Thing a Week 21 – Chiron Beta Prime

By JoCo February 17, 2006

I’m in Denver you see. So this is from the reserves – I wrote it around Christmas time last year at the request of my friend Andrew at Z+ Partners. For their holiday card they sent a CD, and they wanted a Christmas song with a futuristic theme. Of course I went right for the post-apocalyptic, stranded on an asteroid, ruled by robots situation. What would a family Christmas letter sound like from there? Well I think it might sound…something…like this…

The song: Chiron Beta Prime

Buy the song
Send a Donation
Buy more music

Comments

Josh says

I love it. I ecspecially love the synth solo. I think that this is something you should put on the "Best of Jonathan Coulton" album. We know you will have one.

Steve says

You come to Denver and don't even have the decency to give your fans a show. The horror. I look forward to seeing you in concert some day.

Tony Fabris says

That was absolutely **MESSAGE REDACTED**, I really mean it.

Mike says

Check out the link and listen to the song and here the clever but twisted sounding song. Remember that this was sent as a Christmas thank-you to an actual person. It contains such gems as...

Carin says

That song's been in my head for 3 days. It's creepy but cool.

Brooklyn Bluesman says

Dude,
I'd fall down and proclaim, "I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy" over this one, if I hadn't already done that a dozen times before. Some clever boys from the Yale assembly line.

New Orleans says

That tune was double plus good. Some of the best yet. My favorite is the redacted message. I have never been an avid sci-fi fan in particular, but I can always see your vision through your music. Thanks.

Bob says

Brilliant! Yet again. This one's right up there with Skullcrusher Mountain.

Bob says

...and The Future Soon

Chris says

My brain blames you for the loop it has been on since downloading this. Come December I'll be merrily decorating my house as Chiron Beta Prime, with the role of Robot Overlord played by my aluminium-foil-clad cat.

Chris (The Better one) says

Cool Song! The synth solo sounds like that on another song that I cant remember. kind of weird.

Chris (again) says

God! Whats with the synth solo?!?! The same one in Curl.

Steve Whitaker says

This is just.plain.fantastic. Thanks for posting it, and all of the Thing a Week songs.

Zac says

I'm going through the archives reading all the comments. I want to point out that I love this song.

Wilbur Tillinghast says

1.) I like the song a lot, but as an overly-rationalistic type I must ask,
2.) Wouldn't they also know that it were the Christmas season by the appearance of the robotic "Santa Claus"en...of course, using the term might be their way of avoiding further redaction of the message, and they're out all year 'round.

But it would particularly sinister if they usually were just glowing-red-eyse-and-metal overseer-bots most of the time, but dressed up as Santa for the season, as sinister as the messages stencilled on bombs' being altered to match the season.