Did Blue Öyster Cult cast the ‘Men in Black’ concept into pop culture?
When the phrase ‘Men in Black’ is mentioned, the immediate association for most people is the film franchise featuring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. However, the concept’s roots in popular culture extend further back, originating with the American rock band Blue Öyster Cult.
Renowned for chart-toppers such as ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper)’, ‘Burnin’ For You’, and ‘Godzilla’, the band’s inventive amalgamation of hard rock and psychedelia has garnered them a host of influential admirers in the music world. Yet, beyond their musical mastery, a unifying motif threads through their discography: a fascination with science fiction and the occult.
Focusing on the former, the band’s lead vocalist, Eric Bloom, is an ardent aficionado of science fiction. In fact, his affinity for the genre has been consistently transparent; invasion-themed movies, in particular, have woven their way into the fabric of his lyrical compositions. A pivotal instance occurred in 1976 when the band recorded a track titled ‘E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)’, signifying the inception of the phrase “Men in Black” within their creative repertoire.
Within the song, Bloom says: “Three men in black said, ‘Don’t report this’.” But this wasn’t the only time it was included in their songs. Later, in 1983, their composition ‘Take Me Away’ contained the words: “The men in black, their lips are sealed”.
In the realm of conspiracy theories and UFO folklore, the term ‘men in black’ alludes to enigmatic figures purportedly dispatched to visit and unnerve those who profess to have witnessed UFOs or crossed paths with extraterrestrial entities. These figures are often portrayed as government operatives or enforcers tasked with quashing UFO testimonies and veiling these encounters in secrecy.
But before the Barry Sonnenfeld film, the concept existed relatively below the radar. Blue Öyster Cult’s ‘Take Me Away’ is about aliens who come to Earth to take Bloom away – something he’s not afraid of and even invites willingly: “If the aliens come, I’m ready to leave… if they’re ‘good guy’ aliens,” he said. However, it still wouldn’t be until some 13 years later that the term ‘Men in Black’ would assimilate into widespread popular culture.
That’s not to say it wasn’t used as source material, though. Three years after the release of Blue Öyster Cult’s ‘E.T.I (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)’, British rock band The Stranglers recorded a song called ‘Meninblack’ for their album The Raven. In their fifth studio album, The Gospel According to the Meninblack, aliens were featured visiting Earth as an extension of the extraterrestrial concepts introduced in The Raven. The same year that The Stranglers released The Raven, the first film mentioning the phrase was released, called The Alien Encounters.
The Alien Encounters was an absolute box office bomb, made worse by its significantly low budget, but the film included Men in Black, who harass a UFO investigator and discover their own encounters with alien life. However, there was a slight improvement in the film industry’s take on the entire ‘Men in Black’ concept with the arrival of The Brother from Another Planet in 1984. Written and directed by John Sayles, the film centres around an alien who’s trapped on Earth, with two men in black trying to capture him (one of which is played by the director himself). Despite garnering mixed reviews – some glowing – the general consensus was that it suffered on account of its low budget and obscured messages.
But it wouldn’t be long before we got the biggest representation of Men in Black in cinema history – and equally the most popular – because in 1997, the first Men in Black film was released, which was loosely based on the low-key 1990s comics of the same name.
True to form, the ‘Men in Black’ are portrayed as agents who wear black suits and sunglasses and are responsible for keeping the existence of aliens and their technology hidden from the public. They also ensure that aliens follow certain rules and regulations while on Earth. The men are tasked with investigating and managing alien-related incidents, often involving comedic situations and interactions with various extraterrestrial beings.
Before the 1997 film, the concept of ‘Men in Black’ was largely rooted in more serious narratives in film and tongue-in-cheek lyricism in music. Blue Öyster Cult’s Bloom was aware of this himself, creating worlds where he could express his fascination with science fiction in a way that mass audiences could enjoy and access easily. However, the films that followed, aside from their low budgets and lousy filmic tropes, attempted to maintain this concept within the realm of drama and horror – what Barry Sonnenfeld did differently with Men in Black in 1997 was introduce the power of comedy. The result was something that was more light-hearted and family-friendly.
To make something succeed in pop culture, it needs to be understood and appreciated by many. The allure of extraterrestrial subjects spans the globe; however, imbuing it with Western sensibilities, a polished sheen, and a calculated infusion of humour transforms it into the makings of an acclaimed cinematic contribution. But it does pose the interesting question: would such a creation even materialise without Blue Öyster Cult’s penchant for crafting music brimming with these very concepts? Possibly not.
