One of the largest dilemmas that I've faced recently is the difficulty of reconciling my creative side with my analytic side. I'm a writer... but I'm also a civil engineer. It's hard to be creative with scientific reports (God knows I've tried) and it's even harder to make a page turner out of a spreadsheet. In fact, the only connection I could make was that it's difficult to find work in either field.The best way I could do go about relating both sides of me is to create a playlist of music that I hope everyone will enjoy. I came up with 21 songs (plus a bonus track dedicated to my peeps) listed below in no particular order. If you've got suggestions, feel free to add them in the comments.
When the Levee Breaks by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie was written in 1929 about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. This is one of the few songs that actually relate to civil engineering, and it's still pertinent today after the disaster in New Orleans. Many people forget that it wasn't Hurricane Katrina that flooded the city, but levee failure. The song has been covered by dozens if not hundreds of artists including Bob Dylan. And was popularized in 1971 by Led Zeppelin in Led Zeppelin IV.
Build a Bridge by The Redwalls is a great tune. Sure, they're singing about metaphorical infrastructure but who would be opposed to a song about bringing people together? I'm sure AT&T wouldn't, especially since they used this in one of the commercials a few years back.
Skyscrapers by OK Go is markedly different from their treadmill-choreographed-Rube-Goldberg-machine-internet-video meme singles that flung them into the chaos of mainstream, but it's a great song and worth a listen.
Skyscraper by Bad Religion continues the structural engineering theme and I prefer this acoustic version to the studio version.
Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations has absolutely nothing to do with civil engineering whatsoever but it does sound like it should. After all it has "Build Me Up" in the title and is written by a band called The Foundations! B.O.B even samples the tune in his song Don't Break My Heart. This song deserves to be on this playlist, and instead of the original band, I'm posting this cover by the adorably charming Julia Nunes who I'm kinda crushin' on.
I'm Gonna Be an Engineer by Peggy Seeger (sister of Bob Seeger) is a song that isn't so much about someone wanting to get into this profession as it is a song about Women's Lib. But it did shine light on the type of hurdles that gender inequality created. And thanks to folk singers like the Seegers, I had the privilege of studying and working side by side with some lovely lady civil engineers. While Pete Seeger does a version of this folk song, it seems only right to have the original writer sing it especially since it's from the point of view of a female being told that she couldn't be an engineer.
Song for the Civil Engineer by David Dondero is an obscure song that I read about on another engineer's blog. Apparently, David Dondero is played a lot on NPR. From the sound of it, NPR plays his music as frequently as mainstream radio plays crappy pop songs. It has that bittersweet acoustic guitar that you're likely to hear at the beginning or end of an independent film. I couldn't find any videos of Mr. Dondero but thankfully Yahoo! Music has the song right here. Just don't forget to click the tab on the lower left hand corner of the page.
Crossroad Blues by Robert Johnson is one of the greatest blues songs ever and laid the groundwork for rock and roll. Sure, it's a bit of a reach saying that this song reminds me of transportation engineering, but it's a fantastic song that has been covered over and over again. The most famous version being that of Cream. It even inspired the legend about Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil to become a great guitar player at "the crossroads," which inspired an episode of Supernatural.
Elevation by U2 gained popularity when it was attached to the soundtrack to Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Other than the fact that "elevation" is a term that is frequently used in drafting and surveying, there is no other reason to put this song on a list about civil engineering. I think it's a good song, not U2's best, but a worth a listen nonetheless.
Floods by Pantera. Aside from the fact that this list has been devoid of heavy metal, civil engineers also handle drainage problems. It's funny to think that non-engineers don't give a second thought as to how rainwater manages to find its way to the gutters and eventually the catch basins. Maybe, everyone assumes that things just work out for the best. Sorry to disappoint, but flood control is an engineer's doing.
Rain by The Beatles. Personally, I don't think any playlist is complete without mention of The Beatles, this song being the B-side to Paperback Writer. Sure, it rounds out the hydrology theme I started with Pantera and shows off how eclectic my taste in music is, but it also has the music video that started all music videos. I'm going to have to agree with George Harrison: They invented MTV.
Steel and Glass by John Lennon. Ironically this comes from Lennon's album, "Walls and Bridges," which also is a civil engineering reference. In 1973, John, George, and Ringo found out that Allen Klein was skimming money from them and this was John's response. One of the lyrics is a bit harsh, poking at the fact that Klein's mother died at childbirth. But that's Lennon for you. He's definitely not one for censorship.
Can't Truss It by Public Enemy. From one iconoclast to another, this song really has no reference to the profession at all. But I think a little wordplay with the word "trust" so it sounds like "truss" is enough to earn it a spot on this playlist. Besides, who wouldn't want to fight the power with Flava Flav?
Concrete Angel by Martina McBride. A country song about child abuse is a bit heavy for this list, but it's a good song. Besides, not only does it fulfill the requirement of referencing a material that all CE's are familiar with, but it's poetic if you think (like an engineer) about it. What other material would be best suited for the song's main character than one that can take a lot of pressure but is liable to snap under too much tension without any help? See what I did there?
We Built This City by Starship. If it wasn't such a cheesy 80's pop song performed by a shadow of a great 70's psychedelic band it would have been a perfect anthem for civil engineers. Yes, we built this city. And that city. And every city. Suck it.
Building A Wall by Pet Shop Boys. Even though they're an 80's electric band, this song was released in 2009 on the Yes album. There's already a metaphorical bridge on this list; why not throw in a song with a metaphorical wall? There's also a reference to The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and possible a reference to Hadrian's Wall though it's connection to Gaul wouldn't make much sense. But then again, this isn't about my historian side.
Steadier Footing by Death Cab for Cutie. If you want a slow, somber song with falsetto vocals, I think Death Cab is the way to go. So, they're not exactly talking about the kind of footing that civil engineers design, but if Can't Truss It can make the list, then this can make it too.
The Weight by The Band. How could you not mention a playlist dedicated to all my fellow civil engineers without taking The Weight into consideration. Get it? And the funny thing is that this is the second song on this playlist that was on a phone company commercial. You can just imagine columns singing the refrain to beams and girders called Annie (or is it Fanny?). There are lots of great covers of this song by Weezer, The Last Waltz, The Edge, Jimmy Page, and Jack White, and even the actor Jensen Ackles.
All Shook Up by Elvis Presley. Well, bless my soul. What's wrong with me? I've gone this long without putting the King on the list! I've also gone pretty far without any reference to seismic design despite living out in California. For shame!
I Feel the Earth Move by Carole King. Gone are the days of great singer/songwriters being the norm in the mainstream music. Did I put this on the list as a reference to soils engineering or seismic design? Who knows? That's the fun.
Shake, Rattle, and Roll by Big Joe Turner was popularized by Bill Haley & His Comets in 1954 and covered again in 1956 by Elvis Presley. Turner's was the most raw version, Haley's the most polished, and Elvis' version... Well, it's Elvis. Need I say more?
That about concludes my playlist. If you've got any you'd like to add, go right ahead and leave them in the comments section. To be honest, I never thought I'd get more than five songs but then it just snowballed into the amalgam of music that would otherwise would never have been lumped together. And as promised, there is one more song to add. You might scratch your head wondering what, if anything, the song has to do with civil engineering. I'd tell you, but it wouldn't be much of an inside joke. Just take my word for it that it's a tip of the hat to some engineers I know.
