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

Intentionally Atrocious

Intentionally AtrociousSong Writing

A selection of songs made to be terrible - some clearly achieved that goal.

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock Photography

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock PhotographySong Writing

One of rock's top photographers talks about artistry in photography, raising funds for a documentary, and enjoying a County Fair with Tom Waits.

Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues

Justin Hayward of The Moody BluesSongwriter Interviews

Justin wrote the classic "Nights In White Satin," but his fondest musical memories are from a different decade.

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.