Despite her name, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Divya Singh is not a singer. (Singh is derived from the Sanskrit word for lion.) But music plays an important role in her operating room, even before she begins surgery.
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Watch a video of inside Dr. Singh’s musical O.R.:
Dr. Singh’s OR Playlist (selections from 700 songs):
| Song | Artist |
| Tom Traubert’s Blues | Tom Waits |
| Cannonball | The Breeders |
| Pink Cadillac | Bruce Springsteen |
| Dance Away | Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music |
| The Guns of Brixton | The Clash |
| A Rush of Blood to the Head | Coldplay |
| December | Collective Soul |
| Try a little Tenderness | The Commitments |
| Brick House | Commodores |
| Black & Blue | Counting Crows |
| Italian Plastic | Crowded House |
| Ringa Ringa | Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack |
| Jai Ho | Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack |
| Rebellion (Lies) | Arcade Fire |
| Keep the Car Running | Arcade Fire |
| The Suburbs | Arcade Fire |
| Chain of Fools | Aretha Franklin |
| The Love Cats | The Cure |
The Breeders’ “Cannonball” is played in Dr. Singh’s operating room! Here’s the song at South by Southwest in 2008:
Music used in this piece: “A Taste of Honey” by The Beatles, “Tom Traubert’s Blues” by Tom Waits, “Cannonball” by The Breeders, “Speak to me/Breathe” and “Brain Damage” by by Pink Floyd.
Special thanks to Group Health Cooperative for access to the operating room.
More stories in the Why Music Matters story series. Just what the doctor ordered.
Produced by Anna Boiko-Weyrauch, 2010 AIR Live Interactive Resident. Editorial oversight by Kevin Cole. Mastered by Matt Ogaz. Live Interactive is a collaboration of KEXP and AIR, the Association of Independents in Radio with financial support from AIR members worldwide, Recovery.gov, and the National Endowment for the Arts which believe a great nation deserves great art.
4 Comments
That’s so cool. Love seeing professional people who love music as much as I do. Rock On Dr. Singh!
Doctor you Rock!
Working in MRI, we also get to listen to music, often chosen by the patient, but none the less it’s music. One of the perks!
Loved this story.
I enjoyed reading / hearing this post. I wonder what music Dr. Singh will be playing on Monday when I have my trigger thumb surgery?!