I call this numberFor a data dateI don't know what to doI need a rendezvous
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Friday, 4 October 2013 18:13 (ten years ago) link
July '81
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Friday, 4 October 2013 18:14 (ten years ago) link
Related question: what is the earliest song that was a reasonable size hit that mentioned the internet? I'm having trouble thing of anything that isn't fairly recent.
― it was discovered that there's no rule that a dog cannot play basketball (bends), Friday, 4 October 2013 18:44 (ten years ago) link
Prince's "Emale" (from 1996) wasn't a hit, but I've always assumed it's the first tune by a big pop star that's specifically about the internet.
― Tuomas, Friday, 4 October 2013 18:48 (ten years ago) link
Anyway, what is the tune Albert Broccoli is citing?
Computer Love by Kraftwerk, yes?
― it was discovered that there's no rule that a dog cannot play basketball (bends), Friday, 4 October 2013 18:49 (ten years ago) link
Billy Idol's Cyberpunk?
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 4 October 2013 18:50 (ten years ago) link
Ah, yes. I don't see how the term "data date" makes it about the internet, though...
― Tuomas, Friday, 4 October 2013 18:51 (ten years ago) link
I'd always heard it as 'another date' until now, but listening again it is 'data date'
― it was discovered that there's no rule that a dog cannot play basketball (bends), Friday, 4 October 2013 18:53 (ten years ago) link
Hello there Tuomas my take is COMPUTER LOVE is about looking for love over a computer data connection.
What is your take on that song?
― lil queequeg (peter grasswich), Friday, 4 October 2013 18:54 (ten years ago) link
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/8718225/wwwthugcom.jpg
― it was discovered that there's no rule that a dog cannot play basketball (bends), Friday, 4 October 2013 18:55 (ten years ago) link
I'm finding a couple references to "dot com" from 1996:
JP & Taylor - Dot.comDonuts N' Glory - Http://Mmouse.Albndy.Coolio.Myass.Dot.Com
1990:Think Tank - Hack One (The Internet Worm Mix)
1994:U V O I I - God's Picture In The Internet
1995:KX Noizsystem - 303 Motor Lodge (Internet Obsession)Sp@sms* - Prehistoric InternetLung Leg - Kung Fu On The Internet
― skip, Friday, 4 October 2013 19:55 (ten years ago) link
I obviously didn't read the first post where two of these were included.
Nowhere near earliest, but I still love 'Shopping on the Internet' by Bette Davis & the Balconettes (1997).
― emil.y, Friday, 4 October 2013 19:57 (ten years ago) link
Kate Bush - Deeper Understanding (1989)
― Tim F, Friday, 4 October 2013 20:19 (ten years ago) link
I think so too, but since the song was made in 1981, I've always assumed the "computer love" it talks about is an imaginary sci-fi concept, not actual internet dating. (I doubt anyone was using the Internet in 1981 for dating purposes.)
― Tuomas, Friday, 4 October 2013 20:23 (ten years ago) link
"Horny" mousse-T?
"Get Here" Oleata Adams?
― Mark G, Friday, 4 October 2013 20:25 (ten years ago) link
I'm finding a couple references to "dot com" from 1996
I wonder what the most recent album that uses 'dot com' or ref to the internet as a self conscious thing like www.thug.com is, like when it became common place enough that this would seem an odd thing to do.
― it was discovered that there's no rule that a dog cannot play basketball (bends), Friday, 4 October 2013 20:28 (ten years ago) link
The Who's aborted Lifehouse project (much of which was salvaged for Who's Next) prefigured the Internet in 1971...sorta...
In the album, pollution is so bad that the populace are forced to wear Lifesuits, suits that could simulate all experiences in a way that no one would have to leave home.The suits are plugged into a huge mainframe called the Grid, similar to today's Internet, but which also contains tubes for sleeping gas, food, and entertainment; supposedly, someone could live out tens of thousands of lifetimes in a very short period within the Grid. The Grid is controlled by a man named Jumbo.
The suits are plugged into a huge mainframe called the Grid, similar to today's Internet, but which also contains tubes for sleeping gas, food, and entertainment; supposedly, someone could live out tens of thousands of lifetimes in a very short period within the Grid. The Grid is controlled by a man named Jumbo.
― hopping and bopping to the krokodil rot (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Friday, 4 October 2013 20:28 (ten years ago) link
Menswear used to have their name appear as 'Menswe@r' on the mid 90s covers, I guess this counts as an internet reference?
― it was discovered that there's no rule that a dog cannot play basketball (bends), Friday, 4 October 2013 20:30 (ten years ago) link
i don't know the answer to thread title but i want to share this song which is hilarious + ridiculous:http://www.amazon.com/Moshe-on-Line/dp/B0067EPK0S/
the preview gives enough of a taste, don't feel compelled to buy the track
― Mordy , Friday, 4 October 2013 20:30 (ten years ago) link
omgz it's on spotify: http://open.spotify.com/track/6aDlnUckPj528uErVWlF1P
― Mordy , Friday, 4 October 2013 20:34 (ten years ago) link
not sure about mentions but Born Under Punches has some noise that sounds like.. that noise your PC used to make when connecting. it's freaky!
throbbing gristle: http://youtu.be/GIPPcPzbOcI
― fit and working again, Friday, 4 October 2013 21:00 (ten years ago) link
1995: The Amps "Tipp City" calls out the "internet nation"
― Hip Hop Hamlet (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 4 October 2013 21:26 (ten years ago) link
Clock DVA, 1988?
http://youtu.be/a5gxKXqkxbU
― alb indys, Friday, 4 October 2013 21:47 (ten years ago) link
no mention of "internet" specifically there
― fit and working again, Friday, 4 October 2013 22:08 (ten years ago) link
since the song was made in 1981, I've always assumed the "computer love" it talks about is an imaginary sci-fi concept, not actual internet dating. (I doubt anyone was using the Internet in 1981 for dating purposes.)
Hm, Minitel (later notorious for its Minitel rose chat-up pages) was only a local pilot in 1981, so I'm guessing the dating section hadn't really started yet. Germany didn't get an equivalent until '83. Curious to know if it was purely imaginary sci-fi or not, but it's certainly more pleasing to imagine it is.
I wonder if Kraftwerk had heard this - she was pretty popular in Germany at the time, as far as I can find out, but this didn't make it through to be the German Eurovision entry:http://youtu.be/7Rtdb_zgqdQ(France Gall - "Der Computer Nr. 3", 1968)
― the supreme personality of Godhead : a summary study (a passing spacecadet), Friday, 4 October 2013 22:29 (ten years ago) link
I remember seeing a documentary about Timothy Leary that talked about his involvement in the 'cyberdelic' techno utopian movement in the late 80s/early 90s- is there much music that came out this scene? The only thing I can seem to find is Billy Idol's Cyberpunk album from 1993, this seemed to be regarded as bandwagon jumping by self-defined cyberpunks according to wikipedia.
― it was discovered that there's no rule that a dog cannot play basketball (bends), Friday, 4 October 2013 22:39 (ten years ago) link
refuse to believe kleeer's 'intimate connection' isnt a typo
― r|t|c, Friday, 4 October 2013 23:16 (ten years ago) link
survivor by destiny's child (2001) is a hit that mentions the internet
― fit and working again, Friday, 4 October 2013 23:32 (ten years ago) link
Denim, "Internet Curtains" (1996)
― Tommy McTommy (Tom D.), Saturday, 5 October 2013 09:23 (ten years ago) link
Computer World seems to predict the internet more astutely than Computer Love, no?
― everything, Saturday, 5 October 2013 09:27 (ten years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hChTqeiKsus
'Talking Univac Blues', promotional record for UNIVAC from 1974. I'm not technical enough to say if any of the lyrics are specifically realted to the internet, but it's odd hearing references to broadband data in a song from the mid 70s
― soref, Tuesday, 9 February 2016 20:18 (eight years ago) link
Re: the discussion about "Computer Love" - those lyrics may have been partially inspired by the then recently-developing technology of Bulletin Board Systems. First known BBS was in 1978, though didn't start properly taking off until 1980/1981.
― TechYes, Wednesday, 10 February 2016 01:42 (eight years ago) link
That Univac song's amazing. Likewise I've no idea whether it 'counts' as an internet song, but it makes a data transfer sound bloody impressive.
Presumably the original record sounded better than this upload? (Or were they imitating "faulty '30s gramophone" quality?)
― sbahnhof, Thursday, 11 February 2016 10:40 (eight years ago) link
I know that Snake People are not likely to remember this, but "Computer Dating" meant a rather different thing in the late 60s and 70s than it does in the post-internet age.
There was this idea that one would fill in a series of questions (the pre-cursor to OKC questions and the like) in one of those data entry forms, the results would all be fed into a computer, and some algorithm would match potential dates based on the affinity of their answers.
It's described here:
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/02/old-weird-tech-computer-dating-of-the-1960s/71217/
And also it's the basis for a hilarious scene in Harold and Maude (1971) whereby Harold's mother fills in his punchcard for him.
So given that this is the meaning that "Computer Dating" had for most of the 70s, I'm pretty sure that something like this is what Ralf was describing in Computer Love - rather than what we consider "Internet Dating" now.
So no, I don't think we can call Computer Love the earliest example of the Internet in song lyrics. Computer World, however, especially the full German lyrics, has a much better claim, conceptually, to be about ~the Internet~ since it is about computerised data networks. So not that specific song, but definitely Kraftwerk.
― Möbius the Stripper (Branwell with an N), Thursday, 11 February 2016 10:57 (eight years ago) link
Maybe more specific, what's the first mention of email?
― Siegbran, Thursday, 11 February 2016 12:43 (eight years ago) link
Snake People
Uh, what?
― Demeraray & Essequebo (Tom D.), Thursday, 11 February 2016 12:44 (eight years ago) link
I guess Prince must be one of the first, back in 1995:
"Welcome, you've got mail"It was Sunday night, instead of doing what I usually do, I
I scan my computer looking for a siteSomebody to talk to, funny and brightI scan my computer looking for a siteMake believe it's a better world, a better life
― Siegbran, Thursday, 11 February 2016 12:48 (eight years ago) link
2 Unlimited have their Info Superhighway from 1994 although it doesn't specifically mention the word internet:
Technology, virtual societyInfo superhighway interactionInto the future, into the future, technology
See the world progressing all around us, it's a virtual societyInfo superhighway interaction, computer pal or enemySo communicate with me won't you interact with me?
Technicians, technique, technologyIt's the most important thing in the industryIt's going further nowadays, 'cause they wanna get paidEvery day new discovery and plans to be made
Now get connected like an electric wireLook out for the shock, look out for the fireJust imagine how it would beWithout the thing they call technology
― Siegbran, Thursday, 11 February 2016 13:01 (eight years ago) link
I find those lyrics difficult to reduce to a single lucid and coherent thought
― rip van wanko, Thursday, 11 February 2016 13:33 (eight years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7OuzAxM2uA&index=5&list=PLWfGw2maX1M7bFF9YNS0w59Q8c672-774
― Raffi, Master of the Pan Flute (fake penthouse letters mcgee), Thursday, 11 February 2016 13:36 (eight years ago) link
(1986, btw)
― Demeraray & Essequebo (Tom D.),
http://www.buzzfeed.com/sapna/replace-millennial-with-snake-people
― 1staethyr, Thursday, 11 February 2016 17:49 (eight years ago) link
1995: momus - virtual valerie "Went surfing down the Internet"
― new noise, Thursday, 11 February 2016 18:30 (eight years ago) link
also that year: bowie - algeria touchshriek "A reject from the world wide Internet"
― new noise, Thursday, 11 February 2016 18:32 (eight years ago) link
It doesn't literally mention the Internet, but there's Level 42, Micro Kid.
― Manitobiloba (Kim), Friday, 12 February 2016 04:52 (eight years ago) link