Elements of Music

Name that tune in three elements

Best song of the 80s? Gold by Spandau Ballet. But it seems that the frilly-collared Spandau boys were far from original in their lyrical choice. According to a survey undertaken by Santiago Alvarez, in the department of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Barcelona, the most popular elements referred to in music are, from the top; silver, gold, tin and oxygen.

What surprises me isn’t that someone did this. No, what surprises me is that the survey appears in a chemistry journal and it’s paywalled. There is a press release that mentions some of the songs.

But . . . Gold is the best song of the 80’s? File that under ‘Things that make you go buuhhhhh!’