Is He Alive or Dead?: Songs of the Periodic Table

Is he alive or dead? Oh, don't worry, I'm very much alive, although I do realize that I have not posted a playlist since August. I have been increasingly busy with various other things (you know that people actually pay attention to) and this has severly cut into my free time, the time I use to make these playlists for you people out there somewhere.

But fear not, for I am back with a new playlist, and this time, the theme is chemical elements. That's right, twenty songs featuring elements (like carbon, copper, uranium, nickel, and many more!). This one is quite diverse, featuring songs like prolific experimental poet Anne Waldman's bizarre new wave ditty "Uh-Oh Plutonium", obscure song-poem "Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Potassium" sung by the equally obscure Lynne Richards, and of course, the classic "The Elements", by mathematician and master musical satirist Tom Lehrer. Other artists include Nirvana, Tom Waits, Steve Miller Band, and Sonic Youth.

And to make up for that missing twentieth song, the fairly recent elements tune (from Here Comes Science, September 2009), "Meet the Elements", by They Might Be Giants: check it out on YouTube here. And don't miss my ultra-awesome Halloween playlist next Saturday.