57 W2: 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.
57 W2: Sci-Fi References in Music List
Weezer:
The song "In the Garage" references playing Dungeons & Dragons.
White Zombie:
Song, "More Human Than Human," which seems to be based loosely
on _Blade_Runner_.
Who, The:
"Tommy" is half-fantasy, half-opera. "905" from "Who Are You?".
Also "Rael" from "The Who Sell Out". "Baba O'Riley" from "Who's Next"
seems to possibly be about some post-holocaust world. (Note:
"Baba O'Riley" and other tidbits were part of the very SF-ish
concept album "Lifehouse", which was never released.)
See also "Dr. Jimmy" from Quadrophenia (depends on
how you interpret it).
Some commentary on The Who from Laurent Mousson:
The Who dabbled quite a lot with SF, although little of it ever
leaked out. In 1966, Townshend begun writing a musical called
"Quads", set in 1999, at a time when people can choose the sex
of their children. In a family who asked for four girls, a boy
is born, and his mother can't cope with it. This is the
storyline of "I'm a boy", which is the only song that was
probably written for the project in the end.
In 1967, you mention "Rael" from "The Who Sell Out", which is
also set in the future, and has something to do with
overpopulation. The "Red Chins" mentioned at the beginning of
the lyric are a (thin) disguise for the Red Chinese, which were
quite a cliche of the Era. A bit later, John Entwistle Wrote a
B-side entitled "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", about coping with
drummer Keith Moon's antics on the road (Which is SF indeed).
"Tommy" (1969) once bore the "A Journey Through Space" working
title. And when Kit Lambert, the band's manager, wrote a script
to Tommy, in order to try and clear the confusion in
Townshend's mind about the plot, he entitled it "Tommy : 1914 -
1984", which was anticipation at the time.
In 1971, Townshend launched another project (quite a
megalomaniac one) called "Lifehouse", a sort of Rock'n'Roll
"Fahrenheit 451" mingled with Meher Baba's (Townshend's guru)
teachings, including the Who playing a six-month long concert,
in search for "the Note in us all". It was a resounding flop,
but the debris surfaced in the "Who's Next" and "Odds and Sods"
albums, as well as the 3 singles that followed "Who's Next"
("Let's See Action", "Relay", "Join Together"), as well as in
Townshend's solo album "Psychoderelict" (1994). The question
that remains, about this album is "Was the cover meant to be a
send-up of the monolith in '2001, a Space Odyssey' ?". John
Entwistle seems to have said once it was the case...
In 1977, John Entwistle (bass player) started writing a
"Science-Fiction Rock Opera" which aborted and led to both
Entwistle songs eventually included in 1978 on "Who are You".
That's about it for the Who. I know I'm being terribly
pedantic, but I can't help it. All this info can be found in
Dave Marsh's book "Before I Get Old : The Story Of the Who".
Wilde, Kim:
"Blade Runner" (album "Teases And Dares", 1986)
Somehow related to Ridley Scott's movie, features samples from the film.
Williams, Dar:
Massachusetts-based singer/songwriter. "The Great Unknown", from her
album "The Honesty Room", is primarily about mistrust of citizens by
the government, using nuclear technology as the context. (And, if your
editor may pause to indulge his musical tastes for a moment, this album
and "Mortal City" are brilliant little gems that need to be on your shelf.)
Tony Williams Lifetime:
"Believe It" conatins the track "Mr. Spock" Re-released as "The Collection".
Winders, Wim:
The soundtrack "Until the End of the World" soundtrack from the
Wim Wenders' film of the same name is listed here because a number
of artists contributed to it. The movie is a futuristic thriller
about the end of the world, and the music supports the action.
Some terrific stuff from U2, REM, Talking Heads, Lou Reed, and many others.
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