“He awoke- and wanted Mars.” That’s how Phillip K. Dick’s great short story, We Can Remember it For You Wholesale, begins. It eventually inspired two movies. (Skip the films and read the story instead although the star of the new one

Colin Ferrell was a good Bullseye in Daredevil.) Mars has long been the setting for many fantastic fictions and now that a new probe has just landed, perhaps new flights of Martian fancy will take wing. Try these tunes to inspire your imagination:

“Life On Mars” by David Bowie. This is more about dull academic parties than extraterrestrial biology but a still unanswered question nonetheless.

“Rapture” by Blondie. Features a guitar eating man from Mars.

“Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of the War of the Worlds” by various artists. H.G.Wells classic novel about the Martian attack on earth became a successful rock musical in 1978. With Richard Burton and Phil Lynott! Available as a seven disc box set! (Longer than the war itself.)

“Here Come the Martian Martians” by Jonathan Richman. Aliens so nice, they had to name them twice.

“Space Truckin” by Deep Purple. “We always had a ball on Mars!”

“Martian Hop” by the Ran-Dells. “Throwing a dance party for the human race!”

“Rocket Man” by Elton John. Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids, unless Madonna does it!

“Mars Needs Guitars” by the Hoodoo Gurus. The only planet that rhymes with guitars!