Star Wars is a pop culture juggernaut. Even people who have never seen the movies have a rough idea what the series is all about and recognize the names of the characters involved. With The Last Jedi opening up this weekend, be prepared for your social media accounts to be flooded with Star Wars chatter; if you’re the type that can’t deal with spoilers, we hope you’ve got your muted keywords all set up.
Odds are good that over the course of your life you’ve heard at least one song that referenced the events that took place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, whether it be a clever “Weird” Al parody, a punk song about one of the characters or a reference in a hip-hop track. Need a mix of Star Wars-related jams for the big weekend? Here are eight of the best, in honor of Episode 8.
Blink-182, “A New Hope”
Blink-182 were at their best before they were running around naked on MTV. Dude Ranch is their most complete record front to back, including this love song to the most badass Princess/General in the galaxy.
Jedi Mind Tricks, “Heavenly Divine (Remix)”
Star Wars is fertile ground for those looking for band name inspiration, but Jedi Mind Tricks really hit the jackpot when they managed to scoop their name up. Rarely actually rapping about Star Wars, Jedi Mind Tricks don’t play lyrically, so be prepared to hit that “next track” button if you’re rolling with the little ones.
Kanye West, “Guilt Trip”
“Star Wars fur, yeah I’m rockin’ Chewbacca” is a very Kanye line, although his fashion lines, to date, have had very little wookie in them.
The Impossibles, “Plan B”
The best emo-meets-ska band to ever come out of Texas, The Impossibles found a way to make Star Wars emo over a decade before Kylo Ren hit the scene. “She says there’s still good left in me, like I’m the Dark Lord of the Sith” is a pretty good use Star Wars mythology to drive a sad point home.
Mushroomhead, “Solitaire Unraveling”
Mushroomhead are better than you remember, and “Solitaire Unraveling” features maybe the best random, almost unintelligible Star Wars reference of all time with, “I’m got Rembrandt as my right hand, Solo as my pilot.”
Nerf Herder, “Van Halen”
Yes, it is tempting to go with the Buffy The Vampire Slayer theme song here, but let’s avoid crossing fandoms where we can. No matter what geeky subject their singing about, there may be no better band name/subject matter combo in music history.
Taking Back Sunday, “A Decade Under the Influence”
Is “I’ve got a bad feeling about this” REALLY a Star Wars reference? I’m hesitant to go all in on that interpretation without Genius to back it up, but odds are good that if you’re a Star Wars fans your ears perked up the first time you heard it, and that’s all that matters really.
Supernova, “Chewbacca (What a Wookie)”
Anyone who has seen Clerks knows that you can’t have a list of Star Wars-related music without this track. It’s a rule.
This article appears in Nov 2-8, 2017.
