Me and Stephen Hawking

Album: Journal For Plague Lovers (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Vocalist James Dean Bradfield explained to Q magazine June 2009 that this song "deals with how we've all become such voyeurs and want to observe another fail."
  • Stephen Hawking is a British theoretical physicist who is best known for his popular account of cosmology A Brief History of Time and his explanations concerning black holes and the Big Bang. From his early 20s Hawking has suffered from a neuromuscular dystrophy that has left him almost completely paralyzed.
  • The lyric also refers to the wrestler Giant Haystacks, who was a household name during the 1970s and 1980s. He died of cancer aged 52 in 1998.
  • Bassist Nicky Wire told the NME May 16, 2009 that the audio sample on this track comes from "a film called The Sun about the Emperor Hirohito. We just felt it fitted. The actual translation is just 'turn the radio up, turn the radio up'."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dino Cazares of Fear Factory

Dino Cazares of Fear FactorySongwriter Interviews

The guitarist/songwriter explains how he came up with his signature sound, and deconstructs some classic Fear Factory songs.

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Female Singers Of The 90s

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

How The Beatles Crafted Killer Choruses

How The Beatles Crafted Killer ChorusesSong Writing

The author of Help! 100 Songwriting, Recording And Career Tips Used By The Beatles, explains how the group crafted their choruses so effectively.

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.