Element themed songs
June 7, 2012 4:37 AM Subscribe
I'm looking for suggestions for element themed songs (hydrogen, helium.. etc) which are NOT Tom Lehrer's Element Song..?
Nirvana's Lithium?
posted by obiwanwasabi at 4:41 AM on June 7, 2012
posted by obiwanwasabi at 4:41 AM on June 7, 2012
Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygene?
posted by obiwanwasabi at 4:42 AM on June 7, 2012
posted by obiwanwasabi at 4:42 AM on June 7, 2012
Silver and Gold?
posted by monkeymadness at 4:44 AM on June 7, 2012
posted by monkeymadness at 4:44 AM on June 7, 2012
This one is kind of the counter-point to the Tom Lehrer song, catchy but equally hard to memorise (but for different reasons).
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:44 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by EndsOfInvention at 4:44 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
"Helium" by John Forster might fit your bill. Or not, because it's about inhaling helium for kicks.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:16 AM on June 7, 2012
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:16 AM on June 7, 2012
Andrew Bird mentions Calcium in MX Missiles and Oh No.
posted by borkencode at 5:29 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by borkencode at 5:29 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
"Parting of the Sensory," by Modest Mouse ("someday you will die and someone or something will steal your carbon" x infinity)
posted by dlugoczaj at 5:35 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by dlugoczaj at 5:35 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
Of the uranium songs listed on the Conelrad site, I kind of like this one (1955, the Commodores, but no, not those Commodores) the best.
posted by .kobayashi. at 6:20 AM on June 7, 2012
posted by .kobayashi. at 6:20 AM on June 7, 2012
So, when my aunt was in middle school, her hometown became the setting for a horror movie. My aunt got a bit part in the movie, which was about toxic waste that had been dumped into the ocean turning the bodies of dead sailors into undead fish-men, who naturally then came ashore and attacked the townspeople. It is discovered that the fish-men can be killed by contact with the element sodium.
It was billed as the first horror musical, primarily (I believe) because the opening scene features a beach party with a live band called the Del-Aires playing the rock and roll music.
For a long time, we weren't able to track down this movie, which has appeared on a number of "worst film of all time" lists. Finally it was featured in an episode of of Mystery Science Theater 3000. At the end of the episode, Mike and the robots do an educational song about sodium in the style of the Del-Aires.
posted by gauche at 6:38 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
It was billed as the first horror musical, primarily (I believe) because the opening scene features a beach party with a live band called the Del-Aires playing the rock and roll music.
For a long time, we weren't able to track down this movie, which has appeared on a number of "worst film of all time" lists. Finally it was featured in an episode of of Mystery Science Theater 3000. At the end of the episode, Mike and the robots do an educational song about sodium in the style of the Del-Aires.
posted by gauche at 6:38 AM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
Japanese jazz/fusion outfit Tokyo Zawinul Bach released an album called Sweet Metallic containing a sequence of six tracks entitled Mint Palladium, Peach Platinum, Orange Iridium, Lychee Osmium, Grape Ruthenium and Cacao Argentum: these are all wordless instrumentals however.
posted by misteraitch at 6:41 AM on June 7, 2012
posted by misteraitch at 6:41 AM on June 7, 2012
Is it sufficient merely to mention the element within a song?
If so, that gets you:
"Allentown", Billy Joel ("No they never told us what was real, iron and coal, chromium steel.")
"The Sound of Silence", Simon and Garfunkel ("When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light")
And as monkey madness hints at, there's probably dozens for silver or gold. Off the top of my head:
the Christmas classic "Silver Bells"
"Band of Gold", Freda Payne
"Goldfinger,", Shirley Bassey
"The Man with the Golden Gun," Lulu
"Goldeneye", Tina Turner
If you allow specific allotropes, that brings in mentions of diamond as well:
"This Diamond Ring", Gary Lewis and the Playboys.
"Diamonds are Forever", Shirley Bassey
"Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend", Marilyn Monroe
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:42 AM on June 7, 2012
If so, that gets you:
"Allentown", Billy Joel ("No they never told us what was real, iron and coal, chromium steel.")
"The Sound of Silence", Simon and Garfunkel ("When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light")
And as monkey madness hints at, there's probably dozens for silver or gold. Off the top of my head:
the Christmas classic "Silver Bells"
"Band of Gold", Freda Payne
"Goldfinger,", Shirley Bassey
"The Man with the Golden Gun," Lulu
"Goldeneye", Tina Turner
If you allow specific allotropes, that brings in mentions of diamond as well:
"This Diamond Ring", Gary Lewis and the Playboys.
"Diamonds are Forever", Shirley Bassey
"Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend", Marilyn Monroe
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:42 AM on June 7, 2012
Response by poster: Great stuff - please keep them coming!
I'm looking for songs where the element or elements are the main subject or theme of the song so the suggestions which are work best for me so far are:
Meet the Elements by TMBG
Helium by John Forster
NaCl by The McGarrigles
Uranium by the Commodores
etc..
posted by gravelshoes at 6:57 AM on June 7, 2012
I'm looking for songs where the element or elements are the main subject or theme of the song so the suggestions which are work best for me so far are:
Meet the Elements by TMBG
Helium by John Forster
NaCl by The McGarrigles
Uranium by the Commodores
etc..
posted by gravelshoes at 6:57 AM on June 7, 2012
Dr. Martin ("The Sound Man") Zaltz Austwick's Luminiferous Aether?
posted by mumkin at 8:07 AM on June 7, 2012
posted by mumkin at 8:07 AM on June 7, 2012
George Hrab's Occasional Songs For The Periodic Table - every element, from hydrogen to ununoctium, celebrated with a short, seperate, song.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 8:44 AM on June 7, 2012
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 8:44 AM on June 7, 2012
If you're going to dip into TMBG, it's not too far into Why Does the Sun Shine? (The Sun is a Mass of Incandescent Gas) that delves into a bit of chemistry. And yes, I know it's not originally a TMBG song, but they have so many versions of it out there.
posted by pupdog at 11:19 AM on June 7, 2012
posted by pupdog at 11:19 AM on June 7, 2012
Lost Sounds - Radon Flows
Kraftwerk - Titanium
Malvina Reynolds - Tungsten
Peggy Seeger - Polonium 210
posted by hydrophonic at 1:20 PM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
Kraftwerk - Titanium
Malvina Reynolds - Tungsten
Peggy Seeger - Polonium 210
posted by hydrophonic at 1:20 PM on June 7, 2012 [1 favorite]
Chemistry of Love by the Canadian comedy troupe The Frantics might strike your fancy if you can stand the puns.
posted by thatdawnperson at 5:49 PM on June 7, 2012
posted by thatdawnperson at 5:49 PM on June 7, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:41 AM on June 7, 2012 [8 favorites]