Play Gustav Holst on Mars? Nah, let's have Will.i.am

Well I never: Will.i.am's new single has received airplay on Mars (AP)

The film Alien popularised the phrase "In space no one can hear you scream", and with that logic, no one can hear music either. But that hasn't stopped various attempts at playing tunes in a galaxy far, far away.

When Will.i.am's new single "Reach for the Stars" was broadcast via the Curiosity rover currently stationed on Mars earlier this week, and beamed back to Earth, the rapper became the latest musical act to greet extraterrestrial life.

The first song ever played in space was "Jingle Bells" in December 1965, when two Gemini 6 astronauts tricked Nasa's Mission Control by pretending they had spotted a UFO before proceeding to play the Christmas classic using a harmonica and miniature sleigh bells they had smuggled on to the spacecraft. The Beatles became the first band to be beamed directly into deep space after Nasa transmitted "Across the Universe" through the Deep Space Network on what was not only the 50th anniversary of Nasa but also the 40th anniversary of the song's recording.

But could Muse be the first band to perform live in space? The group made their ambitions clear last year, telling reporters of their plan to approach Richard Branson about performing on a Virgin Galactic flight. Watch this, well, space.

Playlist

"Life on Mars" – David Bowie

"Fly Me to the Moon" – Frank Sinatra

"Outer Space" – John Grant

"Across the Universe" – The Beatles

"Supermassive Black Hole" – Muse

"Reach for the Stars" – S Club 7