Below
is a list of songs that describe some aspect of information literacy. They are divided into three categories: songs
that address the competency standards, songs that speak to the experience of
research, and songs that reference libraries, librarians, and reading. As more songs are found, they will be added
to the list. Please send suggestions to jburkhol@ycp.edu
Information Literacy Competency
Standards for Higher Education
The number following
each title is a reference to the Competency Standard(s)
being addressed. For some of them,
categorization was obvious and easy. For
others, it was a little more difficult.
You may want to listen to each song and decide for yourself. If broader economic, legal, or social issues
were implied by the title or lyrics, I assigned it to Standard Five.
2
Live Crew - Banned in the USA (5)
Weird
Al Yankovic Dont Download This Song (5)
The
Academy Is... - The Author (3)
Alexander
Perls Database (2)
Amanda
Palmer - I Google You (2, 5)
Annie
Lennox Why (1)
Arcade
Fire (Antichrist Television Blues) (5)
Bad
Religion - 21st Century (Digital Boy) (5)
Beck
The Information (1)
Belle
& Sebastian - Wrapped Up In Books (1)
Billy
Bragg It Says Here (1, 3, 5)
Bo Diddley - You Can't Judge a Book By
Looking at Its Cover (3)
Bob
Rivers - Read It in the Tabloids (1, 3)
Bomani
Armah - Read a Book (explicit) (1)
The
Book of Love The Book of Love (1)
The
Boomtown Rats - Dont Believe What You Read (3)
Brad
Paisley - Cooler Online (5)
Bruce
Springsteen - 57 Channels (And Nothin On) (1, 3, 5)
Buck Owens On the Cover of the Music
City News (1)
Cake - Open Book (1, 3)
Cake
- Rock n Roll Lifestyle (3, 5)
Chumbawamba
- Everything You Know is Wrong (3, 5)
The
Coasters/The Bobs - Searchin (1, 2)
Dada
- Information Undertow (1, 2, 3, 5)
Daft
Punk - Technologic (4, 5)
Dave
Edmunds - Information (1)
Death
Cab for Cutie - Different Names for the Same Thing (2)
Death
Cab for Cutie - Information Travels Faster (1, 5)
Dion
I Read It (In the Rolling Stone) (1, 3)
The
Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy - Television, the Drug of the Nation (1, 3, 5)
Don
Henley - Dirty Laundry (3, 5)
Dr.
Hook & the Medicine Show On the Cover of the Rolling Stone (1)
Duotang - A Biased View (3)
Duran
Duran - Too Much Information (1, 2, 5)
Elvis
Costello - Everyday I Write the Book (1)
Elvis
Presley - Suspicious Minds (3)
Eurythmics - Would I Lie To You? (3)
Flobots - Handlebars (1, 4)
The
Foremen - Lazin In the Shade of the Information
Super Highway (2, 5)
Graham
Parker - Search Engine (2)
Hall
& Oates - Private Eyes (5)
Husker
Du - Books about UFOs (1, 3)
Institute
- Information Age (1, 2, 3, 5)
Jack
Johnson - Cookie Jar (3, 5)
Jack
Johnson Questions (1)
The
Jam - News of the World (1, 3, 5)
The
Jayhawks The Baltimore Sun (1)
Jimmy
Durante - I'll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book (1)
Joe
Jackson Sunday Papers (1)
Joe
Walsh Analog Man (5)
John
Mellencamp The Authority Song (3)
John
Philip Sousa The Washington Post (1)
Julian
Smith - I'm Reading a Book (1)
Kate
Bush Sat In Your Lap (1)
The
Kinks Did you See His Name? (1, 3, 5)
The
Kinks Mr. Reporter (1, 3, 5)
Kraftwerk ComputerLove (5)
Laurie
Anderson - Language is a Virus (2)
Laurie
Anderson - Only an Expert (3)
Lily
Allen The Fear (3, 5)
Living
Colour Information Overload (1, 2, 5)
The
Moody Blues Question (1)
Morrissey
Journalists Who Lie (1, 3, 5)
Nada
Surf Whose Authority (3)
Nelly
Furtado Powerless (Say What You Want) (3, 5)
Nick
Cave & the Bad Seeds - We Call Upon the Author (3)
Norah
Jones - Dont Know Why (1)
Peter
Gabriel - The Book of Love (1)
The
Police - Too Much Information (1, 3, 5)
Pylon
- Read a Book (1)
Public
Enemy - She Watch Channel Zero?!
(3, 5)
Radiohead
Daily Mail (1)
Radiohead
- Everything In Its Right Place (2)
Ray
Davies Other Peoples Lives (1, 3, 5)
Rockwell
- Somebodys Watching Me (5)
Roger
Waters - Who Needs Information (1)
The
Slackers - Information Error (3, 5)
Sly
& the Family Stone - Searchin (1, 2)
The
Smiths - Cemetery Gates (5)
Snap
- The Power (5)
Stereo
MCs - Connected (2, 5)
Sudden
Death Im On It (Wikipedia) (1, 3)
The Stereophonics I Wouldnt Believe Your
Radio (1, 3)
Talking
Heads - The Book I Read (1)
Talking
Heads - Crosseyed & Painless (3, 5)
The
Teardrop Explodes - Books (1)
The
Four Lads/They Might Be Giants - Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (2)
Tom
Lehrer - Lobachevsky (5)
Tool
- Die Eier von Satan (3)
The
Verve Pipe - Villains (1, 3, 5)
The
Who -
The Seeker (1)
X -
Adult Books (1)
The Experience of Research
Aretha
Franklin - Think
The
Beatles - Help!
Black Eyed Peas - Now Generation
Carolina
Liar - Show Me What I'm Looking For
Cars
- Just What I Needed
Cat
Stevens - On the Road to Find Out
DJ
Format ft. Jurassic 5 - We Know Something You Don't Know
Duran
Duran - Is There Something I Should Know
Genesis
Land of Confusion
Guns
N Roses - Patience
Husker
Du Makes No Sense At All
Information
Society - What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)
Jimmy
Cliff You Can Get It If You Really Want
Keane
Somewhere Only We Know
Letters
to Cleo - He's Got an Answer
Lucy
Schwartz Help Me! Help Me!
OutKast Makes No Sense At All (explicit)
Queen
- I Want it All
Queen
Under Pressure
Rivers
Cuomo - My Brain Is Working Overtime
The
Rolling Stones You Cant Always Get What You Want
The
Strokes The End Has No End
The
Strokes - Hard to Explain
Thomas
Dolby - She Blinded Me with Science
U2
I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For
XTC
Senses Working Overtime
Libraries, Librarians and Reading
Arctic
Monkeys - Library Pictures
Bobbie
Gentry - Miss Clara
The
Five Keys - I Wish I Never Learned to Read
Frank
Zappa - Library Card
Camera
Obscura - French Navy
The
Go-Betweens Karen
Green
Day - At the Library
Haunted
Love - Librarian
Hefner
- The Librarian
Interpol
Obstacle 1
INXS
Heaven Sent
Jimmy
Buffett Love in the Library
John
Mellencamp Check It Out
Jonathan
Rundman - Librarian
Late
Night Alumni - Light Reading
The
Magnetic Fields - Swinging London
Manic
Street Preachers A Design for Life
Moxy Fruvous My Baby
Loves a Bunch of Authors
My
Morning Jacket - Librarian
Nick
Lowe I Read A Lot
Of
Montreal - In the Army Kid
The
Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Young Adult Friction
Papoose
- Law Library
Piano
Magic - I am the Sub Librarian
Reading
Rainbow Theme
Robert
Preston Marian the Librarian
Saint
Etienne - Lost in the Library
Seabear Libraries
Sesame
Street In the Library
Shriekback - Lines from the Library
Spazz - Dewey Decimal Stitchcore
Squeeze
Library Girl
Velocity
Girl - Lisa Librarian
Updated
4/29/2012 by Joel
Burkholder