A brief history of RHYME: Stephen Hawking, Brian Cox and Eric Idle team up for cover of Monty Python's famous Galaxy Song

Home »A brief history of RHYME: Stephen Hawking, Brian Cox and Eric Idle team up for cover of Monty Python's famous Galaxy Song

A brief history of RHYME: Stephen Hawking, Brian Cox and Eric Idle team up for cover of Monty Python's famous Galaxy Song

Posted by sciencetech-blog on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Label:

comments

Professor Stephen Hawking: world-renowned physicist, best-selling author - and now he's shown off his musical talents as well.

One of the world's greatest scientists has covered Monty Python's classic Galaxy Song, taking listeners on a journey out of the Milky Way.

The author of A Brief History Of Time can be seen in the music video whizzing through space in his wheelchair, while the footage is interspersed with scenes of the Monty Python live shows.

Scroll down for video

British physicist Stephen Hawking has sung Monty Python's Galaxy Song (clip from the video shown). The song is being released digitally and on vinyl for Record Store Day 2015. It is a cover of the song from 1983 film Monty Python's Meaning of Life. Professor Hawking, 73, appeared on film alongside Professor Brian Cox

Professor Hawking can be heard singing the show's famous song, which is being released digitally this week, and available on vinyl this weekend as part of Record Store Day 2015.

In the video, Professor Hawking 'runs over' Professor Brian Cox before taking to the sky and making his trip through the universe.

The video is interspersed with clips of Monty Python's recent live shows.

It is a recreation of the song from the 1983 film Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, when Eric Idle originally took viewers on a journey through the cosmos.

Interestingly, much of the science in the song is right - or at least, fairly accurate, with a few exceptions, for artistic reasons.

For example, the lyrics state that Earth is 'revolving at nine hundred miles an hour.'

Stephen Hawking sings Monty Python's Galaxy Song

Measured in nautical miles, this is true, but the current estimate near the equator is actually 1,040mph (1,670km/h).

It is also stated that 'the sun is the source of all our power,' which fails to consider that geothermal energy and the moon both also play a part in our planet's life.

Our galaxy is correctly said to have a hundred billion stars, though, while its size - a hundred thousand light-years across - is correctly stated.

Towards the end of the song, the speed of light is said to be 12 million miles per minute - which is pretty close to the actual figure of 11.16 million miles.

THE GALAXY SONG LYRICS

Whenever life gets you down, Mrs. Brown

And things seem hard or tough

And people are stupid, obnoxious or daft

And you feel that you've had quite enough

Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving

And revolving at nine hundred miles an hour

That's orbiting at nineteen miles a second, so it's reckoned

A sun that is the source of all our power

The sun and you and me and all the stars that we can see

Are moving at a million miles a day

In an outer spiral arm, at forty thousand miles an hour

Of the galaxy we call the 'Milky Way'

Our galaxy itself contains a hundred billion stars

It's a hundred thousand light years side to side

It bulges in the middle, sixteen thousand light years thick

But out by us, it's just three thousand light years wide

We're thirty thousand light years from galactic central point

We go 'round every two hundred million years

And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions

In this amazing and expanding universe

The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding

In all of the directions it can whizz

As fast as it can go, the speed of light, you know

Twelve million miles a minute and that's the fastest speed there is

So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure

How amazingly unlikely is your birth

And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space

'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth

Pictured here are Eric Idle (left), Stephen Hawking (centre) and Brian Cox. Professor Stephen Hawking can be heard singing the show's famous Galaxy Song, released digitally this week, and available on vinyl this weekend as part of Record Store Day 2015

The Monty Python group recently embarked on a tour of live shows. From left to right are Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, John Cleese and Terry Jones

One of the cult comedy act's members, Eric Idle, tweeted to let people know the record is available.

He wrote: 'Stephen Hawking Sings Monty Python. The Galaxy Song digital download & video has now been released. The limited edition 7" vinyls will be on sale on Saturday 18th April in UK and US as part of Record Store Day 2015.'

A novelty online game has also been released in which players are invited to 'destroy all Monty Python asteroids before they collide with Stephen Hawking'.

Professor Hawking, 73, appeared on film alongside Professor Brian Cox as part of the live shows featuring John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Idle last year as the group performed together for the first time in decades at London's O2 Arena.

The world-famous theoretical physicist, who was diagnosed with ALS shortly after his 21st birthday, showed his comedy credentials earlier this year when he took part in a Comic Relief sketch alongside David Walliams in the grounds of Cambridge University.

Watch the original Galaxy Song below

Monty Python Galaxy Song | Stephen Hawking

Put the internet to work for you.

Delete or edit this Recipe

sciencetech-blog