Pfizer’s Super Bowl commercial was a catchy and inspiring celebration of the power of science and the persistence of scientists. If you missed it or if you haven’t rewatched it at least once, go here. In addition to the unknown singing talent of Newton, Hippocrates, Einstein, Rosalind Franklin, Marie Maynard Daly, and Katalin Kariko, the commercial was powered by the inspiring lyrics of Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now.’ But this isn’t the band’s first brush with science. Here are 4 more ways that Queen links to science.
- Brian May, the renowned songwriter, extraordinary guitarist, and founding member of Queen, is also an astrophysicist. His fascination with astronomy began during his childhood, inspired by the popular BBC show “The Sky at Night.” This interest led him to pursue studies in mathematics and physics at Imperial College London. Following his graduation, May received a personal invitation from Patrick Moore, the host of “The Sky at Night” and director of the Jodrell Bank Observatory, to work at the observatory and start his PhD. From 1970 to 1974, May was a graduate student at Imperial College studying reflected light from interplanetary dust and the velocity of dust within the plane of the Solar System. During this time, he published articles in Nature and The Royal Astronomical Society. At the same time, May was also playing in the band Smile which he had initially started in college and which would soon be renamed Queen. In 1974, the explosive success of Queen’s second album and connected world tour forced May to make a choice between his musical pursuits and academic endeavors. May sided with the band and the rest is music history – and science history. In 2006, May re-enrolled for his doctorate at Imperial College and submitted his completed and updated thesis a year later. In addition to revisiting his previous research, May incorporated advancements made in the study of zodiacal dust over the intervening 33 years, including discoveries such as the zodiacal dust bands observed by NASA’s IRAS satellite. Today, he remains actively engaged in astronomy, science outreach, and bridging the realms of science and art. To find out more about this amazing polymath check out this National Geographic article and this Astronomy Magazine article or get it straight from the source in this brief video interview (1 minute.)
- Given Brian May’s background in astrophysics, it’s no surprise that scientific themes often permeate Queen’s lyrics. Among their repertoire, ‘39‘ stands out as one of the most science-inspired songs, drawing inspiration from Einstein’s theory of relativity and exploring its human implications. For further insights into the influence of science on Queen’s music, see its lead guitarist Brian May field this question in this video.
- Queen’s songs have also been involved in science. In 2010, a team of researchers at the ETH in Zurich were studying membrane channels that are sensitive to sound pulses and used the song ‘We Will Rock You’ to regulate insulin release from human cells. This technology may one day allow people with type I diabetes to control their insulin levels with music rather than injections. While the band loved the idea of making their music a prescribable therapy and the scientific connection between sound and proteins, their response to the research was nuanced. As strong animal rights advocates, they questioned the effectiveness and morality of using human cells implanted into mice. Read more about both the study and response here.
- It’s kind of intuitively obvious that Queen’s songs are catchy, but those studying music theory have a theory of why. Researchers at Goldsmiths University highlighted several things that make music particularly memorable and sing-alongable: long and detailed musical phrases, multiple pitch changes in a song’s ‘hook,’ male vocalists, and higher male voices making a noticeable vocal effort. Based on this formula, they were then able to analyze songs for their catchiness score. At the top of the list was ‘We Are the Champions’ by Queen. This was followed by ‘Y.M.C.A’ by the Village People, Sum 41‘s ‘Fat Lip’, and Europe‘s ‘The Final Countdown’.
So, the next experiment you run, consider turning to Queen for some great sounds and some great science.
Title Image Attribution: Queen performing in New Haven, CT.Carl Lender, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons.
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