Music for Nerds
Be it Lord of the Rings, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, or Chronicles of Narnia, there are a lot of areas to nerd out in. Here are ten songs to help you release your inner nerd.
Lament for Gandalf by Colin Rudd
This one speaks for itself. I believe it was written between Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.
Marvin I Love you
This one is unique, as Douglas Adams was directly responsible for it. It's still a pretty catchy song.
Long ago, in another galaxy
There lived a gloomy robot
His name was Marvin
He was getting old and a bit rusty
And nobody liked him
Ramble On – Led Zeppelin
To be precise, Led Zeppelin has several songs that reference Lord of the Rings (including Stairway to Heaven) and, famously, they have odes to Vikings and Achilles as well. But a look at the lyrics below will make it clear why I think Ramble On is the nerdiest of their songs.
Mine's a tale that can't be told, my freedom I hold dear.
How years ago in days of old, when magic filled the air.
T'was in the darkest depths of Mordor, I met a girl so fair.
But Gollum, and the evil one crept up and slipped away with her, her, her….yeah.
White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane
This is probably more an ode to mind-altering substances than to literature, but Grace Slick has stated she was a big fan of Lewis Carrol.
And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
Don't Wear the Ring by Flight of the Concords
Bret was, of course, infamous in his small role in Fellowship. He and Jemaine submitted this song to Peter Jackson as a possible theme for the films. But they will explain it in the clip:
I don't rap about bitches and hoes, I rap about witches and trolls
Just passing on the words of the Elven king,
Wisdom to all
Frodo! Don't wear the ring!
A Cloak of Elvenkind by Marcy Playground
These one-hit wonders seemingly found plenty of time to play Dungeons and Dragons. They also had a song called The Ballad of Aslan, which is worth a listen.
Sixteen books of magic spells
Stacked below the cloak of elves
And sixteen books on magic spells
So elegantly bound
And I know I could not say why
In the Garage by Weezer
Long-time the poster children for nerds, Weezer never put it better.
I've got the Dungeon Master's Guide.
I've got a 12-sided die.
I've got Kitty Pryde
And Nightcrawler too
Waiting there for me.
Yes I do, I do.
Circus Maximus by Clutch
Lead singer Neil Fallon was an English major, and is a voracious reader. This song is chock full of references to the AD&D Monster Manual.
Now may I present to you the basilisk?
Please dawn your goggles if you wish to resist.
From the fiery depths of the planet's core
The never sleeping for wont of eating unholy stench of the manticore.
Narnia by Steve Hackett
You might not expect a collaboration between members of Genesis and Kansas ending up with lyrics like this:
With a queen cold as ice
You'd best take my advice
To steer clear of her charm
She's easily annoyed
What's that sound, you turn around
It just happens there are bells
And reindeer drawing a sleigh
Honorable Mention: Hobbit on the Rocks by Marcy playground
It doesn't have a youtube clip, and the lyrics aren't that inspirational, but you'd be surprised how edgy it was to sing about hobbits in the early 1995.
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