Calculation Theme

The opening verse of "Calculation Theme" repeatedly implores us to dance, but this is most definitely not a dance song. It's a slow-paced, melancholic tune about isolation and loneliness. With the line "fields of numbers streaming fast" and its other references to numbers, the song seems to be about living life through computers, rather than "in the real." What Metric frontwoman Emily Haines really wants in this song is to get back to the solidity of nature and a real, flesh-and-blood relationship with some unnamed person. I wish we were farmers I wish we knew how to Grow sweet potatoes And milk cows I wish we were lovers But it's for the best

Michael Andrews produced this song along with the rest of Metric's debut album, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?. He's best known for his work on the Donnie Darko soundtrack, including the remake of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears. In 2021, he released his own version of "Calculation Theme", complete with a music video featured as the Video of the Day by Northern Transmissions.