E-mail to Berlin: early mentions of the digital cyber space age in music

Surely dating agencies' version of "computer dating" was just dumping ppl's paper questionnaires into a spreadsheet and then searching for the highest number of shared interests

(if even that and it wasn't the sole operator of the business reading the handful of submissions they got in the same room as a PC they used for their accounts)


www.pitchshifter.com is an album by the British industrial band Pitchshifter, released in 1998.

― Gavin, Leeds, Wednesday, September 26, 2018 9:07 PM (yesterday)

No idea if they were the first band to do that but they certainly beat Jethro Tull to the punch!

― Gavin, Leeds, Wednesday, September 26, 2018 9:08 PM (yesterday)

www.tism.wanker.com is the fifth album by Australian alternative rock group TISM (This Is Serious Mum), released in 1998. The album title references an internet URL which, at the time of release, was a subdomain (of wanker.com) provided by a friendly person overseas who had registered wanker.com, as TISM were not able to obtain their preferred domain, wanker.com.au, due to Australian domain regulations. However, the web hosting fees were not paid, subsequently it was taken down by the hosting ISP several months after launch and has not been available since.

wow this is rapidly drifting into turrican territory. again: "fwiw my point was not that 'computer world' and 'computer love' were vaguely about computers as the Future but that they specifically are dealing with the digital cyber space age." but go ahead and attribute a dopey spelling of "computers" to me if it makes you feel better?

we can split hairs about the technology of computer dating in 1985

I was going to mention Neil Young's "Sample and Hold" from 1982 here, but, on reading the lyrics, it seems to be about androids.

fwiw my point was not that 'computer world' and 'computer love' were vaguely about computers as the Future

Fwiw you seem to have incorrectly inferred that I said you said that they were.

but go ahead and attribute a dopey spelling of "computers" to me if it makes you feel better?

Also something you have mistakenly inferred. That's not something I did or would do to "make myself feel better." But go ahead and attack me for no reason.

but that they specifically are dealing with the digital cyber space age.

Computer World is (although it's a vague phrase - maybe you mean in some vague public conception sense.)

But I think what Computer Love actually describes is probably that rather low tech "computer dating", although yes you can argue even that is a bit "cyber" I suppose. Using a telephone is "cyber" so whatevs.

I call this number
For a data date

Neil Peart was another relatively early adopter (1996) with 'Virtuality' from Rush's 'Test For Echo':

'Net boy, net girl
Send your signal 'round the world
Let your fingers walk and talk
And set you free
Net boy, net girl
Send your impulse around the world
Put your message in a modem
And throw it in the Cyber Sea'

first hit record to mention the Internet/www?

Although these are some spectacularly badly written lyrics, they prophesize the internet of today surprisingly well for 1994. No wide-eyed techno utopia for Ray & Anita:

Technology
Virtual Society
Info superhighway interaction
Into the future, into the future
Technology
See the world progressing all around us, it's a virtual society
Info superhighway interaction, computer pal or enemy
So communicate with me
Won't you interact with me?
Technicians, technique, technology
It's the most important thing in the industry
It's going further nowadays, 'cause they want to get paid
Every day new discovery and plans to be made
Now get connected like an electric wire
Look out for the shock, look out for the fire
Just imagine how it would be
Without the thing they call "technology".
Interact with me
Interact with me
Info superhighway
Technicians, technique, technology
It runs the world and society
Digital revolution, technical solutions
For some it only brings more and more confusion
Do we still talk about civilization
'Cause we gotta look out for the computer invasion
Radio, telephone, or TV..
Would it be there without technology?
Into the future
Into the future
Energy from the inner mind
Technology
So communicate with me
Want you interact with me
Info superhighway interaction
Technology
Technology
Technology

Earliest mention of the internet in a song or title

THAT'S the thread I was looking for earlier, thank you