The Moon Landing and Pop Music

As you likely know, today marks 50 years since U.S. astronauts landed and walked on the moon. In commemoration of the event, numerous outlets have offered lists of songs related to the moon and space, such as this one from The Indianapolis Star. These lists include many songs you would likely expect, such as “Blue Moon,” “Moondance,” and “Bad Moon Rising.” Appearing on these lists, songs such as The Police’s “Walking on the Moon” and R.E.M.’s “Man on the Moon” go further than being about the moon to reference people on the moon. Connections between the moon landing and pop music go further, though. The band Walk the Moon, known for their song “Shut Up and Dance,” named themselves after The Police’s song. And, of course, in the 1980s Michael Jackson made the dance phenomenon of moonwalking famous.

Can you think of other pop music references to the moon landing and/or people being on the moon?