Every now and then, the LyricVids team gets something really unique to work on. When Canadian children’s educator, Greg Melchin aka Dr G reached out, we knew what a fun project it was going to be. Originally from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Dr G is now enlightening children around the world from Ottawa. “I’d describe myself as a theremin-playing space geek on a mission to spread the word about science! My music combines educational lyrics with catchy, infectious indie pop beats – I like to compare my sound to what might happen if Bill Nye the Science Guy made a pop record.” Throughout his life, Greg has been a performing musician, educator, academic and more recently, a dad. His passion for music combined with his love of science paved the way for this unique career. “I’m convinced of the potential for music to promote scientific literacy in a fun and engaging way.” Dr G is best known for his theremin skills. What is a theremin you ask? It’s an obscure musical instrument invented by Russian physicist Lev Termen (Leon Theremin) in 1920 and is considered one of the earliest electronic instruments. The theremin’s eerie sound is recognizable from dozens of science fiction soundtracks as well as hit songs like Good Vibrations (The Beach Boys) and BU2B (Rush).
In 2019, Dr G released his debut full-length album titled, “Dr G Goes To Space” featuring songs like “What Are Stars” and “Solar System Song!” followed up by his “Physics” EP in 2021 with the lead-off track “Motion”. These songs “break down some of the most fascinating topics in physics and astronomy in language accessible to kids and adults alike, set to relentlessly catchy music you’ll be singing for days!” It is no surprise that Dr G has been nominated for the East Coast Music Award for Children’s Entertainer of the Year (for both 2021 and 2022) and Music Nova Scotia’s Children’s Artist of the Year (2019).
In June, Dr G teamed up with LyricVids to create a really special music video for his newest hit “Motion”. We asked Greg about the track and he said, “The song is about Motion in all its forms, and is intended to introduce young people to the basic principles of motion as well as to all the ways that the universe around us is in motion. Like all Dr G songs, it features an obscure electronic instrument called the theremin, which is best known for its role in sci-fi movies from the 50s and 60s – I’m particularly proud of my theremin solo after the last chorus of this song!” He says this song differs from previous releases because “On my previous releases, Dr G songs have tended to be in more of a new wave/rock style, but for a song about motion I had to do a pure dance-pop song. I think it’s the catchiest Dr G song yet!”
Not gonna lie, some of us needed to do a bit of research for this one as it’s been a loooong time since grade school science class! Luckily, Dr G lays it all out for us in such a digestible way in the lyrics! We asked Greg why he chose a lyric video and he said, “I chose a lyric video for “Motion” because I wanted a visual accompaniment to illustrate the concepts described in the lyrics. All Dr G songs are intended to be usable as teaching resources as well as listening for fun, and in the past I’ve done very basic videos with non-moving lyrics and images, but I needed something different for “Motion” because it’s about… well, motion!” The video perfectly bridges the gap for both kids and parents and provides a fun and educational way to learn about Newton’s laws. The video uses fun animated imagery such as a cartoon Dr G floating through space as well as rotating planets and bouncing balls to depict the lesson being taught. The lyrics are showcased using two creative and easy to read fonts. One being a blocky futuristic style and the other a large bold bubbly font for highlighting key words such as “Acceleration” and “Constant Pace”. The colour scheme is galactic and vibrant, using neon blue, green, red, yellow and purple. These colours are really eye-catching, dynamic and bring the visuals to life. We asked Dr G what his favourite part of the lyric video was and he said, “My favourite part has got to be the bridge section where the visuals demonstrate Newton’s three laws!”
What’s next for Dr G? You can catch Dr G at your local library in Ottawa or Nova Scotia later this summer (dates TBA). “After that, I plan to record and release some singles focusing on other areas of science. I’m concocting a chemistry-themed song called “1-2-3 Chemistry” and a geology-themed song called “I Love Rock!” For more fun and educational content you can check out his website here or subscribe to Dr G’s YouTube channel here or follow him across all music streaming and social media platforms at @dr_g_music
Check out the fun animated lyric video for Dr G “Motion” on YouTube Here: