Steely Dan’s [b}Sign in Stranger**.
It perfectly describes the Martian colony from the film Total Recall even though it pre-dates the movie by a decade.
Most of the material on the Who’s album Who’s Next was salvaged from their abandoned science-fiction project Lifehouse. Pete Townshend has revisited Lifehouse several times, most recently with a box set and radio play. His album Psychoderelict also contains some science-fiction elements, since it is a concept album about a rock musician trying to complete a science-fiction project he abandoned years before.
Townshend’s Iron Man album and musical (based on the Ted Hughes story The Iron Giant, which was also the inspiration for the animated film of the same name) could be considered somewhat science-fiction-y. It is about a big robot.
Which reminds me, no one has mentioned “Iron Man” the Black Sabbath song!
“Spaceman” – Harry’s Nilsson
“Beautiful Zelda” and “Humanoid Boogie” – Bonzo Dog Band
“21st Century Schizoid Man” – King Crimson
“War of the Worlds” (album) – Jeff Wayne (an entire concept album based on the novel)
“Astronomy Domine” – Pink Floyd
“Refrigerator Heaven” – Alice Cooper (who also did an entire album entitled “Science Fiction”).
“Warrior at the Edge of Time” (album) – Hawkwind, who had noted SF writer Michael Moorcock writing lyrics. The album title is close to Moorcock’s “Dancers at the End of Time” series.
“Star Trekkin’”
“The Martian Hop” – The Ran-Dells
“The Eggplant that Ate Chicago” – Dr. West’s Jug Band and Medicine Show
Klaatu wrote the song and performed it first (and did it better).
Okay, first off I thought of Billy Joel’s “Miami 2017,” which isn’t science fiction exactly but does describe a possible destruction of New York City sometime in the future.
Then I thought of “Benson, Arizona,” the hilarious theme song to the cult-classic John Carpenter film Dark Star. It’s a country-and-western song about how tough love can be to maintain in the face of relativistic effects. No, seriously, that’s what it’s about. Sample line: “Now the years pull us apart; I’m young and now you’re old.”
In seeking a lyric sheet for the song I could link to, I came across this very cool document, which is a songbook of astronomical tunes. (Adobe Acrobat required.) A lot of them seem to be parodies (the first one, based on Don McLean’s “American Pie,” is about the “pay to name a star!” scam) and goofs, but it looks like there are a few worthwhile entries.
But “Benson, Arizona” is still my favorite. Check it out at the link above…
“Ambush” - Beborn Beton. Based on Joe Haldeman’s, ‘The Forever War.’
You could make a case that Joe Meek’s Telestar was cutting-edge, really, REALLY near future SF. But since it’s just a (very well done) instrumental, I probably shouldn’t.
However: Joe Meek and the Blue Men recorded the first concept album, also all instrumentals called “I Hear A New World (an Outer-Space Musical Fantasy)” that’s SF-esque music.
Fenris
“Godzilla” (Blue Öyster Cult)
The Scofflaws - William Shatner
Almost anything by The (new) Misfits, and quite a bit of stuff from the original Misfits.
First of all, lets not forget Filk, but not include it, since for one thing it would flood the thread. 
Much of Wierd Al’s work is SF, Yoda, Christmas at Ground Zero, The Saga Begins, etc.
Styx had more than just Mr. Roboto, considering that most of Kilroy was here is SF oriented. (Come)Sail Away comes to mind.
Information Society has several SF songs, such as Hack 2000 and Mirrorshades.
I can’t beleive someone didn’t say this already…
I,Robot by the Alan Parsons Project
Looks like “2112” by Rush has been overlooked so far.
RealityChuck–Hawkwind! Yeah, Hawkwind is an excellent call. I had forgotten about them.
Don’t overlook Parliament/Funkadelic! In the early to mid-70s they had a whole series of science-fiction themed albums:
Maggot Brain
Mothership Connection
The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein
Funkentelechy Vs. The Placebo Syndrome
and more.
In particular, Mothership Connection was partly inspired by the first science-fiction religion. No, not Scientology. It was Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam with its wacko theories which included the “Mothership” hiding behind an asteroid, just waiting for the right moment to swoop down during the Fall of America. Who can forget such classic P-Funk songs like:
“Mothership Connection (Star Child)”
“Unfunky UFO”
“Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication”
“Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)”
“Night Of The Thumpasaurus Peoples”
I remember about that time someone in the Funk Mob wrote a letter to Creem Magazine which hadn’t been reporting enough on P-Funk. They threatened to “teleport your wayward magazine into the Zone of Zero Funkativity!”
more from Weird Al Yankovic:
[li]Attack Of The Radioactive Hamsters From A Planet Near Mars[/li][li]I Think I’m a Clone Now (still SF for the moment, anyway)[/li]Slime Creatures from Outer Space
The greatest science-fiction musician of all time was without a doubt Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra. His whole thing, his entire career, was based on his cosmic identity as a visitor to Earth from outer space.
Let me just remind you of a few of his many albums:
Space Is The Place
Outer Space Employment Agency
The Futuristic Sounds Of Sun Ra
Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy
Easy Listening for Intergalactic Travel
Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra
Black Myth/Out In Space
Stardust From Tommorrow
Love in Outer Space
Friendly Galaxy
Cosmo Sun Connection
Sun Ra Visits Planet Earth
Other Planes Of There
Super-Sonic Jazz
Strange Celestial Road
The Nubians Of Plutonia
Pathways To Unknown Worlds
One Sun Ra song that comes to mind was “Astro Black” in which he predicted Black people in outer space several years before it became a reality.
I’m going to annoy the heck out of everyone by not remembering either title or artist on this one…
Early 70’s, IRC; the whole song was Tolkien based, with references to Mordor, Gollum, etc. The only part I recall is an extremely grating, nasal refrain about Gollum (?), "stole away with herrrrr, herrrrr, herrrrr.
I hate the song, so avoid if whenever it crops up. The instrumentals weren’t bad but the lead singer sounded like he had vice grips attached to his gonads. Not even the Tolkien references could save this song for me. It was fairly popular though.
Worried about Alzheimers,
Veb
Hold on, is that the song I mentioned earlier?
The:
1001001 SOS
Song?
Please let me know the song and album name, I lost the tape years ago.
I do believe that was by Led Zepplin(sp?). Name, I dunno. As I said earlier, I am soooo full of facts today. :rolleyes:
And let’s not forget “hey Mr. Spaceman” by the Byrds.
Also “It came out of the sky” by Creedence Clearwater.
You were right - “The Body Electric.” Was on…Grace Under Pressure.
2112 is a different song. KICKASS one, though.
Yeah, [b.]TVeblen’s** Tolkien song is Ramble On by Zeppelin. They had a few other Tolkien inspired songs, Misty Mountain Hop and The Battle of Evermore come to mind.