science

Tesla Girls

Tesla Girls is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tesla Girls rather than just read about it. In short: "Tesla Girls" is a song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released as the third single from their fifth studio album, Junk Culture (1984). It peaked at No. 21 in the UK and Ireland, and No. 33 on the Dutch Top 40.

Key takeaways

Tesla Girls belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tesla Girls to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tesla Girls from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

"Tesla Girls" is a song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released as the third single from their fifth studio album, Junk Culture (1984). It peaked at No. 21 in the UK and Ireland, and No. 33 on the Dutch Top 40. Although only moderately successful on the charts, it became one of the group's biggest club hits. "Tesla Girls" appeared in the John Hughes film Weird Science (1985).

Background The song title refers to the Serbian-American engineer, futurist, and inventor Nikola Tesla, and was suggested by the Canadian academic, designer and musician Martha Ladly, who had also suggested the title of their third studio album Architecture & Morality (1981). Tesla is known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. "The references to electric chairs and dynamos is actually a reference to dynamos which was essential for the use of the alternating current and anything electrical basically," said Andy McCluskey in an online Q&A session in 1998.

Critical reception and legacy "Tesla Girls" met with a few detractors on release. Singer Kim Wilde – whose work had been influenced by OMD – called the song "inane and monotonous". On the other hand, Billboard categorised the single as "recommended", while observing "nervous electronics and obscure lyrics by one of the new wave's trendsetting bands". "Tesla Girls" was popular among WLIR listeners, who voted it "Screamer of the Week". In retrospective articles, critics have directed praise toward the track's "witty" and "clever" lyrics, as well as its scratch production; favourable comparisons have been made to American pop and rock duo Sparks. Ned Raggett of AllMusic commended the song's melody and "brilliant, hyperactive intro", identifying it as "the group's high point when it comes to sheer sprightly pop". Louder Than War's Paul Scott-Bates wrote that "Tesla Girls" is "as perfect as pop singles get", while critic Dave Thompson described it as "anthemic" and "a quintessential dance number". Electronic duo Komputer professed to "love" the track, adding that it "does a great mash-up with 'Hersham Boys' by Sham 69". "Tesla Girls" became one of OMD's biggest club hits, and appeared in KROQ and Slicing Up Eyeballs rankings of 1984's best tracks. It was placed at no. 152 in WLIR's 1988 list of the "Top 200 Songs of All-Time".

Versions Several versions of the song exist in recorded form, including two new versions coming to light on the deluxe re-issue of the Junk Culture album in 2015.

original Junk Culture album version (1984) — 3:51 7" edit (1984) — 3:26 12" version (1984) — 4:25 12" 'extra remix' (1984) — 3:37 12" (US only) 'specially remixed version' (1984) 5:03 — also includes an instrumental version (4:43) and a 'video version' (3:26) compilation album version — 3:34 (used on compilation albums such as The Best of OMD and The OMD Singles) 'extended mix' — 4:44, as featured on the So80s OMD remix compilation album (2011) Junk Culture Deluxe re-issue version (2015) — 3:36 (replacing the original album track) Highland Studios Demo (1983) — 4:01, bonus track featured on Junk Culture deluxe re-issue (2015) An early live version from 1983 also exists in bootleg form.

B-sides The 7" release features a live version of the Dazzle Ships track and single "Telegraph" recorded in 1983 at the Hammersmith Odeon, London. The intro to another Dazzle Ships track, "Radio Waves", can be heard in the fade-out. The 12" and cassette releases feature a new song, "Garden City", which remained exclusive to this release until it was featured on the B-sides compilation album Navigation: The OMD B-Sides (2001).

Track listing 7" and 7" picture disc

"Tesla Girls" – 3:26 "Telegraph" (live) – 3:57 First 12"

"Tesla Girls" (extended version) – 4:35 "Garden City" – 4:05 "Telegraph" (live) – 3:57 Second 12" and cassette

"Tesla Girls" (Extra Remix) – 3:37 "Garden City" – 4:05 "Telegraph" (live) – 3:57 "Tesla Girls" (extended version) – 4:35 US 12" (A&M Records – SP-12120)

Tesla Girls (Specially Remixed Version) – 5:03 Tesla Girls (Instrumental Version) – 4:43 Tesla Girls (Video Version) – 3:26

Charts

References

External links "Tesla Girls" at Discogs (list of releases)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tesla Girls

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tesla Girls claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tesla Girls before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tesla Girls ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tesla Girls

In research: Tesla Girls appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tesla Girls in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tesla Girls is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1984 singles, 1984 songs, Cultural depictions of Nikola Tesla, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tesla Girls outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tesla Girls in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tesla Girls means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tesla Girls out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tesla Girls in simple terms?

Why does Tesla Girls matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tesla Girls?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tesla Girls.