This is more of a light-hearted post than usual. I have a few favorite songs and, of course, they’re about infectious diseases. I’m a microbiologist, what’re you gonna do? Case closed, moving on. I've been on the hunt for songs specifically about microbes and tracked down some real treasures.
The HIV/AIDs epidemic in the late 1980s sparked a wealth of inspired music, many that are not overtly recognizable about the disease itself. Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" and TLC's "Waterfalls" are two of the most popular that come to mind. Songs about HIV/AIDs could be a sub-genre in of itself considering the sheer numbers devoted to the illness. As such, I'd like to focus on some of the less popular diseases but you can browse through this impressive list to get an idea of the impact of HIV/AIDs upon music-making.
The waves of influenza pandemics that killed millions throughout the early to mid-20th century were a popular topic for several artists. The devastating Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 was covered by the blues musician Blind Willie Johnson in his grungy, gospel-inspired "Jesus is Coming Soon". Johnson addresses the uncertainty and hopelessness that pervaded the world as the disease indiscriminately killed over 50 million people worldwide.
