12 C3: Sci-Fi References in Music List
Description
This article is from the SF references in music List FAQ, by Rich Kulawiec rsk@gsp.org with numerous contributions by others.
12 C3: Sci-Fi References in Music List
Cooder, Ry:
"UFO has Landed in the Ghetto" from "The Slide Area". Cooder is
extremely well-regarded among other professional guitar players,
and is known responsible (with Steve Vai) for the music in the
film "Crossroads".
Consolidated:
Rap group, used a sample from They Live!. It's part of the speech that
someone (the President?) is holding on TV. Part of it is "We have faith in our
leaders".
Cope, Julian:
Lots of fantasy-new age stuff, but specifically on his album
"Jehovakill" is a Philip K. Dick quote in the liner. "Upwards at 45
Degrees" talks about alien abduction/harvesting humans?, two SF-ish
instrumentals: "Necropolis" and "The Subtle Energies Commission" as
well as "The Tower" about a boy/man who awakens in a land of hostile
warrior women. His album "My Nation Underground" has a liner quote
from the comic book "Watchmen" as well as a song about armageddon "5
O'Clock World." His album "Autogeddon" is mostly about how cars are
bad for the Earth, and includes the SF joyride "Starcar."
Costello, Elvis:
"Tokyo Storm Warning" from "Blood and Chocolate"; mentions the cheap
sets found in some Japanese horror/sf movies. (In the sleeve notes to
"Girls Girls Girls" (a retrospective collection of Elvis Costello + The
Attractions songs) Costello says that Tokyo Storm Warning is influenced
by "brutal SF stories", and mentions Philip K Dick as one of the
influences.) "Waiting for the End of the World" from "My Aim Is True",
(self explanatory) and "Night Rally" (fascist rally/totalitarian government)
"Hurry Down Doomsday (the Bugs Are Taking Over)" from "Mighty Like a
Rose". "Satellite" from the album _Spike_ is based on concepts from
"Radio Free Albemuth" by Philip K. Dick. "My Science-Fiction Twin" from
"Brutal Youth" mentions a lot of SF cliches, including "The Attack
of the Fifty-Foot Woman".
Crack the Sky:
"Robots for Ronnie" off "Crack the Sky" (not about Ronnie Reagan, but
could easily be adapted!). "Invaders from Mars" off "Animal Notes"
(the martians are coming for our hero, but he doesn't care, 'cause
it's probably better over there!). "Nuclear Apathy" off "Safety in
Numbers" discusses how the situation looks to those on the Moon.
Cracker:
Led by David Lowery, formerly of Camper Van Beethoven.
"Nostalgia" (from "Kerosene Hat", 1993) is about a stranded cosmonaut,
also mentioned on the single "Low", from the same album.
Cramps:
Contributed a song to the soundtrack of "Return of the Living Dead",
called "Surfin' Dead" (about zombies and the like, not
to mention numerous uses of 50's-60's era hot-rod lingo.)
Crash Test Dummies:
A Canadian group. "Superman Song" from their first album, "The Ghosts that
Haunt Me", is about the man of steel himself, comparing his lifestyle to that
of Tarzan.
The Cravats:
A number of albums contain SF references. For example the album "The
Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes" uses recordings from TV's "The
Twilight Zone" and "The Prisoner" plus the film "Them!". The title
track ends with the narrator's father being eaten by his roses. The
Cravats later turned into The Very Things and released the album
"Motortown!", which contains the track "The Land of the Giants" about
the TV series.
Cream:
(Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Jack Bruce.)
"Tales of Brave Ulysses" from "Disraeli Gears" is *not* about the
well-known mythological character; it's about Eric Clapton's holiday
in Greece. "Those Were the Days" from "Wheels of Fire" is about Atlantis.
The Creatures:
"Pluto Drive" from "Boomerang".
Creedence Clearwater Revival:
"It Come Out of the Sky".
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young:
"Wooden Ships" is a resigned tale of survival in a post-nuclear world.
(Written by Crosby, Stills, and Kantner; see "Jefferson Airplane".)
"Teach Your Children" is part of the soundtrack to "Silent Running".
The Cure:
On the "Faith" LP there is a track called "The Drowning Man" based on
chapter 75 in 'Gormenghast' by Mervyn Peake describing the death of Fuschia.
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