“E=MC2” by Big Audio Dynamite
Most simply put, “E=MC2” serves as a tribute to Nicolas Roeg (1928-2018), who was a prominent British film director of the late 20th century. As such, the lyrics consists of references to a number of his works . These works include:
- 1970 crime drama called Performance
- 1971 survival film dubbed Walkabout
- 1973 thriller titled Don’t Look Now
- 1976 sci-fi outing called The Man Who Fell to Earth
- 1985 alternate-history flick known as Insignificance
And apparently the title was inspired by the last outing on that list, a movie which features a characterization of Albert Einstein, as “E=mc2” is a well-known formula that he is credited with creating.
Also to note, this track features dialogue taken directly from Performance, which by the way is a film that co-stars Mick Jagger. And as such, “E=MC2” holds a place in music history as being the first song to incorporate sampling as we’ve come to know it.
With all of that being noted, the lyrics read as if a listener would have to be familiar with the aforementioned works of Roeg to fully appreciate what’s being put forth. Or let’s say that even though this piece is an ode to the director, it isn’t one in which he’s mentioned by name or even directly referred to.
Instead, as already stated, the lyrics consist of references to the movies above. The way they are relayed doesn’t come off as if this song is really meant to be a single narrative.
Or rather, perhaps the best way of understanding “E=MC2” is by presuming that each passage is based on a different Roeg film. And being that said films are of very diverse topics, likewise what’s being put forth by the vocalist is not single-minded.
Conclusion
So conclusively and all things considered, this does not read as a song that is meant to make any type of particular sense per se. Instead, it is a comprehensive appreciation of Nicolas Roeg’s work. And whereas listeners who aren’t familiar with Roeg may still derive some pleasure from “E=MC2“, obviously those who are privy to the lyrical backdrop would enjoy it even more.
Big Audio Dynamite
Big Audio Dynamite was a short-lived band from 1980s London.
Whereas they did not prove as popular as some other acts from that city/era, BAD, as they were also called, did experience some notable success during said decade. And “E=MC2” is one of their more noteworthy tunes.
BAD officially released “E=MC2” in March of 1986. It was the second single that was released from Big Audio Dynamite’s maiden album, “This Is Big Audio Dynamite”.
Success of “E=MC2”
American comedy-drama television series, “Girls” featured “E=MC2” in the 3rd Episode of the 3rd Season in 2014.
“E=MC2” was most successful in Britain. Here, it peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart (marking the second-highest they ever reached on that list), in addition to appearing on a couple of Billboard charts stateside.
Credits for “E=MC2“
Don Letts, who at the time was a member of Big Audio Dynamite, co-wrote this song and also produced its music video. And its other writer was his bandmate Mick Jones (the only founder of BAD who remained down with the band throughout all of its iterations), who furthermore produced the track.
