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

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Motley Crue

Motley CrueFact or Fiction

Was Dr. Feelgood a dentist? Did the "Crüecifixion" really happen?

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Millie Jackson

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.

90s Metal

90s MetalFact or Fiction

Test your metal - Priest, Maiden, and Beavis and Butt-head show up in this one.