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This is a list of songs whose lyrics and themes are about close encounters with extraterrestrial aliens.

1940s

• "(When You See) Those Flying Saucers" by The Buchanan Brothers, released in July 1947, less than one month after the Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting which started the flying saucer era

1950s

• "The Flying Saucer Parts 1 & 2" by Bill Buchanan and Dickie Goodman
• "My Flying Saucer" lyrics by Woodie Guthrie 1950; recorded later by Billy Bragg and Wilco†
• "The Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley
• "Two Little Men In A Flying Saucer" by Ella Fitzgerald
• "Flyin' Saucers Rock & Roll" by Billy Lee Riley and Jerry Lee Lewis

1960s

• "Let There Be More Light" by Pink Floyd
• "Mr. Spaceman" by The Byrds
• "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" by Pink Floyd
• "Voices Green and Purple" by The Bees
• "It Came Out of the Sky" Creedence Clearwater Revival
• "Have You Seen the Saucers" by Jefferson Airplane
• "U.F.O." by "Jim Sullivan"

1970s

• "After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young
• "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" by Klaatu (cover by The Carpenters†)
• "Childhood's End" by Pink Floyd
• "Come Sail Away" by Styx†
• "Here Come the Martian Martians" by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
• "Horsell Commons and the Heat Ray" by Jeff Wayne (Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds)
• "I've Seen the Saucers" by Elton John
• "Longer Boats" by Cat Stevens
• "Martian Boogie" by Brownsville Station
• "Mothership Connection" by Parliament
• "Starman" by David Bowie
• "Starship Trooper" by Yes
• "Arriving UFO" by Yes
• "Waiting for the UFOs" by Graham Parker
• "Silver Lights" Sammy Hagar
• "UFO" by Johnny Rivers
• "Children of the Sun" Billy Thorpe
• "Starrider" by Foreigner
• "Strange Ships" by Fox
• "Ships in the Sky" by Wishbone Ash

1980s

• "Fire Of Unknown Origin" by Blue Öyster Cult
• "Books about UFOs" by Hüsker Dü
• "Flying Saucers" by Nina Hagen
• "Love Walks In" by Van Halen
• "Loving the Alien" by David Bowie
• "No Doubt About It" by Hot Chocolate
• "Nobody Told Me" by John Lennon
• "Rapture" by Blondie
• "Zero Zero UFO" by The Ramones
• "I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock of Seagulls
• "Caught in the Crossfire" by April Wine
• "Don't Be Late" by Saga

1990s

• "The Alien Song (For Those Who Listen)" by Mila Jovovich
• "El Aparato ("The Apparatus")" by Café Tacvba
• "Alien (I Am)" by Hawkwind
• "Aliens Exist" by Blink-182
• "Alien Visitors" by Man or Astro-man?
• "Another Sunday" by I Mother Earth
• "Fell in Love with an Alien" by the Kelly Family
• "Hangar 18" by Megadeth
• "Hat Too Flat" by Walter Becker
• "I Made Love to a Martian" by Mustard Plug
• "Girl from Mars" by Ash
• "Martian Dance Invasion" by Brainiac
• "Motorway to Roswell" by Pixies
• "Scent of a Mule" by Phish
• "Shades of Grey" by Stuart Davis
• "Spaceman" by Babylon Zoo
• "Subterranean Homesick Alien" by Radiohead†
• "The Happening" by Pixies
• "Who's There?" by Smash Mouth
• "Spaceman" by Bif Naked
• "Is That You Mo-Dean?" by The B-52s
• "Men in Black" by Will Smith

2000s to present

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (January 2021)

• "Fracture" by Edison's Children (Neil Armstrong's son's band) from their 11/11/2011 released album about an Alien Abduction "In The Last Waking Moments...", the opening song performed at the NASA Concert Celebration for 50th Anniversary of Neil Armstrong & Apollo 11 starring Rick Armstrong on bass & guitar
• "The Aliens Are Here" by The Hippos, 2000
• "And You Thought the Doctor's Probe Hurt" by Belvedere, 2002
• "Jaadoo, Jaadoo" by Rajesh Roshan (on Koi... Mil Gaya soundtrack), 2003
• "Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois" by Sufjan Stevens on Illinois, 2005
• "Aliens" by Doctor Octagon, 2006
• "UFO"† by Sneaky Sound System, 2006
• "Rosetta Stoned", by Tool on 10,000 Days, 2006
• "Fallout of the 4th Kind", by Edison's Children on In The Last Waking Moments..., 2011, in this creepy final section of Edison's Children's alien abduction concept album our protagonist wakes up inside the hull of UAP to find that this was not a descent into madness, as he was led to believe by doctors and family in the previous song "The Awakening", but really happening to him.
• "We're Not Alone" by Nas on Untitled Nas album, 2008
• "Spaceman" by The Killers, 2008
• "Venus Ambassador" by Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears, 2009
• "E.T." by Katy Perry, featuring Kanye West, 2010
• "Zopilotes" ("Black Vultures") by Café Tacuba on El Objeto Antes Llamado Disco, 2012
• "A Million Miles Away (I Wish I Had A Time Machine)" by Astronaut Neil Armstrong's son's band Edison's Children from "In The Last Waking Moments...", 11/11/11 *Tweeted by Giorgio A. Tsoukalos in 2011 after having it and The Awakening played for him in a private acoustic concert in Chicago"
• "The Awakening" by Astronaut Neil Armstrong's son's band Edison's Children from "In The Last Waking Moments...", 11/11/11 *Tweeted by Giorgio A. Tsoukalos in 2011 after having it & A Million Miles Away (I Wish I Had A Time Machine" played for him in a private acoustic concert in Chicago"
• "Ancient Aliens" by Lemon Demon on Spirit Phone, 2016
• "Decks Dark" by Radiohead on A Moon Shaped Pool, 2016
• "Hey Aliens" by The Bouncing Souls on Simplicity, 2016
• "Spaceship" by Kesha, 2017
• "Herd Culling" by Porcupine Tree on CLOSURE/CONTINUATION, 2022
• "Silver Circles" by Upchurch, 2023
• "End of the World" by Tom MacDonald, 2023
• "Staring at the Stars" by Dan Marfisi and Glenn Jordan, 2023 (recorded 1998)
• "An Alien Abduction Story (The Probing)" by The Schnooks, 2024

Notes

† Bumper music on StarTalk UFO episode

References

1. Sharples, John (2016). "Sky and Stardust: The Flying Saucer in American Popular Culture, 1947–1957". Cultural and Social History. 13 (1): 81–98. doi:10.1080/14780038.2015.1095447.
2. ^ Blevins, Joe (April 26, 2016), "Let's celebrate Alien Day with crazy late 1950s novelty songs", The A.V. Club
3. ^ Brophy, Aaron (July 2, 2013), "World UFO Day: 20 Songs About Aliens By Everyone From Ella And Elton to Katy And Kanye", Huffington Post
4. ^ Boros, Chris (April 1, 2010), Extraterrestrial Tunes: Songs About Aliens, NPR
5. ^ Rutkowski, C.A. (2010). "Top 15 recorded songs about aliens or UFOs". The Big Book of UFOs. Dundurn Group. p. 301. ISBN 978-1-55488-760-6. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
6. ^ Berlatsky, Noah (February 22, 2014), "18 songs about aliens that will get you looking skyward: From Blondie to Bowie, here's your space-invaders playlist!", Salon.com
7. ^ Canavan, G.; Link, E.C. (2018). The Cambridge History of Science Fiction. Cambridge University Press. p. 485. ISBN 978-1-316-73301-1. A Saucerful of Secrets featured songs such as "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" and "Let There Be More Light", whose lyrics reference a benevolent alien invasion similar to the one found in Arthur C. Clarke's novel Childhood's End. Pink Floyd again paid tribute to Clarke with a song titled "Childhood's End", which was featured on the soundtrack of the Barbet Schroeder film La Valee (1972).
8. ^ Spignesi, S.J. (2000). "14 songs about UFOs and aliens". The Ufo Book of Lists. Citadel Press. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-8065-2109-1. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
9. "Van Halen - "Love Walks In" - Live Without A Net (1986)". YouTube. 19 October 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
10. Tannenbaum, Rob (October 6, 2020). "Eddie Van Halen's 12 Essential Songs". New York Times.
11. Allen, Craig (12 September 2019), Craig Allen's Fun Facts: "I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock Of Seagulls, WKXW
12. Footman, Tim (2007). Welcome to the Machine: OK Computer and the Death of the Classic Album. New Malden: Chrome Dreams. p. 62. ISBN 978-1-84240-388-4.
13. Starr, Joshua (May 9, 2011), Planet of Sound: Pixies, "The Happening"
14. "Edison's Children: In the Last Waking Moments". 18 July 2012.
15. "Edison's Children - in the Last Waking Moments... By Pete Trewavas and Eric Blackwood".
16. "Alan Parsons headlines 50th anniversary celebration of Apollo 11". 22 July 2019.
17. "Edison's Children Setlist at Celebrating Apollo 2019". setlist.fm.
18. "Edison's Children: In the Last Waking Moments". 18 July 2012.
19. "Edison's Children - in the Last Waking Moments... By Pete Trewavas and Eric Blackwood".
20. "Edison's Children: In the Last Waking Moments". 18 July 2012.
21. https://edisonschildren.com/Press.html; Classic Rock Society
22. "Edison's Children: In the Last Waking Moments". 18 July 2012.
23. Scott, Katie (July 10, 2017), Kesha credits inspiration for new album to alien encounter, Global News
24. "Pioneer by Upchurch" – via Apple Music.
25. "Tom MacDonald" – via Apple Music.
26. "The Schnooks" – via YouTube.
27. Extended Classic: UFO Remix StarTalk Season 8, episode 4, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Further reading

• Luckman, M. (2010). Alien Rock: The Rock 'n' Roll Extraterrestrial Connection. Gallery Books. ISBN 978-1-4516-0432-0.

• Lists of songs about a topic
• Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
• Songs about extraterrestrial life