Friday, July 24, 2009

We Didn't Start The Science

Commemorations of Apollo 11's historic visit to the Moon occurred this week, with the astronauts' safe return occurring 40 years ago today. So it seems like a propitious time to post the geekiest song I've yet written: We Didn't Start The Science.

I don't make that claim lightly. I have written or had a hand in quite a few surprisingly (or maybe unsurprisingly) geeky songs: OBAFGKM, The Astronomers Song, U Can't Solve This... But I really can't think of one more extreme than this recounting of space history from 1969-1999. This version was recorded for a CD I made for a friend going down to Antarctica with ANSMET, though I rerecorded a version late last year. That version's got a more involved arrangement (such as it is), this is just me and two guitars, recorded in parallel (and with the flubbed lyrics). Science Diet actually played this at the Barn Party at least once, where it got a good reaction (at least the parts people that were intelligible).

Please don't sue me, Mr. Joel.