Galaxy Song
Encyclopedia
"The Galaxy Song" is a song written by Eric Idle
which originally appeared in the 1983 film Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, later being released onto the album Monty Python Sings
. The song appears toward the end of a sketch
named Live Organ Transplants where the 'surgeon', upon failing to proposition Mrs. Brown for her liver in the kitchen, abruptly opens the refrigerator door to a man wearing a pink tuxedo who accompanies her through space singing about the universe. The lyrics include a number of astronomical
facts, and (within the limits imposed by creative licence), the figures tend to be tolerably accurate.
In scientist Paul Kohlmiller's analysis of the facts presented in The Galaxy Song, the final line "'Cause there's bugger-all down here on Earth." is footnoted by his observation: "An unassailable truth." In British English
, the phrase "bugger all" means "nothing" (see Bugger
). Although the term is an observation on the lack of the intelligence life down here on earth, not the quantity.
sings that the Earth
is "revolving at nine hundred miles an hour"; the actual figure (at the equator
) is 1,038. He gives the Earth's orbital speed as 19 miles (30.6 km) per second, compared with the real figure of 18 to 18.5.
Idle states that the Sun
is "the source of all our power". In fact, two notable sources of electrical power are not directly traceable to the Sun: The first is Geothermal power
, which is derived from Geothermal energy, 20% of which remains from the original planet formation and 80% of which is derived from ongoing radioactive decay. The second source is the Moon's effects on tide
s and the associated method of power generation
. Ultimately, however, the overwhelming proportion of human-generated power derived from fossil fuels and thence from photosynthetic plants makes this line a very good approximation to the truth. Even these power sources, however, are available only because of the Sun's influence on our early solar system, so Idle's statement is correct in a literal (if somewhat pedantic) sense even if not for practical purposes.
Idle's figures for the size of the Milky Way
galaxy
are roughly correct. He understates the speed at which the Sun orbits the "galactic central point", but he gives a good estimate for the total time per orbit ("two hundred million years" according to the song, compared with accepted figures of 220 to 250 million years).
The song goes on to say that we are "thirty thousand light years from galactic central point". In fact, the Sun is more like 25 000 light years from the centre of the Milky Way. It also states that the galaxy is "a hundred thousand light years side to side". This would make the galactic radius 50 000 light years, which is accurate.
Australian astrophysicist Bryan Gaensler
has even stated that Eric's estimation of the thickness of the Milky Way, at 16,000 light years, is more accurate than the official 'textbook' figure of 6,000 light years. However, the song's position on this has now been confused by Eric's recent performance of the song which forms part of his Not the Messiah show where the figure he sings is only 6,000 light years. The reason for the confusion has since been explained in a message from Eric on the official Monty Python website, Pythonline.com:
"...There was some smug website pulling apart all my original figures for the song (written circa 1981) so for the 2003 Tour (or maybe 2000) I "updated" them. Now you tell me I was right all along! Not sure where I got my figures originally but tell the bastards to make up their minds."
The ultimate verse explains that the universe is expanding
, and furthermore that the speed of light
is the "fastest speed there is". Idle's estimate is a good one: 12 million miles per minute, versus the standard figure of about 11.16 million miles per minute.
itself, far beyond the scope of our galaxy
. Many people including serious Monty Python fans get confused by the name "galaxy" song, often mislabeling it the "universe" song. A November 2011 Google search for "Monty Python Galaxy Song" returns 63,700 results while "Monty Python Universe Song" yields 49,700. Only three times since 2004 has "Monty Python Universe Song" outranked "Monty Python Galaxy Song" in search results, while the two terms seem to be currently approaching parity. Wikipedia itself redirects this page from "Universe Song".
Recently on NPR
's Talk of the Nation
, host Neal Conan
and guest Eric Idle perpetuated the inaccurate title, hastily correcting an email from an astute fan:
Meanwhile, the official Monty Python YouTube channel hosts the song under the name "Galaxy Song".
recorded a remake of "The Galaxy Song" on his album D'lectrified
, as well as the "Outside Intro (To Galaxy Song)", which he co-wrote and sang with Eric Idle.
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
which originally appeared in the 1983 film Monty Python's The Meaning of Life, later being released onto the album Monty Python Sings
Monty Python Sings
Monty Python Sings is a comedy album of songs written by the Monty Python team.The song "Oliver Cromwell" was never released prior to this album...
. The song appears toward the end of a sketch
Sketch
Sketch may refer to:Drawing and other visual arts* Sketch , a drawing or other composition that is not intended as a finished work, but a preliminary exploration.* SketchUp, a 3D modeling program.* iSketch, an online drawing game....
named Live Organ Transplants where the 'surgeon', upon failing to proposition Mrs. Brown for her liver in the kitchen, abruptly opens the refrigerator door to a man wearing a pink tuxedo who accompanies her through space singing about the universe. The lyrics include a number of astronomical
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
facts, and (within the limits imposed by creative licence), the figures tend to be tolerably accurate.
In scientist Paul Kohlmiller's analysis of the facts presented in The Galaxy Song, the final line "'Cause there's bugger-all down here on Earth." is footnoted by his observation: "An unassailable truth." In British English
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
, the phrase "bugger all" means "nothing" (see Bugger
Bugger
Bugger is a slang word used in the vernacular British English, Australian English, Canadian English, New Zealand English, South African English, Caribbean English, Sri Lankan English and occasionally also in Malaysian English and Singaporean English, and rarely American English...
). Although the term is an observation on the lack of the intelligence life down here on earth, not the quantity.
Accuracy of figures quoted in the lyrics
Eric IdleEric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
sings that the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
is "revolving at nine hundred miles an hour"; the actual figure (at the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
) is 1,038. He gives the Earth's orbital speed as 19 miles (30.6 km) per second, compared with the real figure of 18 to 18.5.
Idle states that the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
is "the source of all our power". In fact, two notable sources of electrical power are not directly traceable to the Sun: The first is Geothermal power
Geothermal power
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth's geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of minerals...
, which is derived from Geothermal energy, 20% of which remains from the original planet formation and 80% of which is derived from ongoing radioactive decay. The second source is the Moon's effects on tide
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
s and the associated method of power generation
Tidal power
Tidal power, also called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into useful forms of power - mainly electricity....
. Ultimately, however, the overwhelming proportion of human-generated power derived from fossil fuels and thence from photosynthetic plants makes this line a very good approximation to the truth. Even these power sources, however, are available only because of the Sun's influence on our early solar system, so Idle's statement is correct in a literal (if somewhat pedantic) sense even if not for practical purposes.
Idle's figures for the size of the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
are roughly correct. He understates the speed at which the Sun orbits the "galactic central point", but he gives a good estimate for the total time per orbit ("two hundred million years" according to the song, compared with accepted figures of 220 to 250 million years).
The song goes on to say that we are "thirty thousand light years from galactic central point". In fact, the Sun is more like 25 000 light years from the centre of the Milky Way. It also states that the galaxy is "a hundred thousand light years side to side". This would make the galactic radius 50 000 light years, which is accurate.
Australian astrophysicist Bryan Gaensler
Bryan Gaensler
Bryan Malcolm Gaensler is an Australian astronomer and former Young Australian of the Year, currently based at the University of Sydney. He is best known for his work on magnetars, supernova remnants and magnetic fields.- Education :...
has even stated that Eric's estimation of the thickness of the Milky Way, at 16,000 light years, is more accurate than the official 'textbook' figure of 6,000 light years. However, the song's position on this has now been confused by Eric's recent performance of the song which forms part of his Not the Messiah show where the figure he sings is only 6,000 light years. The reason for the confusion has since been explained in a message from Eric on the official Monty Python website, Pythonline.com:
"...There was some smug website pulling apart all my original figures for the song (written circa 1981) so for the 2003 Tour (or maybe 2000) I "updated" them. Now you tell me I was right all along! Not sure where I got my figures originally but tell the bastards to make up their minds."
The ultimate verse explains that the universe is expanding
Metric expansion of space
The metric expansion of space is the increase of distance between distant parts of the universe with time. It is an intrinsic expansion—that is, it is defined by the relative separation of parts of the universe and not by motion "outward" into preexisting space...
, and furthermore that the speed of light
Speed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
is the "fastest speed there is". Idle's estimate is a good one: 12 million miles per minute, versus the standard figure of about 11.16 million miles per minute.
Controversy over the name
Perhaps the most inaccurate detail of "The Galaxy Song" is the name itself. While the first verse indeed describes our galaxy, the last two lines depart greatly from it: "And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions/In this amazing and expanding universe." The rest of the song describes the universeUniverse
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
itself, far beyond the scope of our galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
. Many people including serious Monty Python fans get confused by the name "galaxy" song, often mislabeling it the "universe" song. A November 2011 Google search for "Monty Python Galaxy Song" returns 63,700 results while "Monty Python Universe Song" yields 49,700. Only three times since 2004 has "Monty Python Universe Song" outranked "Monty Python Galaxy Song" in search results, while the two terms seem to be currently approaching parity. Wikipedia itself redirects this page from "Universe Song".
Recently on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
's Talk of the Nation
Talk of the Nation
Talk of the Nation is a talk radio program based in the United States, produced by National Public Radio, and is broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Its focus is current events and controversial issues....
, host Neal Conan
Neal Conan
Neal Conan is an American radio journalist, producer, editor, and correspondent. He is senior host of the National Public Radio talk show Talk of the Nation....
and guest Eric Idle perpetuated the inaccurate title, hastily correcting an email from an astute fan:
- CONAN: This email from Katherine in Chico, CaliforniaChico, CaliforniaChico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
. I've been an avid Python fan since I was 13 and thrilled to see "Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy)" at the Hollywood BowlHollywood BowlThe Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
almost a year ago. I particularly liked Mr. Idle's Bob Dylan impression as well as the finale of "The Universe Song." It was really spectacular.
- Mr. IDLE: Well, thanks. I do appear as Bob Dylan at one point...
- CONAN: ...And in that production, the finale or the encore was "The Universe Song" "The Galaxy Song," rather...
- Mr. IDLE: At the Hollywood Bowl we were asked if we would put it up with fireworks. And we said, yes, we'd tolerate fireworks. And so John Du PrezJohn Du PrezJohn Du Prez is a musician, conductor, and composer. Du Prez was a member of the 1980s multi-hit Salsa-driven pop band Modern Romance and has since written several Film scores including Oxford Blues and the final Carry On film, Carry On Columbus...
wrote some fireworks music, part of "The Galaxy Song." And I think it's the first fireworks music written since Handel. So it was just - it was spectacular.
Meanwhile, the official Monty Python YouTube channel hosts the song under the name "Galaxy Song".
Remake
In 1999, Clint BlackClint Black
Clint Patrick Black is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor. Signed to RCA Records in 1989, Black made his debut with his Killin' Time album, which produced four straight Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country...
recorded a remake of "The Galaxy Song" on his album D'lectrified
D'lectrified
D'lectrified is a 1999 album by country singer Clint Black. It is also the first album in Black's career that he produced by himself....
, as well as the "Outside Intro (To Galaxy Song)", which he co-wrote and sang with Eric Idle.