Sunday, September 9, 2012

Physics rocks


Since it's Sunday, I suggest you something a bit relaxing, but always about (particle?) physics.
Is it only me or recently there is a new* explosion of physics oriented rock songs?
I let you decide; in the meantime I will write here some examples which came quickly to my mind, but we can think of this as a "running" post, which can be updated at any moment with other songs.

Radiohead - Supercollider 
First of all, Radiohead, yes. They've written a song clearly influenced by the LHC.
Super collider
Dust in a moment
Particles scatter
Parting from the soup
Even if the collider is probably just an excuse to talk about something else!






Muse - Supermassive Black Hole 

Some time ago, the Muse wrote "Supermassive Black Hole" which does not need an introduction being a world hit. I admit the lyrics aren't really about physics topics, but the influence of "recent" astrophysics theories is obvious.




Gogol Bordello - Supertheory of Supereverything 

Finally the gipsy-american band Gogol Bordello wrote another Super song, where they literally talk about superstring theory, how to test it with colliders and the clash between religious thinking and science-based observations (yes!).
Put me inside SSC
Let's test superstring theory
Oh yoi yoi accelerate the protons
stir it twice and then just add me,
'cause I don't read the Bible
I don't trust disciple
I don't know how old is this song (the album dates back in 2007) but is clearly not up to date as quotes the SSC as collider, which was unfortunately never built.




Giorgio Canali e Rossofuoco- Mme e Mr Curie 

I conclude (for the moment) with a song (only in italian unfortunately) which is inspired by M.me and Mr Curie. The lyrics are clearly far from talking about physics... however I wanted to add it as it's not common to have a love song inspired by two scientists.
Et voilà,
in a daguerreotype,
M.me and Mr Curie,
with their radioactive smile.





I was about to forget to say that these are also musically very nice songs ;)
Enjoy!


* I say new because in the sixties and seventies a lot of rock was influenced by the new progresses of science, especially concerning astronomy...

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Let me add this one (before Matteo does it!)

Muse - The 2nd Law: Unsustainable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF_xdvn52As&feature=relmfu

Unknown said...

I was thinking back to a question posed by Feynman, is our age a scientific age? According to Feynman poets and singers did not deal in their poems and songs about scientific themes and for him this was a sign that our culture was not a scientific one, and I fully agree on this analysis. Moreover, the most important indicator of the fact that ours is not a scientific culture is the perception that people have of science. In Italy (the country where I live) you should be proud to know math, since it is often said with pride "I do not understand nothing about math." But maybe things are changing (or maybe it's just my optimistic side that it is speaking) and all the songs collected in this post can prove this. Maybe we are really entering in a new scientific age...
"[...]It is true that few unscientific people have this particular type of religious experience. Our poets do not write about it; our artists do not try to portray this remarkable thing. I don’t know why.
Is no one inspired by our present picture of the universe?
This value of science remains unsung by singers: you are reduced to hearing not a song or poem, but an evening lecture about it.
This is not yet a scientific age.” R. Feynman.

Unknown said...

Another example, Serj Tankian, ex Leader of "System of a Down" in a song titled "Electron"(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8FOuAT0NNs):
"We follow the ever-falling rain
Electrons Protons fight again
So, we run
We follow the ever-rising sun
With feelings of all becoming one
Then, we fly"