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My Water's On Fire Tonight (The Fracking Song)

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"My Water's On Fire Tonight (The Fracking Song)" is a 2011 American song and accompanying music video about the environmental and public health effects of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"), a method of extracting gas and oil.

The song was created by Explainer Music, LLC. David Holmes, co-founder of Explainer Music and a graduate of Studio 20, a New York University graduate program, used data collected by the investigative journalism group ProPublica to write "My Water's On Fire Tonight". Described by Studio 20 as an "explainer", it is a mini-documentary reflective of explanatory journalism.

Upon its release in 2011, the song and video received notable media attention for utilizing an unusual medium to report news and being one of the first widely received works of its kind,[1] initiating a discussion of whether or not a music video could be considered a viable form of journalism.[2][3]

The New York Times compared it to Gasland,[4] while Andrew Revkin (also writing in the Times) gave it a "thumbs up" and praised its balanced message ("This is not a 'no fracking' song; it’s a song about taking responsibility for our energy choices").[5] The Huffington Post called it "creative and comprehensive"[6] while Forbes called it an "interesting idea"[2] and PBS noted that it "packs a surprising amount of information" into its short span.[7][8]

References

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  1. ^ Mallary Jean Tenore (May 20, 2011). "From Schoolhouse Rock to 'The Fracking Song,' explainers as 'acts of empathy'". Poynter. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Osha Gray Davidson (May 16, 2011). "The Fracking Song: Can a Music Video Report?". Forbes. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  3. ^ Melissa Bell (May 12, 2011). "What the frack is going on? Singing as journalism". blogPost. Washington Post. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  4. ^ John Collins Rudolf (May 20, 2011). "The Fracking Debate, to a Funk Beat". New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  5. ^ Andrew C. Revkin (May 17, 2011). "New Tool, and Tune, for Tracking Fracking". Dot Earth. New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  6. ^ "What Is Fracking? Song Explains Controversial Drilling Process". Huffington Post. May 12, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  7. ^ Brianna Lee (May 12, 2011). "What the frack is going on? Music video sums it up". PBS. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
  8. ^ Margaret Simons (June 6, 2011). "Innovation in Journalism: please explain is one notion that works". Crikey. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
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