Brains Matter

13 Comments to “087 – Science Songs”

1. SCIENCEPODCASTERS.ORG » Brains Matter Episode 87 - Science Songs Says:
   March 14th, 2009 at 11:53

   […] Listen in and hear the answers join in the fun. […]

2. OrangeSam Says:
   March 14th, 2009 at 18:18

   Well, how about

   Math Math Sucks Jimmy Buffett
   Physics Gravity Mayer (a forceful choice)
   Chemistry Room for Squares CD John Mayer (Periodic table featured in cover design and also imprinted on CD itself)

   Note on Room for Squares CD: Yes, it does feature the periodic table, but falls for superstition with the number 13. The CD docs jump from track number 12 to 14. The actual thirteenth track on the CD is a a one second silent track.

3. Dan Says:
   March 14th, 2009 at 19:46

   Hang on a second, im not sure a whole lot of these songs qualify as science songs, they just have a song title that suggests science but the song content has nothing science related at all. Dont want to be a killjoy here. I spend a lot of time properly tagging my itunes tracks to make cool subject related themes. I pay close attention that i dont just add songs for example about weather if the song is about a cloudy disposition.

   Just my two cents, perhaps a shorter version of just science songs would be interesting?

4. OG Says:
   March 14th, 2009 at 22:52

   OrangeSam: Good ones

   Dan: Some are a bit like that, but are you sure you actually listened to the lyrics? There are definitely ones with science content on there (how could one not consider The Elements song to be “nothing science related” ?)

   OG

5. Dan Says:
   March 15th, 2009 at 07:36

   Well i didnt say all of the songs. I was talking about the ones that are only science by name and not content (i said on facebook i felt a bit like scrooge) – Chain reaction, One, Paranoid Android (what IS that song about), Glycerine, chemistry etc

   I love She Blinded Me With Science the best i think. We need more genetics songs i reckon. I might write a song called ‘I feel like your allele’.

6. OG Says:
   March 15th, 2009 at 13:51

   You should write a song! You might become famous! (Submit it to the guys at Geek Pop!)

   SBMWS is a classic science nerd song – as for science content, my favourites are the Tom Lehrer songs, and despite the fact that it’s a satire – even Weird Al! (-:

7. Neuroscience 101 Says:
   March 16th, 2009 at 09:54

   Lithium is not about chemistry: It’s about pharmacology or psychiatry. (sorry, I had to mention this)

   Otherwise: great idea!

8. OG Says:
   March 16th, 2009 at 11:53

   It’s actually a chemical element:

   http://www.atomseek.com/Chemistry/Elements/Lithium/Wikipedia:_Lithium_L95249/

   It’s the third element in the periodic table of elements, after Hydrogen and Helium.

   Have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium for lots more info (-:

9. j Says:
   March 19th, 2009 at 23:38

   “Carl Sagan” by: Loch Lommond

10. Shawno Says:
    March 20th, 2009 at 17:37

    Fun show. When I first saw your post about this on Facebook, I thought you were specifically looking for podsafe songs. And I couldn’t really think of any. Had I know it was ALL songs, then I would’ve contributed.

    And that song you played by Evanescence is not a cover of the Nirvana song “Lithium.”

11. OG Says:
    March 23rd, 2009 at 13:35

    Shawno,

    We stand corrected – you’re right, Lithium by Evanescance is a totally different song!

    OG

12. daynoir Says:
    April 3rd, 2009 at 17:59

    how about Jonathan Coulton?
    he’s lots of fun and i fell in love with Skullcrusher Mountain when i heard it live:
    http://www.jonathancoulton.com/songdetails/Skullcrusher%20Mountain
    (okay, maybe not the most positive of science songs – unless we’re all evil scientists like everyone thinks)

13. Pseudonym Says:
    June 12th, 2009 at 09:07

    I just got around to this podcast.

    One glaring omission is ’39 by Queen. Unlike most of the rest on this list, it really is a science song.

    Brian May (now Professor Brian May), as you may recall, completed his PhD in astrophysics a few years ago after taking a many-year hiatus to be a rock star. ’39 is a folk-style song about a group of travellers who leave Earth to colonise another planet. Apparently they travel at relativistic speeds, because when they return, everyone they knew has died of old age.

    One more thing. “Why Does The Sun Shine?” by They Might Be Giants is actually a cover. It was originally on an obscure album of called “Singing Science”. Details here: http://acme.com/jef/singing_science/

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