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The forgotten 1970s Fleetwood Mac song inspired by a UFO sighting: “I almost had a heart attack”
In 1973, Mississippi fishermen Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker reported that a UFO appeared over the Pascagoula River and took them aboard. Their account became a widely discussed alleged encounter and later inspired Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Welch’s song ‘Hypnotized’.
The men said they heard a hissing sound, saw a blue light and were examined before being released unharmed. Their recorded testimony was released in 2013, and both continued to tell the story despite public disbelief. Welch said he drew on the incident, his interest in the paranormal and other strange experiences when writing the track, released on the 1973 album *Mystery to Me*.
In short
- Two Mississippi fishermen reported a UFO encounter in 1973.
- Bob Welch drew on the story for Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Hypnotized’.
- The men’s taped testimony was released in 2013.
Explained simply
In 1973, Mississippi fishermen Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker said a strange object appeared near them on the Pascagoula River and that beings took them aboard. They described a hissing sound and blue light, and said they were examined and then released unharmed; many people questioned their account.
The incident became known as the Pascagoula encounter and remained part of public discussion about reported UFO sightings. Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Welch said it helped inspire “Hypnotized”, alongside his interest in the paranormal and other unusual experiences; the song appeared on the band’s 1973 album Mystery to Me.