The Maury Island Incident Historical Society this week released its list of the top songs for UFO lovers – just in time for National UFO Day (June 24) and World UFO Day (July 2) celebrations.

Steve Edmiston, Society co-founder, said:

“Celebrations are just better with music, and it’s amazing how much great music has been created that associates with flying saucers, space, and the notion that we might not be alone in the galaxy. Some of these songs are hits, multi-generational classics and obvious choices, like Elton John’s Rocket Man or David Bowie’s Space Oddity, but some are less well known, and some of the songs aren’t about UFOs, aliens, or space. Some songs – even just a few of the lyrics – connect the UFO fan with the pop culture world. It’s easy to stare into space with wonderment when It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) is speeding through your mind loud and fast.”

The Top 10 List (and the Society’s official comments):

  1. Space Oddity – David Bowie (Just perfect… in every way.)
  2. Fly Me to the Moon – Frank Sinatra (The love song that takes us to space and back.)
  3. End of the World as We Know It – REM (When they arrive and change the world, we hope we’ll feel fine too.)
  4. Rocket Man – Elton John (a straight up classic, poignant beyond possibility.)
  5. Rapture – Blondie (How you can be eaten and end up inside the man from Mars, but still want to dance, simply inspires.)
  6. Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival (The perfect old-school fear of the invasion metaphor – don’t go out tonight!)
  7. Come Sail Away – Styx (The classic angel versus alien conundrum.)
  8. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen (“Is this real life?” Opening lines parallel the perfect UFO sighting account.)
  9. After the Gold Rush – Neil Young (“Flying mother nature’s silver seed to a new home in the sun” – enough said.)
  10. Come Together – the Beatles (Best alien descriptive terminology of all time.)

The entire list – over 40 songs and nearly three hours of music can be heard on Spotify – “Burning Saucer’s Top Songs for UFO Lovers” here: https://spoti.fi/2WXsMTA.

REM’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” was also selected as the Society’s official song. The Society made the announcement as part of its annual meeting and celebration held on June 21 – the 72nd anniversary of the sighting. Nicknamed “Burning Saucer,” the event’s highlight is a “burning of the saucer,” a giant spacecraft designed by co-founder and Firemaster Terry Donohue. This year the burn honored Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind,” the film’s classic “Mothership” was revealed to the estimated 150 revelers.

The 2019 Burning Saucer event also celebrated the City of Des Moines’ acquisition of the Maury Island Incident mural, with a reveal and dedication ceremony. The mural, commissioned by John White, was formerly displayed in Olde Burien:

Burning Saucer is self-described as “a flaming confection of flying saucers, stories, and slag.” Ripley’s Believe It or Not reported Burning Saucer has “an irreverent comic vibe”; Den of Geek named Burning Saucer the “Man in Black Birthday Party”; the Washington State Senate has passed a Resolution recognizing the Maury Island Incident’s contribution to State history and popular culture; and the event inspired the award-winning film The Maury Island Incident.

VIDEO
Here’s a clip of the start of the burn of the Close Encounters UFO replica – watch and revel in its slow-motion, fiery glory! And what alien messages can you hear within the slow, distorted audio?:

The Maury Island Incident is the tragic and forgotten true story of Harold Dahl, who on June 21, 1947, alleged he saw six flying discs over Puget Sound, Washington. This event sparked “the summer of the saucers,” the modern era of UFO obsession, the first appearance of a “Man in Black” and a governmental battle over UFO sighting jurisdiction reaching directly to FBI Executive Director J. Edgar Hoover.

More about the The Maury Island Incident Historical Society at

More about The Maury Island Incident film (directed by Scott Schaefer) – including how to watch it online – is available at http://www.mauryislandincident.com/