# Geeky/Nerdy Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 7, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221 "2009-01-07T14:15:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221/61 "2009-01-09T20:45:42Z")
Another band that just popped in my head that uses geeky subjects is No More Kings. Great music. [Zombie Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9BRUe4yToQ&feature=related) (Zombies) [Michael (Jump In)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp6o5I99Idw&feature=related) (Knight Rider) [Sweep The Leg](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFlQNtL8F9s&feature=related) (Karate Kid. Zabka rules!) ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221/62 "2009-01-11T20:53:27Z")
**CD2** 1. Thomas Dolby - ‘Hyperactive!’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nb-8SHznFw0)) 2. Scarlet Division - ‘Sundial’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Th3QkpDAKRI)) 3. Ozma - ‘If I Only Had A Heart’ (N/A) 4. Dogs Die In Hot Cars - 'I Love You ‘cause I Have To’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AeywCfxYcas)) 5. Weezer - ‘Why Bother’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-B0_FLBaHQ8)) 6. The Would Be’s - ‘My Radio Sounds Different In The Dark’ ([iMeem](http://www.imeem.com/ljenner/music/WFp3HMoX/the_would_bes_my_radio_sounds_different_in_the_dark/)) 7. Rush - ‘Subdivisions’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2aH3qoQIqig)) 8. Simon & Garfunkel - ‘I Am A Rock’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kPioSdlIERg)) 9. The Dawn Parade - ‘The Hole In My Heart’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=N2cuC_l78oU)) 10. Cuckooland - ‘Happathy’ ([MySpace](http://www.myspace.com/cuckoolandmusic)) 11. Bowling For Soup - ‘High School Never Ends’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-9uOM0voY3I)) 12. The Pettit Project - ‘Guess I Gotta Guess’ (N/A) 13. Encyclopedia - ‘Emily’ ([MySpace](http://www.myspace.com/encyclopedia)) 14. The Unlovables - ‘Everything’s Overrated’ ([MySpace](http://www.myspace.com/theunlovables)) 15. Jonathan Coulton - ‘Code Monkey’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Wy7gRGgeA)) 16. Weezer - ‘In The Garage’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybe4pgwVoxc)) 17. They Might Be Giants - ‘Birdhouse In Your Soul’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6kJD2N2gvqw)) 18. Ozma - ‘Apple Trees’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=21bLWctPVuI)) 19. Semisonic - ‘Chemistry’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VuGAFHd-1hE)) 20. Special Edd - ‘You’re Not Alone’ ([MySpace](http://www.myspace.com/specialeddband)) 21. Weezer - ‘Pork & Beans’ ([YouTube](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=muP9eH2p2PI)) ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221/63 "2009-01-11T22:12:36Z")
[Less Than Three](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQu71l1WQ3g) by Becky I think qualifies. Points if you know why it’s called that before you click. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221/64 "2009-01-11T22:28:55Z")
**Vox** : Before I click: Is it that a ‘less than’ sign and a 3 makes a heart, so: > [@](#): > > I \<3 you = I love you? ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221/65 "2009-01-11T23:00:50Z")
> [@bluecanary](#): > > **Vox** : Before I click: Is it that a ‘less than’ sign and a 3 makes a heart, so: Yeah. I swear it was years of being on the internet before I figured out what that was supposed to mean. I always read it as “less than three”. :smack: Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221/66 "2009-01-12T04:51:39Z")
Here’s my list of geeky songs, and songs that should appeal to most geeks. I hope I didn’t duplicate anything already listed upthread. Had fun listening to my collection today to find them. 🙂 [ul] [li]Aqua - “Cartoon Heroes”[/li][li]Arrogant Worms - “Great to be a Nerd” (natch), “Carrot Juice is Murder”, “History is Made by Stupid People”, “Killer Robots from Venus”, “Don’t Go Into Politics”, “Wm. Shakespeare’s in my Cat” and plenty more.[/li][li]Heather Alexander - “March of Cambreadth”[/li][li]Heather Alexander & Bob Kanefsky - “December of Cambreadth” [/li][li]Barenaked Ladies - “Some Fantastic”, “It’s All Been Done”. “Pinch Me”, “It’s All Been Done”, “Get In Line”, “Who Needs Sleep”, others.[/li][li]Ivor Biggun - “Let’s All Get Demented”, others[/li][li]Beatles - “Octopus’s Garden”, “Polythene Pam”, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (for laughs, find the William Shatner cover of that), “Piggies”, [/li][li]Christophe Beck - “Close Your Eyes” (from _BtVS_)[/li][li]Blondie - Rapture[/li][li]David Bowie - “Space Oddity”, “Life on Mars”, others[/li][li]Blenders - “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” (C&W Bobby McFerrin cover, hilarious)[/li][li]Buckner & Garcia - “Pac Man Fever”[/li][li]Brittney Cleary - “I. M. Me” (sometimes credited as Nikki Cleary)[/li][li][The Cutters](http://www.blackjackhumboldt.com/mp3.html) - “Back in the 20th Century”, others. Most everything they’ve done is available on their site.[/li][li]Darling Violetta - “_Angel_ Theme”[/li][li]Devo - “Go Monkey Go”[/li][li]Thomas Dolby - “Quantum Mechanic”, “N.E.O.”, “The Flat Earth”, “That’s Why People Fall in Love”, plenty more.[/li][li]Julia Ecklar & Bob Kanefsky - “Dear Departed” (song about necrophilia… PG lyrics, but still not for the squeamish)[/li][li]Eddie from Ohio - “Let’s Get Mezolithic”, “Maylee, I Had a Dream”, “The New James Bond”, “Doin’ Time Under the Lifeguard Stand”, others.[/li][li]Cecilia Eng - “X as in Fox”, [/li][li]Harold Faltermeyer - “Axel F”, “Fletch Theme”, “Top Gun Anthem”[/li][li][Electric Funstuff](http://www.electricfunstuff.com/songdown/) - “Has Anybody Here Seen my Corpse”, “The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth” (natch), everything else they’ve done, all available on their site.[/li][li]Electric Light Orchestra - “Hold On Tight to Your Dreams”[/li][li]Enya - My! My! Time Flies!" (never imagined Enya doing an outright geeky song, didya)[/li][li]Leslie Fish - “Not the Way to Get Laid” (natch), “Banned from Argo”, “Hope Eyrie” (covered by practically every filk artist out there), "Witnesses’ Waltz (covered by several others, including Catherine Cook, Julia Ecklar and Kristoph Klover)), “Feline American Princess”, “Mis-conceptions,” plenty more[/li][li]Kathy Find and Marcy Marxer - “The Speculator”[/li][li]Deirdre Flint - “The Bridesmaid Dress Song”, “The Boob Fairy”, “Cheerleader”, several others.[/li][li]Four Bitchin’ Babes - “Theme from Jeopardy” (natch), “Viagra in the Water” , “Toe to Toe with the HMO”, but the Camille West solo versions of those last two are better.[/li][li]Christoher Franke - Anything from the _Bablyon 5_ soundtracks. “Voices of Authority” is a nice mix of a bunch of themes including the S5 theme.[/li][li]Dave Greenslade - “A Wizards Staff Has a Knob on One End”, plenty others about Discworld.[/li][li]Guided by Voices - “Teenage FBI”[/li][li]Frank Hayes - “Never Set the Cat on Fire”, “Grandfather’s Clock”, [/li][li]Jeffrey Hitchin - “Tech Support”[/li][li]Eric Idle - FCC Song (NSFW)[/li][li]Michael Jackson - “Thriller”[/li][li]Billy Joel - “We Didn’t Start the Fire”, “Second Wind (Only Human)”, “Pressure” (better & longer version on the _Nylon Curtain_ album)[/li][li]Spike Jones - Did a version of “As Time Goes By” but I don’t recall if it included the geeky verse mentioned above. If it does, that would be the geekiest version out there. :)[/li][li]Jordin Kare - “The Engineer”, and most everything else he’s done[/li][li]Garrison Keillor - “The Grandmother’s Cat”[/li][li]Klaatu - “Perpetual Motion Machine”, “Sub Rosa Subway”, “Magentalane”, several others with promising titles that I didn’t take the time to listen to if they really qualified.[/li][li]Kristoph Klover - “Witnesses Waltz” (song by Leslie Fish, this one’s the best cover I’ve heard)[/li][li]Christine Lavin - “Amoeba Hop”, “Snackin’”, “If We Had No Moon”, “Artificial Means”, “Piranha Women of the Avocado Jungle of Death”, “Dear Dan”, “We are the True Americans”, “Doris and Edwin: The Movie”, others.[/li][li]John Lennon - “Imagine”[/li][li]Sylvester Levay - “Airwolf Theme”[/li][li]Huey Lewis and the News - “Back in Time”, [/li][li]Kathy Mar - “Calm Down (It’s Only Ones and Zeroes)” (natch), “When Giants Walked”, “Flowers for Algernon”, “The Word of God” (song by Cat Faber, covered by several other artists if you can’t find her singing it)[/li][li]Sarah McLachlan - “When She Loved Me” (wr. by Randy Newman, from _Toy Story 2_), “Full of Grace” (from _BtVS_) [/li][li]Nellie McKay - “Identity Theft” (just discovered her today on _A Prairie Home Companion_. It was a rerun from a Jan 2008 show, available on [their website](http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2008/01/26/))[/li][li]Richard O’Brien - "Science Fiction-Double Feature, “Time Warp”, “Rose Tint My World”, and pretty much anything else from the _RHS_ or _RHPS_ soundtracks.[/li][li]Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - “Enola Gay”[/li][li]Monty Python - “Galaxy Song”, “Bruces’ Philosopher Song”, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” (Eric Idle), “Medical Lovesong”[/li][li]Moxy Fruvous - “You Will Go To the Moon”, several others already mentioned upthread.[/li][li]Nerf Herder - “_Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ Theme”[/li][li]Randy Newman - “Drop the Big One”, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” (from _Toy Story_, “Time of Your Life” from _A Bug’s Life_[/li][li]Phoenix - “March of Cambreadth” (I like their version better than H. Alexander’s solo version)[/li][li]The Police - “Walking on the Moon”, “Invisible Sun”, “King of Pain”[/li][li]Rich Popovic - “BeOS Talkin’ Blues”[/li][li]Queen - “It’s a Kind of Magic”, “Who Wants to Live Forever”, “Bicycle Race”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Radio Ga Ga”[/li][li]Melanie Safka - Glory Glory Psychotherapy (not sure if she’s the orig artist, probably covered by others)[/li][li]Peter Schilling - “Major Tom (Earth Below Us)”[/li][li]Acacia Sears - “Where Giants Feared to Tread” (sometimes billed as Cacie Sears)[/li][li]Seatbelts - “What Planet is This” (from one of the _Cowboy Bebop_ soundtrack albums)[/li][li]Fred Small - “If I Were a Moose”, others[/li][li]Smash Mouth - “Sister Psychic”, “Everyday Superhero”, “I Just Wanna See”, “Force Field”, “Holiday in My Head”, others.[/li][li][url=[http://filkertom-itom.blogspot.com/](http://filkertom-itom.blogspot.com/)]Tom Smith - “Bermuda Triangle”, “Psychic Voicemail Hotline”, “On Line Religion”, "On the PC’, “Tech Support for Dad”, “Can’t Get the File to Play”, and everything else he’s done. 🙂 “Superman Sex Life Boogie” is a good counterpoint to Uncle Bonsai’s “If Only Lois Knew” mentioned upthread.[/li][li]Stewart, Rod - “Faith of the Heart” (reworked as “Where My Heart Will Take Me” and performed by Russel Watson as the _Enterprise_ theme)[/li][li]Sugarplastic - “Don’t Look Down”[/li][li]Supertramp - “Dreamer”, “Hide in Your Shell”, “The Logical Song”, “You Win, I Lose”[/li][li]Bill Sutton - “Do It Yourself”, others.[/li][li]Styx - “Mr. Roboto”[/li][li]Remy Zero - “Save Me” (theme from _Smallville_[/li][li]Rockapella - “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?”[/li][li]Carla Ulbrich - “Boy Wonder”, “Duet with a Klingon”, others.[/li][li]Uncle Bonsai - “Don’t Put It in Your Mouth”, several others mentioned upthread[/li][li]Camille West - “Viagra in the Water”, “Getting Raptured”, “The Audit”, “Toe to Toe with the HMO”, “It’s Hell to be Psycic”, plenty others. I think her live solo versions are better than the ones she did with the Four Bitchin’ Babes[/li][li]The Who - “Pinball Wizard”[/li][li]Dar Williams - “The Christians and the Pagans”[/li][li]John Williams - “The Conversation” & “Wild Signals” from _Close Encounters_, “Cantina Band” & “Cantina Band 2” from _Star Wars_, “The Asteroid Field” from _Empire Strikes Back_, and “Lapti Nek” and “Ewok Celebration” from _Return of the Jedi_[/li][li]Joss Whedon - Anything from the “Once More With Feeling” or _Dr Horrible’s Sing-along Blog_ soundtracks.[/li][/ul] One thing no one mentioned upthread is Jonathan Coulton wrote the Portal song “Still Alive” and you can find him singing it on Youtube as well as the game version sung by GLADoS. And there’s also a live version of him doing a duet with Felicia Day, poor audio quality, though. \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221/67 "2009-01-12T05:05:00Z")
Kate Bush singing the numbers of pi didn’t make it? How much geekier does it get than _singing pi_? ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221/68 "2009-01-12T05:28:48Z")
Hey, [Cartoon Heroes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfHwtAe7PiM)! I love that song. I also like the Blümchen [cover](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCDe7wTN-v4) of Bicycle Race. I like the GladOS version of “Still Alive”, the one that actually plays at the end, better, though. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221/69 "2009-01-12T07:28:38Z")
“Pi” by Kate Bush has already been mentioned, but pretty much all of Devo’s catalogue is worthy of the “Geeky/Nerdy” title, especially tracks like “Through Being Cool”. I’d also suggest “On the Air” by Peter Gabriel. It’s a song about a geeky loner whose sole social outlet is ham radio. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221/70 "2009-01-12T09:53:19Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Kate Bush singing the numbers of pi didn’t make it? How much geekier does it get than _singing pi_? Nah. Its geeky enough but 1) I didn’t particularly want to listen to it again, and 2) It is so long I would have had to sacrifice at least 2 other songs to put it on. **Ponderoid** : Wow, great list. I’m familiar with some of these but wouldn’t really classify them as geeky (‘_Hold On Tight_’? I love that song but would never have considered it for this). Loads of unknowns to check out though 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221/71 "2009-01-12T10:25:41Z")
> [@want2know](#): > > “Ariel” by Dean Friedman. This is the first song that came to mind when I saw the thread title. I remember when I first heard the song way back when I thought it was much too nerdy to be a hit. Also, _Christina_ by the Butthole Surfers sounds like a loner sitting in his basement jacking off in his shrine to a woman he barely knows. And finally, there was pseudo rap song in the late 70s called _General Hospi-tale_ and yes, it was a paean to that soap opera. Hilariously bad, to be sure, yet I bought the 45 anyway. ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221/72 "2009-01-12T10:53:44Z")
Oh, I forgot about ‘Teenage FBI’ (Guided by Voices), and also ‘Here I Stand Before Me’ by Crash Test Dummies. OTOH, I had Arrogant Worms - ‘It’s Great To Be A Nerd’, until I decided it was too mean-spirited to include. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/geeky-nerdy-songs/480221.md?page=3)