Songs About Technology

[Pomai]

Before continuing, let's recap:

We've covered songs...
• about the Moon
• that make you cry
• that encourage and inspire
• about planets
• with the names of towns/cities in their titles
• that are spooky
• about crime
• about war
• about love

there's probably a few more categories already started that's missing here, but anyway...

***************************************

Songs about technology...
• Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me with Science
• Judas Priest - Electric Eye
• Information Society - Peace and Love, Inc.

In this category, nothing can touch Stevie Wonder's back-to-basics reason of why we use (or should) use the phone...

I Just Called to Say I Love You

[Mike_Lowery]

Re: Songs About Technology

"Digital Getdown" - NSync
"Computer Love" - Roger and Zapp
"Fire" - Ohio Players
"Spinning Wheel" - Blood, Sweat, and Tears

[mel]

Re: Songs About Technology

Here's a few....

Together in Electric Dreams - Phil Oakley
Pocket Calculator - Kraftwerk
Computer Blue - Prince
I Love My Mac - Daphne Kalfon
Telephone Line - Electric Light Orchestra
Hanging on the Telephone - Blondie
Telephone Man - Meri Wilson
Hang Up the Phone - Anne Golden
TV Pro - The Vines
Online - Brad Paisley
Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen
Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles
Radio, Radio - Elvis Costello
Radio Ga Ga - Queen
In the Year 2525 - Zaeger & Evans
Radio Free Europe - R.E.M.
Radio Free Hawaii - Big Mountain

[scrivener]

Re: Songs About Technology

"The Letter" by The Animals
"Diary" by Bread
"Piano Man" by Billy Joel
"Bang a Gong" by T. Rex
"Paint it Back" by the Rolling Stones
"Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson
"(How Much is that) Doggie in the Window?" by Bob Merrill
"Knock Three Times" by Tony Orlando
"Cheap Sunglasses" by ZZ Top
"Lipstick on Your Collar" by Connie Francis
"Thong Song" by Sisqo
"Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" by Pink Floyd
"Book of Love" by the Monotones
"Rubber Duckie" by Ernie
"Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat, and Tears
"Cuts Like a Knife" by Bryan Adams
"Lights" by Journey
"On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson
"Candle in the Wind" by Elton John
"Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen
"If I Had a Boat" by Lyle Lovett
"Radar Love" by Golden Earring
"Crucify" by Tori Amos
"Up on the House Top"
"Jingle Bells"
"The Needle and the Damage Done" by Neil Young
"Chained to These Loving Arms" by Patty Larkin
"Bicycle Race" by Queen
"Iron Maiden" by Iron Maiden
"Arrow" by Cheryl Wheeler
"If I had a Hammer" by Pete Seeger

[Pomai]

Re: Songs About Technology

"The Letter" by The Animals
"Diary" by Bread
"Piano Man" by Billy Joel
"Bang a Gong" by T. Rex
"Paint it Back" by the Rolling Stones
"Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson
"(How Much is that) Doggie in the Window?" by Bob Merrill
"Knock Three Times" by Tony Orlando
"Cheap Sunglasses" by ZZ Top
"Lipstick on Your Collar" by Connie Francis
"Thong Song" by Sisqo
"Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" by Pink Floyd
"Book of Love" by the Monotones
"Rubber Duckie" by Ernie
"Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat, and Tears
"Cuts Like a Knife" by Bryan Adams
"Lights" by Journey
"On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson
"Candle in the Wind" by Elton John
"Streets of Philadelphia" by Bruce Springsteen
"If I Had a Boat" by Lyle Lovett
"Radar Love" by Golden Earring
"Crucify" by Tori Amos
"Up on the House Top"
"Jingle Bells"
"The Needle and the Damage Done" by Neil Young
"Chained to These Loving Arms" by Patty Larkin
"Bicycle Race" by Queen
"Iron Maiden" by Iron Maiden
"Arrow" by Cheryl Wheeler
"If I had a Hammer" by Pete Seeger

Um, OK. Any explanation on your selections?

I mean, sure, "jingling bells" (as in the implement) - and even a "one horse open sleigh" - may have been a technological marvel at one time, but that's pushing it.

[scrivener]

Re: Songs About Technology

Technology is any human-made thing designed either to improve the quality of life or to make a task easier. Someone invented the first jingle bells for a reason, right? Technology. I didn't know you wanted to limit the list to "technological MARVELS."

[mel]

Re: Songs About Technology

Well I think it just started off with "technology" and most of the posts up to Scrivener's have dealt with modern tech... though some of my songs listed are older tech too. Fact of the matter technology has been around since the first stone was used as a tool....

With that said, and keeping tech in mind.... transport is a big type of technology... so from the thread on transport....

Planes

Jet Airliner - Steve Miller Band
Next Plane to London - The Rose Garden
Leaving on a Jet Plane - Peter, Paul & Mary

Trains - now there's a technology with a huge debate going on.

Orange Blossom Special - country song - various artists
Dope Train - The Vines
Downtown Train - Rod Stewart
Train Kept a Rollin' - Aerosmith
Downbound Train - Bruce Springsteen
Groovy Train - The Farm
Last Train to Clarksville - The Monkees
Homebound Train - Bon Jovi
Long Train Runnin' - Doobie Brothers
Midnight Flyer - The Eagles
Love Train - O'Jays
Midnight Train to Georgia - Gladys Knight & the Pips
My Baby Thinks He's a Train - Roseanne Cash
Mystery Train - Elvis Presley
Just Missed the Train - Kelly Clarkson
Peace Train - Cat Stevens
Peace Train - 10,000 Maniacs
Runaway Train - Soul Asylum
That Train Don't Run - Pinmonkey
The Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore - Elton John
Train Wreck - Sarah McLachlan
When the Train Comes - Sutherland Brothers & Quiver
Never Marry a Railroad Man - Shocking Blue
I'm a Train - Albert Hammond

Cars - boy are there plenty and we listed them before

Vehicle - Ides of March
Drive My Car - The Beatles
I'm in Love With My Car - Queen
Cars - Gary Numan
Rental Car - Beck
Little Duece Coupe - The Beach Boys
409 - The Beach Boys
Hey Little Cobra - The Rip Cords
Mustang Sally - Wilson Pickett
Mustang Sally - The Young Rascals
Taxi - Harry Chapin
Cab - Train
Pink Cadillac - Bruce Springsteen
Long White Cadillac - The Blasters
Cadillac Baby - Van Morrison & Linda Gail Lewis
One Piece at a Time - Johnny Cash
Low Rider- War
Chevy Van - Sammy Johns
American Pie - Don McLean
Beep Beep - The Playmates
Little GTO - ????
Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
Mint Car - The Cure
Big Shiny Cars - Pinmonkey
Car Wash - Rose Royce
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
Counting Blue Cars - Dishwalla
Drive - The Cars
I Drove All Night - Cyndi Lauper
Get in the Car - Echo & the Bunnymen
Motorcycle Mama - Sailcat
Convoy - C.W. McCall
Get Outta My Dreams Get Into My Car - Billy Ocean
Fun Fun Fun - The Beach Boys
The Blonde in the Blue T-Bird - Walter Egan
Helen Wheels - Paul McCartney & Wings
Suzy & Jeffrey - Blondie
Deadman's Curve - Jan & Dean
Last Kiss - J. Frank Wilson & the Caviliars
Last Kiss - Pearl Jam
Cruisin' - Smokey Robinson
Little Red Corvette - Prince

Ships

Big Day Little Boat - Edie Brickell & New Bohemian
The Boat I Row - Neil Diamond
Dreamboat Annie - Heart
Ships - Barry Manilow
Rock the Boat - Hues Corperation
Come on Down to My Boat - Every Mother's Son
Ferry Cross the Mersey - Gerry & the Pacemakers
San Ferry Anne - Paul McCartney & Wings
The Crystal Ship - The Doors
Ship of Fools - World Party
Crimson Ship - Badfinger

Spaceships

Starship Trooper - Yes
Space Oddity - David Bowie
Major Tom - Pete Shelly
You are my Starship - Norman Connors
Spaceship - The Vines

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Songs About Technology

Technology is any human-made thing designed either to improve the quality of life or to make a task easier. Someone invented the first jingle bells for a reason, right? Technology. I didn't know you wanted to limit the list to "technological MARVELS."

So...gimme your take on listing "Streets of Philadelphia," please. Are you considering the streets to be the technology? And don't say anything about automobiles - remember, he "walked the avenue."

[MyopicJoe]

Re: Songs About Technology

If you want some geek cred, then listen to Jonathan Coulton. This contemporary guy has a great sense of humor:

Code Monkey - for all you white collared slaves
Re: Your Brains - JoCo rocking PAX 2007 live. more of a zombie song than a technology song (maybe the zombies were created by nuclear fallout?). what you don't see is the hundred or so people behind the camera, waving their Nintendo DS screens, instead of cigarette lighters.
Still Alive - a psychotic computer taunts her human nemesis (SPOILER: ending song to the game Portal)
The Future Soon - awkward boy takes over the world in the search for love
Betty and Me - social implications of genetic engineering
Podsafe Christmas Song - fighting the RIAA!


You can listen to any of his songs on his website. I believe all of them are released under the Creative Commons licensing.

[Pomai]

Re: Songs About Technology

More artists should include specific products in their lyrics. I'm not sure on the legal issues surrounding recording music with say "I drink Coca Cola" in the lyrics, but it's been done many times in the past.

Myopic Joe mentioned the "Podsafe Christmas Song". That's a start. Really, how about a song named something like "They stole my iPod", or "God is My iPod". Sumten' laddat.

If I had a metal band today (and I were still a teenager), I'd write a song titled "The PC vs. Apple Battle", with a killer battling solo guitar segment. One guitar would sound all geeky, while the other one (Apple of course) would sound really cool. lol

Or, how about a song titled "If I were Bill Gates". (the richest, geekiest man in the world, get it?). lol

Remember Uncle Vic's Space Invaders song? That was classic!


• NM 156 - Queensryche (about the launch code for a nuclear missile)
• Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles
• Sequencer - Al Di Meola (learn about the MIDI sequencer here)

[mel]

Re: Songs About Technology

Uncle Vic's Space Invaders song? That was classic!

From the old computer games archive....

And then there is "Space Age Whiz Kids" by Joe Walsh.

The Pretenders had "Space Invader".

"Pac Man Fever" by Buckner & Garcia.

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Songs About Technology

Will there be a Rage Against the Machine?
I like the techo-pop sound.
Devo with their music video of destruction on It's a Beautiful World.
Art of Noise in its music video with the little girl who looked like she was on The Road Warrior, and two guys just smashing things.
Oingo Boingo with a certain sound that you can hear in a few movies and tv shows.
The techo pulsating beat as a background for a movie such as Run Lola Run.
I don't know if the music of Phillip Glass qualifies, but the soundtrack on Koyaaisqatsi. That was the perfect music for the visuals on a big screen to see the Planet Earth.

[Pomai]

Re: Songs About Technology

This is hilarious!...

It's All About the Pentiums by "Weird Al" Yankovic

(to the tune of "All About the Benjamins" by Puff Daddy)

[mel]

Re: Songs About Technology

Art of Noise in its music video with the little girl who looked like she was on The Road Warrior, and two guys just smashing things.

That would be "Close to the Edit" by Art of Noise

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Songs About Technology

That would be "Close to the Edit" by Art of Noise

Love it. I have three DVDs of work by that director (Zbigniew Rybczynski) - very early innovator with digital-video technology (there's that word again...)