Name: The Astronaut's Playlist: Groovy Songs for Space Travelers
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The Astronaut's Playlist: Groovy Songs for Space Travelers

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Space is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. .When you're out exploring the universe, what kind of music should you listen to?The answer is very personal to the spaceflyer, the culture and perhaps even the decade when they flew — but what is true to say of all eras is there is a heck of a lot of great space music out there. Some even were played in space, like this list of NASA , or this from the Voyager mission Golden Record that eventually left our solar system.It's hard to pick favorites and even more difficult to build a list of suggestions, but we've done our best. In 2011, the Space.com staff came up with a few favorites and now we have updated that top pick list for the 2020s. Below, we also added a huge table with space music over the decades, based on our research.A couple of cautions here. Our staff is North American and European and as such, we stuck with English-language songs or instrumental songs so as not to make any cultural mistakes. But we'd love to hear your suggestions for international music in the forum.We also tried to stick with songs that are family-friendly, but we advise that parents should prescreen this list of music before showing these selections to their kids.Enjoy these selections!In 2013, then-International Space Station commander Chris Hadfield released this famous space tune from his home in orbit.&nbsp;He received permission from original composer David Bowie to perform the work and created an epic video, thanks to the help of fellow crewmates.&nbsp;Note that Hadfield recorded the whole thing during his limited spare time in space, while running the most scientifically productive crew on the station of the era.This evocative song could be interpreted as a woman who has just returned from an epic spaceflight, or who has undertaken a spiritual journey that fundamentally changed her viewpoint on the world.&nbsp;The poetry in this music is very soulful and representative of the "boy bands" singing of their loves in the early 2000s: "Now that she's back in the atmosphere / With drops of Jupiter in her hair / She acts like summer and walks like rain / Reminds me that there's a time to change."There are so many space songs from Moby over the years that, like Bowie, it's hard to pick a single favorite. But this one sticks out thanks to its focus on unifying humanity through realizing we all ultimately come from the same origin story:&nbsp;"People, they come together / People, they fall apart / And no one can stop us now/ 'Cause we are all made of stars."This song comes from one of the most clever space movies of recent history.&nbsp;"" parodies the climate change crisis by showing two astronomers tracking a deadly comet (the scientists are played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) trying desperately to warn the public and politicians of the impending danger in the age of memes, tweets and TikTok.&nbsp;Ariana Grande, who plays a musician in the film, helps deliver this powerful piece at a stadium rally, late in the film.The yellow-suited Akron, Ohio, spudboys of Devo came up with this catchy -themed number back in the 1970s.&nbsp;The ever- is even more alarming today than back then, as constellations of satellites fly into space on the regular. We've already seen some bad collisions and there are worries the pace of crashes could accelerate.In this song, Ernie, the beloved Sesame Street character (voiced by Jim Henson), sings plaintively of the many sacrifices he would have to make should he , then decides such a life would be too burdensome to bear.&nbsp;While Ernie may not want to live on the moon, NASA sure does. The space agency's is currently aiming to return astronauts to the moon around 2025 or so and build a station in orbit around Earth's nearest neighbor. It's not clear yet if NASA will offer seats to Sesame Street characters, or any other Muppets, when they make the trip.From the eponymous debut album by the theatrical S.F. rockers who created "White Punks on Dope" comes this epic mid-70s song of interstellar questing.&nbsp;"I dig my atmosphere machine" is an appropriate lyric, though "burning green like a rhomboid sun" suggests a heretofore undiscovered stellar form — or possibly just too much of those Fog City drugs.The German synth-gods Krafterk, who usually sing about the autobahn and robots, took a side trip to space in this electronic ode to a space station on their "Man-Machine" album, likely inspired by then-current Skylab., NASA's first space station, launched in May 1973 and hosted several different crews before NASA ended the program. The space station fell from orbit on July 11, 1979.In this Frank Sinatra classic, the song's narrator of the well-known tune not only wants to be flown to the moon, but wishes to "play among the stars" and "see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars."&nbsp;&nbsp;After that first verse, though, the space conceit is dropped in favor of love song boilerplate, but we think it counts!This hilarious song scarcely needs description — it's an astronomy lesson set to music as recorded by actor Eric Idle and the Monty Python gang in 1983.This &nbsp;analysis of the lyrics by Paul Kohlmiller of the San Jose Astronomical Association determines that the facts stated in the lyrics are largely correct. .The epic scope and majesty of this song cannot be unheard, in that glorious 1980s mega-pop vibe.&nbsp;We also adore the cynicism of people who are leaving our planet for what might be the last time: "We're leavin' together / But still it's farewell / And maybe we'll come back / To Earth, who can tell?"Speaking of cynical space tunes, we love this one for its spaceflyer's worries about being in space separated from someone they love. "Starlight / I will be chasing a starlight / Until the end of my life / I don't know if it's worth it anymore."We know, this song is played a lot on soundtracks, but it can be interpreted concerning everything from Earth astronauts to some sort of aliens.&nbsp;"There's a&nbsp;starman&nbsp;waiting in the sky / &nbsp;He'd like to come and meet us / &nbsp;But he thinks he'd blow our minds."More recently, Disney and Pixar used Bowie's "Starman" as the soundtrack for teaser trailers for the new animated film "Lightyear" about the intrepid Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear.The author of many politically charged songs reflects on his childhood memories of watching the Apollo space missions, but bitterly concludes that "Now that the space race is over / It's been and it's gone, and I'll never get to the moon."Delicate-voiced indie/folk darling Joanna Newsom wrote the song “Emily” about her sister, an astronomer. The distinctions between meteors, meteorites and meteoroids are discussed within.Space.com staffers came up with a huge list of other songs they enjoy, which we've put in order of preference.Below is a huge starting list of space music that we have organized by era. This is not meant to be the complete list of space-y tunes, as there are likely millions out there, but based on our research we have found quite a few songs to get you started. For simplicity, we have ordered these songs by approximate year of release.&nbsp;NameArtistYearWhen You Wish Upon A StarCliff Edwards1940Swinging On A StarBing Crosby1945Sputnik (Satellite Girl)Jerry Engler and the Four Ekkos1957The Sputnik StoryBill Thomas 1957Shake It Over SputnikBill Hogan1958Blue Moon of KentuckyElvis Presley1959Blue MoonThe Marcels1961Happy Blues For John GlennSam "Lightning" Hopkins1962TelstarTornados1962The Ballad of John GlennRoy West1962I'll Follow the SunThe Beatles1964Full Moon and Empty ArmsFrank Sinatra1965'Star Trek': The Original Series ThemeAlexander Courage1966Spaceman's SaluteHank Elder1966Across the UniverseThe Beatles1968Aquarius (Let the Sun Shine In)The 5th Dimension1969Armstrong, Aldrin and CollinsThe Byrds1969Good Morning StarshineOliver1969Here Comes the SunGeorge Harrison1969The Walk of Ed WhiteUp With People1969NameArtistYearMoondanceVan Morrison1970Planet CaravanBlack Sabbath1970Balloons of MarsT. Rex1972Dancing in the MoonlightKing Harvest1972Pink MoonNick Drake1972StarmanDavid Bowie1972Supersonic Rocket ShipThe Kinks1972EclipsePink Floyd1973Moon RockDory Previn1973Solar FireManfred Mann's Earth Band197339Queen1975Shining StarEarth, Wind &amp; Fire1975Sirens Of TitanAl Stewart1975Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary CraftThe Carpenters1976Outer Space/Inner SpaceJim Irwin and the Johnny Mann Singers1976SaturnStevie Wonder1976You Are My StarshipNorman Connors1976Another StarStevie Wonder1977The Martian BoogieBrownsville Station1977I Lost My Heart To A Starship TrooperSarah Brightman and Hot Gossip1978I'm Wishing on a StarRose Royce1978Rapper's DelightSugarhill Gang1979NameArtistYearShining StarManhattans1980Ticket to the MoonELO1980There's A Star For EveryoneAretha Franklin1981CountdownRush1982Field of MarsThe Church1982Shame on the MoonBob Seger &amp; The Silver Bullet Band1982A Fun Bunch Of Guys From Outer SpaceSparks1983Major TomShiny Toy Guns1983Ride, Sally, Ride!Casse Culver1983Tranquility BasePlanet P Project1983Rock - It To StardomLegendary Stardust Cowboy 1984Hello EarthKate Bush1985Loving the Alien David Bowie1985Space Is the PlaceNewcleus1985The Whole Of The MoonThe Waterboys198551-LSex Clark Five1986Flying For MeJohn Denver1986OrionMetallica1986Spirit of the ChallengerTommy N. Tucker1986Moon RiderUp With People1987Outer SpaceJustin Hayword1987RocketDef Leppard1987Sister MoonSting1987Star Trekkin'The Firm1987Surfing with the Alien Joe Satriani1987Standing on the MoonThe Grateful Dead1988The Conquest of SpaceHoward Blake1988StarErasure1989NameArtistYearHarvest MoonNeil Young1992Look For a StarGary Mills1992Out of SpaceThe Prodigy1992Space in Your FaceGalactic Cowboys1993SatelliteDave Matthews1994Someone Else's StarBryan White1994Wandering StarPortishead1994SpacemanBabylon Zoo1995Everyone's Gone To The MoonJonathan King1997Marching to MarsSammy Hagar1997Mars AttacksMisfits1997To The Moon And BackSavage Garden1997Above the CloudsGang Starr1998Beagle 2Blur 1998IntergalacticBeastie Boys1998Pluto2 Skinnee J's1998SpacemanBif Naked1998Beyond the SkyJudy Collins1999SpacetravelBush1999NameArtistYearDrops of JupiterTrain2001Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon (Utopia Planitia)The Flaming Lips2002My First Trip To Mars Atticus Fault2002Contact LostDeep Purple2003Sail To The MoonRadiohead2003VenusAir2004Bella LunaJason Mraz2005StarsSwitchfoot2005Virginia MoonFoo Fighters2005Angels on the MoonThriving Ivory2006GalaxyJason Mraz2006Supermassive Black HoleMuse2006You Are The MoonThe Hush Sound2006PlutoClare &amp; the Reasons2007StarlightMuse2007Cosmic LoveFlorence &amp; The Machine2008New Moon RisingWolfmother2009Shooting The MoonOK Go2009SpacemanThe Killers2009To The Moon &amp; BackSavage Garden2009Twinkle, Twinkle Little StarJewel2009Two PlanetsBat for Lashes2009NameArtistYearFirst Kiss on MarsStone Temple Pilots2010OrionThese New Puritans2010Man On MarsKaiser Chiefs2011Searching for SatellitesWishbone Ash201193 Million MilesJason Mraz2012Circles Around the SunDispatch2012StarlightTaylor Swift2012To the Moon and BackDolly Parton2012We Are All Made of StarsMoby2012BrightEchosmith2013Crescent MoonKT Tunstall2013Look...The Sun Is RisingThe Flaming Lips2013New ConstellationToad the Wet Sprocket2013Old Yellow MoonEmmylou Harris &amp; Rodney Crowell2013Sally RideJanelle Monáe2013StarsMark Owen2013SunBelinda Carlisle2013SunSleeping At Last2013VenusLady Gaga2013Watch The Sun Come Out TonightFilter2013Yellow MoonPearl Jam2013A Sky Full of StarsColdplay2014American Flag on the MoonBrad Paisley2014Blue MoonBeck2014Comet, Come to MeMe'Shell Ndegéocello2014Let in the SunTake That2014Lost StarsMaroon 52014Sun Goes DownDavid Guetta2014Another Night on MarsThe Maine2015Black SunDeath Cab for Cutie2015GeminiAlabama Shakes2015Here To MarsCoheed and Cambria2015Higher PlaceDimitri Vegas &amp; Like Mike2015Meteor ShowersCavetown2015Planet AThe Devil Wears Prada2015Saturn's PatternPaul Weller2015The Moon SongKaren O2015Towards the SunRihanna2015Been to the MoonCorinne Bailey Rae2016JupiterThe Futureheads2016LavendarTwo Door Cinema Club2016Man On The MoonBritney Spears2016Teenage SatelittesBlink-1822016The Space ProgramA Tribe Called Quest2016ConstellationsOh Hellos2017Hundred Million Miles from HomeStyx2017StargazingKygo (featuring Justin Jesso)2017The Sky is a NeighborhoodFoo Fighters2017All the StarsKendrick Lamar, Sza, &amp; The Weeknd2018Black NASABlack Milk2019Earth is GhettoAliyah Sheffield2020SpaceBiffy Clyro2020SpaceshipKesha2020Floating Through SpaceSia and David Guetta2021Included is a representative list of instrumental movie, TV and game soundtracks from the past few decades that are popular among space fans.NameArtistYearThe Day The Earth Stood StillBernard Herrmann1951Forbidden PlanetBebe and Louis Barron19562001Richard Strauss1968SolarisEduard Artemyev1972Star Wars (original trilogy)John Williams1977AlienJerry Goldsmith1979Blade RunnerVangelis1980E.T.John Williams1982The Right Stuff (1983 version)Bill Conti1983DoomMick Gordon1993Stargate SG-1 David Arnold1994Babylon 5Christopher Franke1994Apollo 13James Horner 1995ContactAlan Silvestri1997Starship TroopersBasil Poledouris1997Battlestar Galactica (2004 version)Bear McCreary2004SunshineJohn Murphy2007Mass EffectJack Wall and Sam Hulick2007WALL-EThomas Newman2008GravitySteven Price2013InterstellarHans Zimmer2014The MartianHarry Gregson-Williams2014The ExpanseClinton Shorter2015ArrivalJóhann Jóhannsson2016First ManJustin Hurwitz2018Ad AstraMax Richter2019DuneHans Zimmer2021"Astronaut's Playlist: 134 Songs About Stars, Planets, and Space." Spinditty. (2021, Nov. 5.) "10&nbsp;hip-hop&nbsp;songs to take you on a voyage into&nbsp;space." A.D. Carson. The Conversation. (2021, May 26). "Music of the Stars: The Best Space Movie Soundtracks." Film School Rejects. (2018, Oct. 18). "Musicspace." HobbySpace. (2020.)to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at:Get breaking space news and the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!Thank you for signing up to Space. You will receive a verification email shortly.There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.MORE FROM SPACE...12345

Space is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. .When you're out exploring the universe, what kind of music should you listen to?The answer is very personal to the spaceflyer, the culture and perhaps even the decade when they flew — but what is true to say of all eras is there is a heck of a lot of great space music out there. Some even were played in space, like this list of NASA , or this from the Voyager mission Golden Record that eventually left our solar system.It's hard to pick favorites and even more difficult to...

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The Astronaut's Playlist: Groovy Songs for Space Travelers

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