Rock and Metal Songs Influenced By Star Wars

Star Wars has developed into a big part of the world’s shared cultural heritage. The movies are so popular that they have their commemorative Star Wars Day on May 4th. As a result of their popularity, the movie franchise bled into other entertainment mediums like music. Several artists that grew up watching Star Wars have released songs with themes inspired by the movies. If you are a Star Wars diehard fan, here are rock and metal songs influenced by the movies you should listen to!

Blink – 182 – A New Hope (1997)

In this song, Mark Hoppus compares his dream girl and unreciprocated love to Princess Leia Organa. In the song, he says, “And of course I’d do anything for her/I’d search the moons of Endor.” in this line, he risks the rage of Star Wars geeks who will point out that Endor features in the Return of The Jedi and not in A New Hope. All the same, this song is full of references to Star Wars.

Ash – Cantina Band (1995)

Ash titled their debut album 1977 to mark the birth of two of their band members. Tim Wheeler, the band’s frontman and songwriter, has been vocal about his obsession with Star Wars. In this regard, the band covered the main song played in the Tatooine cantina in the original Star Wars on the B-side of their hit song Girl From Mars. Canonically,

Shabutie – Good Night (1999)

Coheed and Cambria, shaggy progsters, have created their own impressive sci-fi legend of The Amory Wars. The storyline has unfolded across many albums, comic books, and novels. They paid tribute to Star Wars in their pre-Coheed incarnation and acknowledged the movies’ impact on their childhoods. In the process, they namecheck Chewbacca, Boba Fett, and Jabba The Hutt.

Jon Bon Jovi – R2D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas (1980)

Jon Bon Jovi was a janitor at his cousin Tony Bongiovi’s Power Station recording studio before becoming a stadium-straddling soft rock heavyweight. He tiptoed into an album that was being cut at the studio titled Christmas In The Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album. This was his debut professional release.

Tenacious D – Deth Starr (2012)

Jack Black and Kyle Gass warm up their sci-fi metal chops in this song. Deth Starr is a totally different concept from the phonetically identical but differently spelled Death Star of the Star Wars franchise. There is also a wanton “Uranus” one-liner included for free.

Star One – Master of Darkness (2002)

Star One is a growing metal supergroup established by Ayreon’s Arjen Anthony Lucassen, featuring vocalists like Floor Jansen from Nightswitch and Russell Allen of Symphony X. They team up this sci-fi obsessed project, with their band name inspired by Blake’s 7. They explored several sci-fi films, TV series, and books in their debut album. Although Master of Darkness does not name any names, it clearly draws its inspiration from The Empire Strikes Back.

Clutch – What Would A Wookie Do? (2005)

To be sincere, it is not entirely clear what Clutch is about in this song. They namecheck Van Gogh and tripping assassins together with “the wookie’s wicked clutch.” However, you will appreciate the unstoppable groove that comes with Neil Fallon’s inexplicit poetry.

Hoth – Ghosts of Alderaan (2012)

Hoth is another band from the extreme end of the metal spectrum playing Star Wars. Most of their songs draw inspiration from sci-fi blockbusters. For example, in the Ghosts of Alderaan, they sing, “Swirling demons of the void I hear their cries/Resounding wails what once was here is no more/Ghosts lamenting, eternal damnation.”

Queens of The Stone Age – These Aren’t The Droids You’re Looking For (1998)

Queens of The Stone Age also referred to one of Star Wars’ most beloved lines in this incomprehensible instrumental. This track is gawkily jazzy and raucous, and it initially appeared on the uncommon The Split CD made with Beaver in 1998.

Nerf Herder – I’m The Droid (You’re Looking For) (2016)

This band’s name is inspired by a Star Wars insult (“who’s scruffy-looking?”). However, it took the self-confessed source of nerdcore a while to release a notable Star-Wars-themed song. The band uses its Star Wars reference as a metaphor accompanied by a great and suitably Star Wars obsessed video.

The Senate – The Bloated One (2017)

Aussie band The Senate follows the Star Wars theme significantly in their debut album titled Tales From a Galaxy Far, Far Away, released in 2017. Their first single was another song of praise to the mighty Jabba done in a technical deathcore style. In the lyrics of the song, the band sings, “All hail the great crime lord/ Bow down to your master, the all-powerful Hutt.”  

Sarlacc – Slimy Piece of Worm-Ridden Filth (2015)

Sarlacc is a grindcore duo that hails from Pennsylvania who only write songs about Star Wars. The duo took this song’s title from an insult directed by Han Solo to Jabba The Hutt. In their latest album, they continued the same trend. Some Star Wars-inspired songs in the album include Moff Tarkin And The Prisoner of Alderaan, and I Drink Your Blue Milk….I Drink It Up.