3 Sci-Fi Rock Songs From the 1990s That Sound Like Fiction but Are Now Realer Than Ever

Artists in the 1990s thought a lot about consequence. They looked around at what was happening every day, and they realized that the future might not be as bright as everyone made it out to be.

Here below, we wanted to explore three tracks from back in the day that saw the future more clearly than we really knew. Indeed, these are three sci-fi rock songs from the 1990s that sounded like fiction but are now realer than ever.

“The Becoming” by Nine Inch Nails from ‘The Downward Spiral’ (1994)

Sometimes life can be so hard that all you want to do is transform into someone else—or even something else. That is what this 1994 track from Nine Inch Nails is all about: One life force becoming another. Maybe the only way for some to survive is to find a mechanical body to live in. Isn’t that at least one of the missions of our technological advancement today? Perhaps NIN frontman Trent Reznor saw the future as he penned these lyrics.

“Paranoid Android” by Radiohead from ‘OK Computer’ (1997)

The most cerebral band of the 1990s has to be Radiohead. The group created dense, intricate songs that challenged your mind from many angles. Radiohead’s 1997 tune “Paranoid Android” from their album OK Computer is a nod to that style. Everything about the track has to do with tech in some way—from radios to computers to robots. We find ourselves attributing real-life emotions to these metallic bits. No wonder we feel a bit torn when we hear Radiohead music. In one way, we love their art. In another, we aren’t sure if the ground we’re standing on is sturdy or not.

“One More Astronaut” by I Mother Earth from ‘Scenery And Fish’ (1996)

Even grunge music can seem space-aged. For evidence of this, just check out “One More Astronaut” by the Canadian band I Mother Earth. Indeed, the tune is about an astronaut floating in space. And while this seemed like an impossibility for almost any human being, as time passes, it seems more and more a likelihood that more and more people will be able to order something like that up. UberSpace? Want to float on your own in a cosmic hammock? Will that be cash or charge?

(Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Disney)