Talkin' Hawkin'

Album: The Endless River (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This features Stephen Hawking's vocals. It uses a sample of the British theoretical physicist's synthesized voice taken from a speech he made for a 1994 British Telecom commercial. (Hawking has suffered from a neuromuscular dystrophy since his early twenties that has left him almost completely paralyzed). Drummer Nick Mason told The Sun: "On one level, it's Stephen Hawking having a problem communicating and yet the sound of that voice is positively interstellar. He can communicate across galaxies with that sound."
  • This marks the second time Hawking has appeared on a Pink Floyd album. He previously lent his voice synthesizer to The Division Bell track "Keep Talking."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Subversive Songs Used To Sell

Subversive Songs Used To SellSong Writing

Songs about drugs, revolution and greed that have been used in commercials for sneakers, jeans, fast food, cruises and cars.

Zac Hanson

Zac HansonSongwriter Interviews

Zac tells the story of Hanson's massive hit "MMMbop," and talks about how brotherly bonds effect their music.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Divided Souls: Musical Alter Egos

Divided Souls: Musical Alter EgosSong Writing

Long before Eminem, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj created alternate personas, David Bowie, Bono, Joni Mitchell and even Hank Williams took on characters.