As I’ve discussed previously, astronomy references pop up in songs quite a bit. I’d like to say that I have eclectic music tastes but I mostly listen to the pop-punk, emo and ska-punk that formed the soundtrack to my teenage years. Bands like Blink 182, New Found Glory, Jimmy Eat World and The Ataris write a lot of songs about relationships and it seems to me that a surprising number of the songs that I listen to have references to stars and the like (although it’s possible that I just notice them more now that I spend most of my time thinking about astronomy!).

These days I mostly listen to music when I’m driving, and the part of my brain that isn’t concentrating on the road often starts pondering the science behind these lyrics. I’m fully aware that these bands are unlikely to have ever considered what their lyrics mean in an astronomical context but I thought it would be fun to take them literally and see if they make sense! Consider this the introduction to a new series of blogposts about Astrolyrics; part 1 coming soon…

Astrolyricists #1 Jimmy Eat World – For me this is heaven