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

1950s

• "The Flying Saucer Parts 1 & 2" by Bill Buchanan and Dickie Goodman^[1]
• "My Flying Saucer" lyrics by Woodie Guthrie 1950; recorded later by Billy Bragg and Wilco†
• "The Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley^[2][3][4]
• "Two Little Men In A Flying Saucer" by Ella Fitzgerald^[2][5]
• "Flyin' Saucers Rock & Roll" by Billy Lee Riley and Jerry Lee Lewis^[1]

1960s

• "Let There Be More Light" by Pink Floyd^[6]
• "Mr. Spaceman" by The Byrds^[2][5]
• "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" by Pink Floyd^[6]
• "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^[5]
• "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" by Klaatu (cover by The Carpenters†^[5][2][4])
• "Childhood's End" by Pink Floyd^[6]
• "Come Sail Away" by Styx^[2]†
• "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)^[5]
• "I've Seen the Saucers" by Elton John^[2]
• "Longer Boats" by Cat Stevens
• "Martian Boogie" by Brownsville Station
• "Mothership Connection" by Parliament^[5]
• "Starman" by David Bowie^[5]
• "Starship Trooper" by Yes^[2]
• "Arriving UFO" by Yes^[7]
• "Waiting for the UFOs" by Graham Parker^[2]
• "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^[2]
• "Flying Saucers" by Nina Hagen^[4]
• "Love Walks In" by Van Halen^[8][9]
• "Loving the Alien" by David Bowie^[2]
• "No Doubt About It" by Hot Chocolate
• "Nobody Told Me" by John Lennon^[7]
• "Rapture" by Blondie^[5]
• "Zero Zero UFO" by The Ramones^[7]
• "I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock of Seagulls^[10]
• "Caught in the Crossfire" by April Wine

1990s

• "The Alien Song (For Those Who Listen)" by Mila Jovovich
• "El Aparato ("The Apparatus")" by Café Tacvba
• "Alien (I Am)" by Hawkwind^[3]
• "Aliens Exist" by Blink-182^[2][4]
• "Alien Visitors" by Man or Astro-man?^[5]
• "Another Sunday" by I Mother Earth
• "Fell in Love with an Alien" by the Kelly Family
• "Hangar 18" by Megadeth^[2][4]
• "Hat Too Flat" by Walter Becker^[5]
• "I Made Love to a Martian" by Mustard Plug^[2]
• "Martian Dance Invasion" by Brainiac^[5]
• "Motorway to Roswell" by Pixies^[5]
• "Scent of a Mule" by Phish^[7]
• "Shades of Grey" by Stuart Davis^[3]
• "Spaceman" by Babylon Zoo
• "Subterranean Homesick Alien" by Radiohead^[11]†
• "The Happening" by Pixies^[12]
• "Who's There?" by Smash Mouth
• "Spaceman" by Bif Naked
• "Is That You Mo-Dean?" by The B-52s

2000s to present

• "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...",^[13][14] the opening song performed at the NASA Concert Celebration for 50th Anniversary of Neil Armstrong & Apollo 11 starring Rick Armstrong on bass & guitar^[15][16]
• "The Aliens Are Here" by The Hippos, 2000
• "And You Thought the Doctor's Probe Hurt" by Belvedere, 2002^[5]
• "Jaadoo, Jaadoo" by Rajesh Roshan (on Koi... Mil Gaya soundtrack), 2003^[5]
• "Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois" by Sufjan Stevens on Illinois, 2005
• "Aliens" by Doctor Octagon, 2006^[2]
• "UFO"† by Sneaky Sound System, 2006
• "Rosetta Stoned", by Tool on 10,000 Days, 2006
• "We're Not Alone" by Nas on Untitled Nas album, 2008^[2]
• "Spaceman" by The Killers, 2008
• "Venus Ambassador" by Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears, 2009
• "E.T." by Katy Perry, featuring Kanye West, 2010^[2]
• "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"^[17][18]
• "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"^[19]
• "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^[20]
• "Herd Culling" by Porcupine Tree on CLOSURE/CONTINUATION, 2022
• "Silver Circles" by Upchurch, 2023^[21]
• "End of the World" by Tom MacDonald, 2023^[22]

Notes

† Bumper music on StarTalk UFO episode^[23]

References

Further reading

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