A PERFECT PAIRING

Which song goes perfectly with a lilac wine? 10 music & drink matches

Credit: Ahtziri Lagarde

They encourage introverts, accompany us in our dark moments, unleash joy, and forge new friendships. They can also cause problems and regrets the next morning. Music and drinks have developed a successful partnership since humans learned how to sing and distill alcohol, and the first bartenders walked the earth with their confident smiles. Let's enjoy—responsibly— these glorious songs that evoke, or are inspired by, some of our favorite drinks.

Credit: Francisco Galarza

This 1958 invitation to the party needs no further explanation. Or lyrics.

Everything you need to know is in the title. As soon as it starts, his guitar intro has already taken over your feet, and that possessed sax commands you to get up from your seat.

Do not resist, just dance and enjoy! The spirit of "Tequila" is among us.

Credit: Kelsey Knight

An absolute classic. Originally written by Neil Diamond in 1967, this somber acoustic ballad tells the story of someone who comes to the conclusion that drinking red wine is the only way to forget his troubles.

Then UB40 arrived.

Reconceived into this irresistible reggae version, the UB40 rendition reached No. 1 on the UK charts twice and sold more than a million copies.

Neil Diamond himself stated it is one of his favorite covers, and he has performed it many times, using the lighthearted Birmingham band's reggae base.

Credit: Elise Bunting

A glass of champagne, a little whiskey, and as much beer as it takes. Suddenly, the jukebox plays this universally loved country anthem from 1990. Before you know it, you find yourself singing along with your newly found best friends at the bar. Those who, like you, know exactly what to do to chase the blues away.

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It may seem difficult to keep up with this bright, energetic punk ballad as rivers of whiskey flow, in the company of Irish poets and dozens of pints of beer. However, let's gather our courage and venture forth "Any which way the wind may be blowing."

Anything is possible in the company of the legendary Shane MacGowan and the rogue poetry of The Pogues.

Credit: Joel Brodsky (photographer)

"Well, show me the way to the next whiskey bar. Oh, don't ask why," asked Jim Morrison in 1967.

Another brilliant cover, this time by The Doors, of a song originally composed by none other than Bertolt Brecht!

It was originally written for the opera 'Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny,' which curiously premiered in Leipzig, in the then Weimar Republic.

Credit: Terry Vlisidis

"Lilac wine is sweet and heady like my love." Many artists have put their hearts into this recipe, from Eartha Kitt to Jeff Buckley and Miley Cyrus.

But it is in the unforgettable voice of the Great Nina Simone that, as happens with most quality wines, this intimate celebration of melancholy only gets better over time.

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It's the late 80s. The best hour in the office, after-office in the pub. "And what a good place to be!"

An unforgettable music video, complete with those silly dance moves and claymation animation. A wonderful sense of self-conscious ridicule, typical of British humor.

One of those magnetic songs that drags you to the dance floor and puts a smile on your face.

Credit: Efren Barahona

Everybody puts their glasses up with this invigorating celebration of the weekend's arrival, the opposite of the despondency and moody blues that usually surround the topic.

Someone might argue that there is too much product placement for a single song. But in her own words, "People gonna talk whether you're doing bad or good."

So, let's cheer on that!

Credit: Andrea Piacquadio

Tom Waits' voice rises from the back of the room, standing for the sleepless, losers and nighthawks who drink in vain to forget their troubles.

His words craft a noir painting, constructing a small and precise masterpiece that speaks to those who, like him, simply don't fit in.

Let us be guided by his raspy, drowsy voice, which has not yet given up.

Tonight, the drinks are on Mr. Waits.

Credit: Zoltan Tasi

After this journey through so many drinks and songs, the latter item proposes a quasi-philosophical question: "What should we do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning?"

The song's lyrics vary but usually contain some variant of the question. And each successive verse suggests a method of sobering or punishing his off-duties behavior.

Also known as "What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor?" or "Up She Rises," it is one of the best-known songs of the shanty repertoire, and it was sung onboard sailing ships at least as early as the 1830s.

COSMIC LEXICON

Discover Ten Astronomical Terms You've Likely Never Heard Before!

Credit: Guillermo Ferla

Have you ever dreamed of traveling to space? Just imagine the variety of peculiar objects, scenarios, and environments awaiting there, some of them being completely unimaginable here on Earth.

While we are all familiar with stars, planets, moons, comets, and eclipses, there is a fascinating lexicon of lesser-known astronomical terms you have probably never heard of. Today we'll unveil 10 of these terms, each of which names amazing phenomena that will leave you speechless!

Credit: Bryan Goff

Isn't it amazing to look up and see the beautiful stars that light up our night sky? But wait, because you haven't heard of magnetars yet!

A magnetar is a star, but not just any star. It's a type of neutron star born from the remnants of a huge supernova explosion. A magnetar differs from other celestial bodies due to its exceptionally potent magnetic field beating that of Earth by trillions of times. This immense magnetic capacity enables it to emit electromagnetic radiation, including X-rays and gamma rays, and also initiate intense seismic events known as starquakes.

Credit: Viktor Forgacs™️

Yes, this word might sound like a delicacy from French cuisine or the name of a precious gem, but that is not what's going on here.

Short for "quasi-stellar radio source," a quasar is an incredibly luminous and energetic object that stands out at the center of some galaxies, powered by huge black holes. With its intense energy and luminosity, a quasar becomes a cosmic force that emits stunning amounts of electromagnetic radiation.

Nowadays, quasars are observed in distant parts of the universe, far away from Earth, offering scientists precious data about black holes and the early stages of galaxy formation.

Credit: Doug Walters

Are you a winter or a summer person? Well, regardless of your preference, Absolute Zero would freeze the bravest of winter lovers.

Absolute Zero represents the theoretical lowest possible temperature. This concept plays a crucial role in understanding the behavior of matter in extreme environments, such as those of outer space.

So, do you want to know what the coldest possible temperature is? It is an incredible -460 degrees Fahrenheit (or -273.15 degrees Celsius), also called 0 Kelvin, which results in particles reaching a state of minimal motion. You can be sure that weird things happen at such temperatures!

Credit: NASA

While it may look like we accidentally dropped something on the keyboard, that is not the case. "Syzygy" is a real astronomical term that refers to the phenomenon of alignment of 3 celestial bodies.

It might not sound like the kind of word you'd expect to hear from a scientist, but this funny term is often used to describe the alignment of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. When these three align perfectly in a straight line, astronomers describe them as being "in syzygy."

If you stay updated on this month's astronomical events, you might "casually" drop this word into conversation with friends!

Credit: OLHA ZAIKA

You may be familiar with meteorites, but have you ever heard of achondrites?

Achondrites are the lesser-known members of the meteorite family, distinguished by a specific characteristic: the absence of chondrules, which are small spherical grains found in other types of meteorites, a feature that makes them special and rare.

Achondrites are thought to originate from celestial bodies like planets or moons. Therefore, they could contain key information about those 'parent' celestial bodies and the events that shaped them.

Credit: NASA

As you probably already know, Earth's orbit around the Sun isn't perfectly circular. At certain points, we are closer to the radiant star, while at others, we travel to more distant places. The term "aphelion" denotes the specific moment of a celestial body's orbit at which it reaches its greatest distance from the Sun.

Want to know how far away from our beloved Sun we can be? When Earth reaches its aphelion, something typically occurring in July, it's positioned an average of 94,506,364 miles from the Sun, although this distance may fluctuate due to various factors. In any case, don't forget to wear sunscreen!

Credit: Melissa van Niekerk

Of course, celestial bodies' orbits not only have a point farthest from the Sun but also a point closest to it. The "perihelion" marks the opposite of the aphelion. That means it's the point where a celestial body is nearest to the Sun.

When Earth is at its perihelion, it is approximately 91,404,095 miles from the Sun, which occurs in the month of January. While it might not appear significant at first glance, the variance in Earth's distance from the Sun between aphelion and perihelion is around 3 million miles! You know, in the expanse of space, distances aren't exactly just around the corner.

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We have already identified the farthest and closest points to the Sun, so why not find the average? That's precisely what's been done, resulting in a measurement known as the Astronomical Unit.

So, the Astronomical Unit represents the average distance between the centers of Earth and the Sun, translating to about 92,955,807 miles.

Now, let's do some math (don't worry if numbers aren't your thing, we've got it covered). Based on the provided information, when Earth is at its perihelion, it's approximately 0.983 Astronomical Units (AU) from the Sun. In comparison, at aphelion, it's about 1.017 AU from the yellow dwarf.

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Have you had the chance to take a look at NASA's photos of the Sun? Of course, these images have the power to astonish anyone as they show the glorious beauty of our nearest star. But if you take a closer look at those pictures, you'll notice lighter and brighter spots present in the photosphere (the visible "surface" of the Sun, a layer about 250 miles thick). Each one of these marks is called a facula.

In addition to their luminosity, these spots shine with intense heat, quite warmer than the surrounding areas, and they are found in regions with extremely powerful magnetic fields.

Credit: NASA

As you can infer from the end of the word, planetoids are celestial bodies that orbit the Sun, similar to planets but smaller. We can think of them as the little babies in the cosmic family.

That's right, it's another name for minor planets or dwarf planets, such as the well-known Ceres and Pluto. And don't forget, asteroids are part of this category, too.

Planetoids differ from planets in several key aspects: they have a less structured composition and also have more irregular orbits. In addition, because of their smaller size (which can vary from just a few yards to several hundred miles in diameter), planetoids also possess less gravitational pull.