10 Best Nerd Songs That You've (Probably) Never Heard of Before

Before they irritated the # out of you with 1993's "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm," Canadian rockers Crash Test Dummies released this haunting tribute to Superman. A reflection on the hardships that the Man of Steel had to endure as mankind's self-imposed protector, the song muses that he "forced himself to carry on, forget Krypton and keep going." It also details the reasons why Tarzan is such a pussy compared to Supes, which is really quite awesome. As poignant as this song always was, it inadvertently took on another layer of melancholy following the death of Christopher Reeve.

For a third tier DC Comics character, Metamorpho sure has an amazing theme song. This track originally appeared on Songs and Stories about the Justice League, a Tifton Records LP that was released in 1968. (Power Records later reissued the album in 1975, and the song also was issued as a 45 with a Plastic Man story/theme tune). In a scant 2:40, this groovy jingle relates how fearless adventurer Rex Mason was transformed into "The Element Man" Metamorpho by an Egyptian relic. Earlier this year, the character appeared on Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The series missed out on a golden opportunity to utilize this song during the adventure. Maybe if we're lucky, the show's producers can shoehorn it into next season's musical episode.

If you are a Beatles fan who loved how "All You Need Is Love" was used in the final episode of The Prisoner, this is your lucky day. British act The Times released this bit of power pop heaven in 1983 that pays homage to Patrick McGoohan's allegorical series and the music of a certain Liverpudlian quartet. The song is so similar to "I Want to Hold Your Hand" that you'll wonder how a copyright infringement lawsuit wasn't filed. For the video, vocalist Ed Ball and his cohorts traveled to the Welsh village of Portmeirion (where the series was filmed) to re-enact their favorite moments from the show. This makes me sad, as I never get involved in shenanigans at iconic locations where my beloved TV stories are filmed. Cue sad trumpet. Fittingly, the B-side to this single was the theme to Danger Man -- McGoohan's pre-Prisoner series that was known as Secret Agent on this side of the pond.

I don't believe in guilty pleasures. I adhere to a strict policy of liking whatever dumb crap I do without feeling the need to make apologies for it. That said, it is a bit embarrassing when this song pops up on my work playlist and I am forced to explain to my questioning office mates that it is about a post-apocalyptic city inhabited by C.H.U.D.-like mutants performed by Lea Thompson and the "She Blinded Me with Science" guy. Oh yeah, it's also from Howard the Duck But what glorious bubblegum it is! A good deal of the material on the LP sounds like producer/performer Thomas Dolby was channeling Prince (particularly on "Don't Turn Away" and the title track). I always suspected that Lucas initially went after him to do the songs for the film, and Dolby was brought in when the Purple One declined. Given that Stevie Wonder and Joe Walsh both play on the soundtrack, this doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility. A musician who was definitely involved was Tori Amos. She auditioned for the Beverly Switzler role that eventually went to Thompson. One can only wonder what the rock sequences in the film would have been like if she landed the part. Something like this perhaps:

Yeah, yeah, yeah! Wow! This is the theme from the insane Japanese Spider-Man TV series. That is reason enough to track it down online and play it on repeat until your sanity lapses or your brain self-destructs. Save for a few recitations of the webslinger's name, I have no idea what the lyrics are. They could be a coded message telling me that I am unlovable because I often listen to the show's official soundtrack album, Eccentric Sound of Spider-Man. It wouldn't matter. Judge me if you must, but I am a junkie for strange and unnecessary Spidey music. I make no apologies.

Reminiscent of what a mash-up of Johnny Rivers, The Box Tops and Strawberry Alarm Clock would be like, this tribute to the Hulk from an ultra-obscure band called The Traits was recorded in 1969. Sold through comic book ads in the 1970s -- sometimes alongside of Spider-Man's unhinged Rock Reflections of a Superhero LP -- the 45 single is a forgotten garage rock gem that deserves to be loved just as much as the Hulk does.

In previous Daily Lists, I have given the theme to Enterprise a fair amount of grief because it is cheesy and overwrought. Yet for the exact same reasons, I love this track that opened the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century pilot film. Call me a hypocrite, but this kind of schmaltz is perfectly suited for a series that featured Gil Gerard attempting to # everything in the universe. Seeming like something that the kids from Fame would belt out, the track is still aural Spanish Fly for geeks looking to get their sexy groove on. Singer Kipp Lennon later went on to perform several iconic songs on The Simpsons, most notably the Michael Jackson soundalike "Lisa, It's Your Birthday." Feel free to use that bit of trivia in your attempts to get some at the next Dragoncon.

Sprites lead vocalist Jason Korzen was previously in the group Barcelona, an indie electropop act that had a penchant for recording tunes about Commodore 64 computers and Howard Jones devotees. The two Sprites albums that have been released thus far make up for their toned down synths by bolstering the geek appeal factor with songs about genetic engineering, bionic hands and computer overclocking. Their nerdy musical Mona Lisa is this celebration of Dawn of the Dead. At times it does veer dangerously close to sounding like Bowling for Soup's terrible hit "1985," yet it is redeemed by its use of samples from the original film and a bouncy chorus that pays tribute to Romero, Dario Argento, Tom Savini and Sam Raimi. Realizing that his nerdy obsessions may be a bit much, Korzen pauses to ask "do you find me creepy?" I think anyone who has ever been overenthusiastic about their interests can relate to that.

Around the same time that Star Trek: The Motion Picture hit U.S. theaters in 1979, British punk act Spizzenergi were making waves in the UK with their single "Where's Captain Kirk?" Propelled along by an unrelenting beat and vocalist Spizz's snarled vocals, the song appeals to Trekkies and Sex Pistols aficionados equally. Legendary British DJ John Peel singled out the track in his BBC special Funk Me Up Scotty as a defining moment in Star Trek musical history. He'll get no argument from me. Play this one to stop your friends from mocking you after they discover how much you love "Suspension."

As Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy mania gripped the UK in 1981, the Marvin the Paranoid Android character released two singles in an attempt to depress the hell out of radio listeners. Overseen by Douglas Adams and performed by Stephen Moore -- the original Marvin on radio and TV -- the four resulting songs didn't make much of a dent on the charts, but the impact they had on Adams' fans were immeasurable (including Radiohead, whose "Paranoid Android" was loosely inspired by Marvin's gloomy antics). Owing a debt to both Kraftwerk and The Shangri-Las, the new wave story song "Marvin I Love You" finds the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation creation discovering that someone once yearned for him. In typical Marvin fashion, he couldn't do a damn thing about it and was forced to live "miserably ever after."

Gosh I wish we still made music like back then. The only song I recognized was Marvin I Love You. So freaking awesome.

I did, and still love the Superman Song! I was an outdoor concert in Brandon, Manitoba when they first brought it out. We all knew it would be on the radio soon.

reply to post by balon0


Watching the Japanese Spider-Man made my day
I love how he has a Megazord, it must be compulsory in Japanese television.
And the slanted eyes in the mask is a little much, but i still laughed my arse off at his power rangers moves.

Oh and every single song on this list is horrendous, but that's just my opinion.
Here's a better sound bite with Marvin

www.youtube.com...

The best nerd song!