The Black Hole of Cygnus X-1

In the constellation of Cygnus
There lurks a mysterious, invisible force
The Black Hole
Of Cygnus x-1

Six Stars of the Northern Cross
In mourning for their sisters' loss
In a final flash of glory
Nevermore to grace the night....

- Prolouge, Cygnus X-1, Book One - The Voyage, Music by Geely Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, Lyrics by Peart

The Kojo Nnamdi Show airs every weekday at noon here in the nation's capital.   The popular, two-hours long radio program covers a wide-array of topics, including politics, computer and technology issues and social trends.  This past Wednesday Kojo's guest in the second hour was Brian Greene, a Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University and an award-winning author with a new book titled Icarus at the Edge of Time.

When I heard the host say the book was about "a 14-year old boy who takes a spaceship to the edge of a black hole," I experienced an eyes-wide, mouth-agape moment.    In the mid-70s, I was fast becoming a big-time RUSH fan.  On their 1977 album, A Farewell to Kings, the band wrote what is still one of my favorite songs, the spine-tingling Cygnus X-1.   It, too, is about a spaceship's perilous journey towards a black hole.

Drummer and lyricist Neil Peart had read an article on the subject and was inspired to pen the lyrics.   When the album came out, I remember being fascinated by what he had written -  a final flash of glory, soaring through the Astral Door, X-ray is her siren song.   Awash with curiosity, I high-tailed it to the library to learn more about black holes.   Several years later, as a student, I gave a presentation on them in a college class (Everything went well until I tried explaining what an accretion disk is).  

And now, once again, the wondering motivated me.  Wanting to know if Professor Greene knew about RUSH's song, I picked up my cell phone and called in (Energizing Science with Brian Greene, Wednesday, Sep 24).   13 minutes into the show, I heard Kojo say,

On to Jay in Alexandria, VA, go ahead Jay, you're on the air.  

Yes, Kojo, I wanted to ask the author if he's aware of a song, it was written in the late 70s by the rock group RUSH, it's called Cygnus X-1, and it talks about a spaceship and the encounter with a black hole.

Much to my disappointment, Greene said he isn't aware of the song.  But, of course, he knew that "Cygnus was certainly the place where a black hole was really first identified and convincingly shown to be a black hole."

With time always short on Kojo's show, I figured that would be the end of our conversation.  The Professor (a nickname once given to Peart), however, surprised me by asking me "to sing a few bars."   Kojo echoed the request (a distinct honor mind you!).   

I declined, and those familiar with the song know why.  Cygnus X-1 is a unique musical creation, with Geddy Lee capturing the fear of being "swallowed by a fearsome force" in a high-pitched vocalized way that few others would even dare to try.  

It had been a while since I listened to this brilliant song, so when I got home from work, I hopped on the computer, pulled out A Farewell to Kings, and listened to Cygnus with great joy.    If you listen it, and it's your first time, I suggest you prepare yourself for the experience.   It's a song that begs to be cranked loud, although be careful of several sudden and jolting increases in sound.  You'll also be induced into some serious hammering of your air guitar and head-banging.  

And take it from someone who knows.   Such behavior, seen for the first time by a spouse or a significant other, may prompt them to think you have gone off the deep end…