Historic Moment Replayed: Computer sings “Daisy Bell” After 60+ Years, Still Captivating & Unsettling
Murray hill, NJ – Over six decades ago, in 1961, a team of engineers at Bell Labs achieved a technological first: making a computer sing. The song chosen for this landmark demonstration was “Daisy Bell,” a 19th-century classic composed in 1892 by Harry dacre. The performance, executed on a massive IBM 7094 computer-which cost $3 million at the time-lasted just under two minutes, with the sung portion spanning approximately 30 seconds, focusing on key lyrics.
The project, spearheaded by John L. Kelly Jr.and Carol Lockbaum,aimed to showcase the potential of computer technology. “Daisy Bell” was selected not only because it was public domain but also for its relative simplicity,easing the process of translating it into machine-readable form.
The team utilized a synthesis program supported by the Music tool,a pioneering sound generation program created in 1957 by musician Max Matthews. Matthews personally contributed by playing the song’s notes on his violin, which the computer then captured and edited.
The resulting rendition, while historically significant, is described as both fascinating and strangely disturbing. Notably, the same melody later appeared in Stanley Kubrick‘s iconic film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. The original recording remains a compelling, if eerie, artifact in the history of technology.
