Saturday, July 9, 2011

Some Random Thoughts Involving Music and Biology

The New York state government is battling Giant Hogweed, a conflict of the type chronicled by Genesis in their early Seventies song The Return of the Giant Hogweed.


This news prompted me to do some research and learn that hogweed is a completely different thing than pigweed, which is referenced in a Mark Knopfler song.


The question also came to mind as to why British art rock bands always get biological nomenclature wrong, which is to say that they get it wrong in the two examples of which I am aware. The scientific name of Giant Hogweed is Heracleum mantegazzianum, but Genesis (as I confirmed from the CD booklet) gives it as "HERACLEUM MANTEGAZZIANI". Along similar lines, Yes has a song called The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus), which is apparently named after a real species of fish, whose correct name is actually Schindleria praematura.


The Wikipedia entry informs me that the English name of Schindleria praematura is Schindler's Fish . . . which should not be confused with Schindler's List . . .