Yesterday I wrote about The Mr. T Experience song “Sorry For Freaking Out On The Phone Last Night.” Since MTX is playing shows with Nerf Herder soon, I decided to tackle one of my favorite songs by this Santa Barbara pop punk outfit fronted by mad musical genius, Parry Gripp. I’ve watched over the years as Nerf Herder has created an impressive catalog of music that effortlessly waffles (see what I did there?) from tongue-in-cheek to heart-on-your-sleeve without missing a beat. “Mr. Spock” is a solid song with great hooks, setting the stage for the band’s transformation into nerd rock superheroes.
Our narrator knows he’ll never be enough for his girlfriend. From money to personality to style, she’s always looking for Mr. Right. So our hero does the complicated calculus, concluding that what she wants is highly illogical. With his fanboy feet firmly planted beneath him, our protagonist goes deeper into Star Trek references to make his point as the song chugs along. In the end, his frustration is so palpable that it’s hard to know if it’s him or her wearing the red shirt.
Read the full lyrics for Nerf Herder’s “Mr. Spock” right HERE.
Like Santa Barbara punk? Here I am talking books with musicians:
More Short Story in a Song posts:
- “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer
- “The Mercy Seat” by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
- “Bad Scene, Everyone’s Fault” by Jawbreaker
- “Books About UFOs” by Husker Du
- “Photosynthesis” by Frank Turner
- “Clean Sheets” by Descendents
- “Vacation” by The Go-Go’s
- “Throwaways” by Beach Slang
- “The Rat” by The Walkmen
- “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts” by X
S.W. Lauden is the author of the Greg Salem punk rock P.I. series includes BAD CITIZEN CORPORATION, GRIZZLY SEASON and HANG TIME (Rare Bird Books). He is also the co-host of the Writer Types podcast. Steve lives in LA.