As the Artemis II crew prepare for the first moon mission since 1972, we have ranked the best songs about our lunar neighbour, from Ella Fitzgerald’s romance to Gil Scott-Heron’s social commentary.
REM’s tribute to comedian Andy Kaufman came at the height of their superstardom, with a bassline recalling another lunar classic, The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen. Sting’s No 1 hit features lunar arrangement capturing the dizzy feeling of walking home from a girlfriend’s house.
Shakespears Sister’s Moonchild makes common cause with misfits, while Ozzy Osbourne’s Bark at the Moon embraces the dark side with gothic horror. The Walkmen’s Red Moon evokes a riptide pulled by lunar gravity, and Radiohead’s Sail to the Moon was written as a lullaby for Thom Yorke’s son.
Other highlights include Nick Drake’s Pink Moon, Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me to the Moon, and Ella Fitzgerald’s Paper Moon. Public Service Broadcasting’s The Race for Space sets Nasa audio to music, and David Bowie’s Space Oddity – released five days before Apollo 11 – remains a classic.
