Song Titles with Mathematical Concepts

The times I have ever used any but the simplest math concepts since high school are few. I use percentages to figure how much a baseball player's average will rise or decrease and to occasionally see how much I'll save if I purchase a CD from Borders with my 30% off coupon. When my daughter approached me about which math course to take in ninth grade next year, I discouraged her from enrolling in a hell called Honors Geometry. She insisted that she had done well in honors math (with no help from Dad obviously) all through eighth grade, so she was confident that she could pass Honors Geometry. I reminded her that three nights a week she was crying and calling her friends about her math homework. She ended up with a B average each term, but was it worth all the tears and anguish? We both ended up getting something out of the discussion. She signed up for a more endurable hell called General Geometric Concepts, and I ended up with a list of songs that mention mathematical concepts in their titles.
10. "Multiply the Heartaches" by Cake: The band, known for mixing deadpan humor into its pop compositions, shows a flair for traditional country in this song from their Cake: B Sides and Rarities album.

9."Your Algebra" by The Shins: Among the four or so lines in the song from Oh, Inverted World, one appeals to me particularly: "They cause your algebra to fail." Nothing ever actually me to fail the class, but I did end up with a D or two before I said goodbye to math for good.

8. "Hip to Be Square" by Huey Lewis and the News: The song remains a staple of 80s-based radio, even though the adjectives have long become passé. The best thing about the band is the knowledge that the guys known as The News played for Elvis Costello on his historical debut album This Year's Model.

7. "Love Plus One" by Haircut 100: The great saxophone opening the track is probably its most distinguishing feature. Without the brass you're left with a typical 80s new wave band, which isn't all that bad if you ignore the hair styles.

6. "X or Y" by Loudon Wainwright: The letters here do not refer to algebra or anything on a graph. Wainwright uses the 24^th and 25^th letters in reference to chromosomes, admitting with his usual wit that he is skeptical of defying nature to insure you get the gender of baby you want.

5. "Add It Up" by The Violent Femmes: You have to feel for the guy who asks, "Why can't I get just one kiss?" He wants even more than that as the timeless rock song progresses with rich guitar riffs and semi-comical desperation in the vocal delivery.

4. "Two Divided by Love" by The Grass Roots: I have this song on a compilation CD of hits from the late 60s and 70s. The lyrics are pretty clever and the backing vocals recall the Three Dog Night and other pop masters of the era.

3. "Long Division" by Death Cab for Cutie: The band records poetry, not simply lyrics. The album Narrow Stairs plays like an anthology set to music, and this metaphor for a broken relationship "with no remainder" is one of the highlights.

2. "Love Minus Zero/ No Limit" by Bob Dylan: "In ceremonies of the horsemen, Even the pawn must hold a grudge." I am not certain what Dylan means here on Bringing It All Back Home, but the song is filled with amusing lines. Also included are the characteristic jabs Dylan takes at the upper class, women, religion, and anyone in the mainstream: "Bankers' nieces seek perfection, Expecting all the gifts that wise men bring."

1. "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends" by Phil Ochs: The liberal folk singer turns his attention away from the Vietnam War to lampoon the passivity of society. Bystanders remain aloof as a woman is raped, urban children starve, and pot smokers are sent away. Ochs adds to the sense of indifference by backing his guitar with a jovial ragtime piano.