JOE SATRIANI - SURFING WITH THE ALIEN

Released: October 15, 1987

Album: Surfing with the Alien

In 1987, guitarist Joe Satriani, a relatively unknown virtuoso at the time, released a track that would help redefine instrumental rock: “Surfing with the Alien.” It wasn’t just a song—it was a supernova of sound, a six-string voyage that launched listeners into hyperspace, one fretboard run at a time.

The idea was simple and wild: What if aliens came to Earth—not to conquer, but to party? No one had ever made that sci-fi leap in music before. Not like this. Satriani was struck by the thought in an almost casual moment of inspiration, and the music followed—blistering, jubilant, otherworldly.

“I had never seen a science fiction movie about that,” Satriani told years later. “So I thought—what would that sound like?” That sound became “Surfing with the Alien,” the title track of his breakthrough second album. A blend of shred guitar, blues phrasing, and melodic precision, the song was a galloping ride on cosmic waves—an instrumental joyride strapped to a rocket.

Despite the album’s iconic Silver Surfer cover, Satriani had never heard of the Marvel superhero. That decision was made post-production by his label, Relativity Records, who secured the rights from Marvel. The match was serendipitous: the Silver Surfer—an alien skimming across galaxies on a surfboard—was the perfect visual counterpart to Satriani’s sky-scorching sonic style.

“Surfing with the Alien” became a defining track for a generation of guitarists. It didn’t just showcase virtuosity—it had narrative, momentum, and imagination. It sang, without a single word. And as fate would have it, the following year Hollywood caught up with Satriani’s idea: “Earth Girls Are Easy,” a film about fun-seeking extraterrestrials, hit the screens. But Satriani had already written the soundtrack to that concept—without needing a script or a single line of dialogue.