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Why Musicians Keep Returning to UFOs

Musicians from John Lennon to Tom DeLonge show how UFO belief can become lyrics, album lore, branding, and advocacy.

On this page

  • Sightings in music lore
  • Alien themes as creative identity
  • From songs to public advocacy
Preview for Why Musicians Keep Returning to UFOs

Introduction

Musicians have turned UFOs into creative material in three main ways: as personal testimony, as science-fiction world-building, and as public advocacy. John Lennon folded a reported New York sighting into album lore and later song imagery; David Bowie, Sun Ra and Parliament-Funkadelic turned alien arrival into stage identity, myth and performance design; Tom DeLonge pushed the theme furthest, moving from a Blink-182 joke-serious song into books, media projects and UAP campaigning. The important distinction is that music culture does not prove UFO claims. NASA says there is no data supporting UAP as evidence of alien technology, and the Pentagon’s AARO says it has found no evidence of extraterrestrial technology. What music does show is how UFO belief becomes emotionally useful: it can express alienation, liberation, paranoia, wonder, scepticism and the desire to imagine a larger reality. [NASA Science]science.nasa.govScience UAP FAQsNASA ScienceUAP FAQsOctober 21, 2022 — 8 May 2026 — 5. Are there any data supporting the idea that UAP are evidence of alien technologies…Published: October 21, 2022

Overview image for Music

Sightings that became music lore

John Lennon is the clearest example of a musician turning an alleged UFO experience into the mythology around a record. On 23 August 1974, during his New York period with May Pang, Lennon said he saw a UFO from the Sutton Place area. The claim did not stay as a private anecdote: the liner notes for Walls and Bridges included the dated declaration, “On the 23rd Aug. 1974 at 9 o’clock I saw a U.F.O.” [albumlinernotes]albumlinernotes.comWalls And BridgesWalls And BridgesOn the 23rd Aug. 1974 at 9 o'clock I saw a U.F.O. – J.L.. * O'LENNON, LINNANE, Leonard, (Linnegar, MacAli…

That small line matters because it shows how celebrity UFO culture often works. The sighting itself remains thin as evidence: no verified instrument record, no clear photograph, no conclusive independent documentation. But as music history it became unusually sticky, because Lennon fixed it to a date, a place, a relationship period and an album object fans could hold. It later echoed through the Lennon catalogue through the line about UFOs over New York in “Nobody Told Me”, turning a reported visual experience into a compact pop image of urban strangeness. [Wikipedia]WikipediaNobody Told MeNobody Told Me

Lennon’s case also shows why musicians’ UFO stories travel differently from ordinary witness accounts. A civilian sighting may sit in an archive; a musician’s sighting can become lyric, liner note, interview topic, fan debate and biography. The evidential value may remain modest, but the cultural value expands because music gives the claim a repeatable form. Every replay of a song or rereading of album notes keeps the story alive.

Music illustration 1

Alien themes as creative identity

Some musicians did not need a specific sighting to make UFOs and aliens central to their art. David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust is one of the most famous examples: a fictional alien or extraterrestrial rock figure used to explore fame, androgyny, apocalypse and pop performance. The Library of Congress describes The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars as a 1972 concept album telling the story of fictional rock star Ziggy Stardust, while later cultural histories frame the character as an alien rock star arriving during a terminal crisis on Earth. [The Library of Congress]loc.govOpen source on loc.gov.

Ziggy changed what “alien” could mean in popular music. It was not just a creature from another planet; it was a way to dramatise feeling socially, sexually and artistically out of place. The power of the device lay in ambiguity. Bowie did not ask the audience to treat Ziggy as a UFO report. He used the extraterrestrial idea as theatre: a mask that made new forms of gender presentation, rock stardom and personal reinvention easier to imagine. The V&A’s acquisition of Bowie’s vast archive, including iconic Ziggy-era material, underlines how deeply that alien persona has entered the history of performance, fashion and visual culture. [AP News]apnews.comAP News V&A museum acquires Bowie's archive, will put it on displayAP News V&A museum acquires Bowie's archive, will put it on display

Sun Ra took the alien persona in a more spiritual and philosophical direction. Born Herman Poole Blount, he built an interstellar cosmology around the claim that Saturn was his true home, and his Arkestra’s performances used space-age imagery, ancient Egyptian references, costumes and experimental jazz as one integrated world. Carnegie Hall and the University of Chicago both place Sun Ra at the centre of Afrofuturist music history: not simply as someone who sang about space, but as someone who used outer space to rethink Black history, liberation and possibility. [Carnegie Hall]carnegiehall.orgJazz and AfrofuturismJazz and Afrofuturism

This is why Sun Ra belongs in a UFO-and-celebrity story even though his work is not a simple “I saw a flying saucer” narrative. His alien identity turned cosmic otherness into a creative system. The music, clothes, poetry, names, album art and stagecraft all pointed in the same direction: Earth’s existing categories were too small. That made “space” a political and imaginative tool rather than a mere special effect.

Parliament-Funkadelic made the spaceship physical. George Clinton’s P-Funk Mothership was not just album artwork or a metaphor; it became a stage prop that descended in concerts and later entered museum history. Smithsonian accounts describe the Mothership as an alien spacecraft prop central to Clinton’s legacy, and the Library of Congress notes that Mothership Connection imagined aliens landing in poor American neighbourhoods and liberating residents. Clinton himself framed the project as a “funk opera”, translating the concept album into communal spectacle. [Smithsonian Magazine+2Smithsonian Magazine]smithsonianmag.comSmithsonian Magazine Watch George Clinton's P-Funk Mothership GetSmithsonian Magazine Watch George Clinton's P-Funk Mothership Get

That shift is important. Bowie made the alien a star persona; Sun Ra made the alien a cosmology; Clinton made the UFO a party, a stage machine and a liberation vehicle. The Mothership turned arrival from above into a collective ritual: the crowd did not just hear about the spaceship, they watched it land.

Tom Delonge: Skinwalkers & CIA Spooks | With Jim Semivan

Channel: Dr Brian Keating · Views: 723.1K · Uploaded: August 2021 · Length: 1 hour 18 minutes

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From songs to public advocacy

Tom DeLonge is the modern case where UFOs moved from songwriting into institution-building. In Blink-182, “Aliens Exist” appeared on Enema of the State in 1999 and drew on DeLonge’s long-running fascination with extraterrestrials and UFO lore. What began inside pop-punk’s mix of adolescent humour and sincere obsession later became part of DeLonge’s public identity beyond the band. [Wikipedia]WikipediaAliens ExistAliens Exist

DeLonge then expanded the idea across media. His Sekret Machines project was promoted as an alien- and UFO-inspired book and music venture, while To The Stars Academy, launched in 2017, was presented as an organisation combining science, aerospace and entertainment divisions. That blend is revealing: DeLonge did not leave music culture behind so much as extend its storytelling tools into the UFO field. Books, documentaries, branding, public talks and music became part of a single disclosure-oriented narrative machine. [Rolling Stone+2Rolling Stone]rollingstone.comtom delonge announces alien inspired book sekret machines music 108052tom delonge announces alien inspired book sekret machines music 108052

The public significance of DeLonge’s work increased after the famous Navy UAP videos entered mainstream discussion. To The Stars Academy publicised videos that were later officially released by the Pentagon, and major outlets reported that the same clips helped renew mainstream attention to UAP. That does not mean the videos prove alien craft; Wired noted that the Pentagon’s release clarified authenticity and context without establishing extraterrestrial origin. But DeLonge’s role shows how a musician’s UFO interest can become more than an aesthetic. It can become advocacy, media infrastructure and a bridge between fandom, journalism and government transparency debates. [To The Stars*+2VICE]tothestars.mediaTo The Stars*To the Stars Academy of Arts & Science AcknowledgesTo The Stars*To the Stars Academy of Arts & Science Acknowledges

Muse offer a different route: UFOs and alien invasion as political metaphor. “Exo-Politics” is widely associated with Matt Bellamy’s interest in staged alien-invasion ideas, black projects and conspiratorial power. That is not advocacy in DeLonge’s sense; it is speculative paranoia turned into rock drama. Muse’s broader catalogue has repeatedly used space, apocalypse and extraterrestrial ideas to heighten songs about control, fear and human survival. [MuseWiki]musewiki.orgExo Politics (songExo Politics (song

Music illustration 2

Why UFOs suit musicians so well

UFO material works unusually well in music because it can operate at several levels at once. It can be literal testimony, as with Lennon. It can be theatrical persona, as with Bowie. It can be mythic liberation, as with Sun Ra and Parliament-Funkadelic. It can be a publicity and advocacy platform, as with DeLonge. It can be political metaphor, as with Muse. The same object in the sky can mean wonder, estrangement, distrust, rescue, glamour or rebellion.

Music also rewards ambiguity. A scientific report must distinguish carefully between “unidentified”, “anomalous” and “extraterrestrial”. A song can let those meanings blur for emotional effect. That is why the best UFO-influenced music is often not really about proving aliens exist. It is about the feeling that ordinary reality has cracked open.

The danger is that celebrity attention can make weak evidence feel stronger than it is. Official reviews repeatedly caution against that leap. NASA’s 2023 UAP work stressed the lack of conclusive peer-reviewed evidence for extraterrestrial origin, and AARO’s historical review found no verifiable evidence that the US government or private industry had access to extraterrestrial technology. Those conclusions do not make UFOs useless as culture; they clarify the boundary. UFOs in music are strongest as art, testimony and social imagination, not as proof. [NASA Science]science.nasa.govScience Independent Study Team ReportScience Independent Study Team Report

Parliament Funkadelic - The Mothership Connection (Live in Houston, TX, 1976)

Channel: AM FUNK

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NASA UFO report finds no evidence UAP have extraterrestrial origins | FULL

Channel: Global News · Views: 37.7K · Uploaded: September 2023 · Length: 59 minutes

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The lasting pattern

Across decades, musicians have returned to UFOs because the subject offers a rare combination of personal mystery and public symbolism. Lennon’s sighting became a footnote with unusual staying power. Bowie’s alien rock star turned science-fiction imagery into a vocabulary for reinvention. Sun Ra used cosmic origin as a challenge to earthly limits. Parliament-Funkadelic made the spaceship a funk monument. DeLonge converted pop-punk alien fascination into a long-running UAP media and advocacy project.

That historical arc is the useful takeaway: UFOs in music are not one thing. They are evidence-light as science, but rich as cultural material. For celebrities, especially musicians, they offer a way to turn private belief, outsider identity and speculative politics into something audiences can sing, wear, quote, debate and remember.

Music illustration 3

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Endnotes

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    Title: Science UAP FAQs
    Link: https://science.nasa.gov/uap/faqs/
    Source snippet

    NASA ScienceUAP FAQsOctober 21, 2022 — 8 May 2026 — 5. Are there any data supporting the idea that UAP are evidence of alien technologies...

    Published: October 21, 2022

  2. Source: aaro.mil
    Link: https://www.aaro.mil/
    Source snippet

    AARO HomeThe official website for the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)... Has the Department found any evidence of extrat...

  3. Source: albumlinernotes.com
    Title: Walls And Bridges
    Link: https://albumlinernotes.com/Walls_And_Bridges.html
    Source snippet

    Walls And BridgesOn the 23rd Aug. 1974 at 9 o'clock I saw a U.F.O. – J.L.. * O'LENNON, LINNANE, Leonard, (Linnegar, MacAli...

  4. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: Nobody Told Me
    Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobody_Told_Me

  5. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: Aliens Exist
    Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliens_Exist

  6. Source: vice.com
    Title: us navy officially publishes three ufo videos
    Link: https://www.vice.com/en/article/us-navy-officially-publishes-three-ufo-videos/

  7. Source: wired.com
    Link: https://www.wired.com/story/does-it-matter-that-the-dod-released-those-ufo-videos

  8. Source: musewiki.org
    Title: Exo Politics (song)
    Link: https://www.musewiki.org/Exo-Politics_%28song%29

  9. Source: science.nasa.gov
    Title: Science Independent Study Team Report
    Link: https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/uap-independent-study-team-final-report.pdf

  10. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: Walls and Bridges
    Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walls_and_Bridges

  11. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: [Pentagon UFO videos]({{ ‘navy-videos/’ | relative_url }})
    Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentagon_UFO_videos

  12. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: P Funk mythology
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  13. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
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  14. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: Ziggy Stardust (character)
    Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziggy_Stardust_%28character%29

  15. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: Sun Ra
    Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Ra

  16. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: Black Holes and Revelations
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  17. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: To The Stars Inc
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    Title: All domain Anomaly Resolution Office
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  19. Source: Wikipedia
    Title: Lifeforms (Angels & Airwaves album)
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  20. Source: science.nasa.gov
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  21. Source: forum.muse.mu
    Title: mu Exo-Politics and Zetas Appreciation Thread
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  22. Source: space.com
    Title: nasa ufo uap study team first results revealed
    Link: https://www.space.com/nasa-ufo-uap-study-team-first-results-revealed

  23. Source: youtube.com
    Title: Parliament Funkadelic
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5aHD5ruSZ0
    Source snippet

    Sun Ra - Space Is the Place - Opening Scene...

  24. Source: youtube.com
    Title: Sun Ra
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvmF5c3wn_Q
    Source snippet

    Tom DeLonge - The Pursuit of Tone (Full Documentary - 2016)...

  25. Source: youtube.com
    Title: Tom De Longe
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_oWrrtF3jM
    Source snippet

    Tom DeLonge UFO documentary interview music Angels & Airwaves - The Adventure AngelsAirwavesVEVO...

  26. Source: loc.gov
    Link: https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/booth_ziggy_stardust.pdf

  27. Source: apnews.com
    Title: AP News V&A museum acquires Bowie’s archive, will put it on display
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  28. Source: carnegiehall.org
    Title: Jazz and Afrofuturism
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  29. Source: smithsonianmag.com
    Title: Smithsonian Magazine Watch George Clinton’s P-Funk Mothership Get
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  30. Source: smithsonianmag.com
    Title: smithsonian wants george clintons funk 16015061
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  31. Source: loc.gov
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  32. Source: rollingstone.com
    Title: tom delonge announces alien inspired book sekret machines music 108052
    Link: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/tom-delonge-announces-alien-inspired-book-sekret-machines-music-108052/

  33. Source: rollingstone.com
    Title: tom delonge announces stars academy for outer edges of science research 125580
    Link: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/tom-delonge-announces-stars-academy-for-outer-edges-of-science-research-125580/

  34. Source: tothestars.media
    Link: https://tothestars.media/en-gb/blogs/press-and-news/to-the-stars-incs-part-in-the-academy?srsltid=AfmBOorrtchvOeQeEsptPORnaK1FOvJXIqHOPdxK-v8hHBNlj_VLUtDn

  35. Source: tothestars.media
    Title: To The Stars*To the Stars Academy of Arts & Science Acknowledges
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  36. Source: tothestars.media
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  38. Source: johnlennon.com
    Title: Walls And Bridges
    Link: https://www.johnlennon.com/music/albums/walls-and-bridges/

  39. Source: facebook.com
    Link: https://www.facebook.com/Smithsonian/photos/have-a-funky-weekend-george-clinton-and-the-musical-group-parliament-funkadelic-/10157695503189574/

  40. Source: rollingstone.com
    Title: tom delonges to the stars academy posts declassified ufo videos 126497
    Link: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/tom-delonges-to-the-stars-academy-posts-declassified-ufo-videos-126497/

  41. Source: rollingstone.com
    Title: tom delonge ufo video pentagon release blink 182 994370
    Link: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/tom-delonge-ufo-video-pentagon-release-blink-182-994370/

  42. Source: youtube.com
    Title: David Bowie
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na8xgu-KLAk

  43. Source: youtube.com
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAkhzJCzDTc

  44. Source: albumoftheyear.org
    Link: https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/scientificman/album/4191-enema-of-the-state/

  45. Source: shazam.com
    Title: Aliens Exist
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Additional References

  1. Source: youtube.com
    Title: The Night John Lennon Saw a UFO
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWACOycqTmc
    Source snippet

    Parliament Funkadelic - The Mothership Connection (Live in Houston, TX, 1976)...

  2. Source: youtube.com
    Title: JOHN LENNON’S UFO Sighting interview on Strange Universe
    Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYAefw29_e0
    Source snippet

    The Night John Lennon Saw a UFO - Need to Know...

  3. Source: instagram.com
    Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZpfnivRM_x/

  4. Source: researchgate.net
    Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334604857Black_Girl_Magic_Y%27all_Can%27t_Stand_It_On_Afrofuturism_and_Intersectionality_in_Janelle_Monae%27s%27Dirty_Computer%27

  5. Source: billboard.com
    Link: https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/tom-delonge-ufo-[timeline

  6. Source: reddit.com
    Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/beatles/comments/18p9ufs/a_showerthought_on_john_lennons_nobody_told_me/

  7. Source: greydynamics.com
    Link: https://greydynamics.com/all-domain-anomaly-resolution-office-pentagons-alien-hunters/

  8. Source: reddit.com
    Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/poppunkers/comments/c7sgc3/blink182_dedicate_aliens_exist_performance_to_tom/

  9. Source: time.com
    Link: https://time.com/4393882/blink-182-mark-hoppus-tom-delonge-aliens/

  10. Source: reddit.com
    Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/funk/comments/mzy901/did_aliens_bring_the_funk_to_earth/

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