Flying Saucers Rock 'n Roll, As More UFOs Shot Down

With musical commentary by David Bowie, Ella Fitzgerald, the Byrds, Creedence, Jefferson Airplane and others!

Greg Mitchell is the author of a dozen books and now writer/director of award-winning films. He was also a longtime editor of the legendary Crawdaddy.

Been fun to watch new, if often laughable, UFO speculation this weekend as U.S. shoots down two truly unidentified flying objects over Alaska and Canada. As it happens, the first UFO craze in U.S. hit just before rock ‘n roll arrived and then was often the subject for what were called “novelty tunes” on early Top 40 radio—but then later from the likes of David Bowie. So below a small sampling of such. Then our daily political cartoon. Now subscribe before the world ends, it’s still free. Beware: U.S. may shoot down Nick Drake’s pink moon and Tom Verlaine’s marquee moon.

Sheb Wooley’s “Purple People Eater” was a smash when I was a mere lad of nine.

Billy Riley’s “Flying Saucer Rock and Roll” was more rockabilly, and video has stunning footage from one of my favorite childhood flicks, Earth vs. Flying Saucers. Note: Patti Smith wrote a fine piece with same title for me at Crawdaddy in 1975, and here it is. It was in our fabled issue with Jimmy Page and our regular writer William Burroughs on the cover…

Ella Fitzgerald, of all people, arrived with “Two Little Men in a Flying Saucer”

The Byrds’ “Mr Spaceman” was only a moderate hit but this video is notable for including Gram Parsons in virtually only footage with the Byrds after he joined them briefly for Sweetheart of the Radio.

Creedence a little later had fun with “It Came Out of the Sky”

Jefferson Airplane’s “Have You Seen the Saucers” got a lot of FM airplay and later became a Starship staple.

Bowie’s “Starman” and who can forget the Spiders from Mars and Major Tom?

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