This is a first for us at Chemistry World – a rock song about chemistry. Many of you out there will readily recall Tom Lehrer’s elements song, where he puts the entire periodic table to music in under two minutes, but I can’t think of any rock that features chemistry. Whatever next? Slash in a lab coat?

Chemistry rock comes courtesy of Craig Graziano, a youth librarian from the US, and his band The Crypts! with his song about Marie Curie. In his catchy tune (shades of the Sex Pistols?), he sings about Curie’s discovery of polonium and radium, her Nobels and her untimely death caused by radiation exposure in the course of her work. I even learnt a couple of new things about this already very well-known public figure, including that she was a keen cyclist! The rest of the Discover Science album can be downloaded here.

Craig says that his song is more than just a bit of fun. It’s also about building interest and trust in science, which he says is on the wane in the US. Have a listen and let us know what you think: can you think of any other chemistry songs?

Patrick Walter

                  

Source:
http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/cw/2012/11/20/school-of-chemistry-rock/