Songs on campus

Lots of college campuses have carillons, or (like mine), "automatic carillons" (which play pre-recorded stuff, or have some kind of modern version of punched cards that make the thing play automatically).

Charles posted about the carilloneur (that's a new word to me) on the Iowa State campus who was persuaded to play Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" because of an e-mail campaign.

When I think of carillons, I think of how my mom talked about how the carilloneur at the University of Michigan when she was there as a grad student "lost it" (I think she used the word, "senile") and would play "La Cucaracha" very....slowly on the carillon. (And how she could hear every agonizing note from her office in the NatSci building).

We have some kind of a carillon thing here. I'm pretty sure it doesn't have a live player; it plays for ten minutes every hour starting at ten minutes to the hour (I think it's partly meant to be a reminder to students strolling across campus to get it in gear so they get to class on time). I don't normally notice it over in my office as I am pretty far from the speakers (we are at the farthest point on campus that is still actually ON campus. And yes, that has definite benefits.)

I do hear it if I'm outside at home while it's playing.

Most unusual tune I've ever heard it play (that I recognize the tune for): the theme from "Chariots of Fire." (I think they used to play some hymns, but I believe a stop was put to that, seeing as we are a "state" campus and therefore expected to be secular.)