget Anthrax's ode to Judge Dredd: "I AM THE LAW"