"Cell Respiration" - Cellular Respiration Song

A song about Cellular Respiration, based on Black Eyed Pea's "I Gotta Feeling."

Lyrics written by, song performed by, and Powerpoint slide show done by a simple high school science teacher named Mr. Hsu.

mp3 available (finally):
http://c3po.barnesos.net/~wakkonat/shhs/CellRespiration-full.mp3

This song and video have been made solely for educational purposes. Its level of depth and detail into the process of cellular respiration are aimed at High School Honors Biology students (at least the ones I teach). If you find any errors or omissions (i.e. I didn't mention 1,3-biphosphoglycerate), this is due to the fact that I'm not teaching AP Biology or college-level Biology AND I'm being constrained by describing such a complex biochemical process through a fairly recent pop song with incredibly repetitive lyrics.

I actually performed this song for my students in class the day before our cellular respiration test. If you're lucky, you might find a video of such a live performance somewhere in the vast internet (quite a few of them were recording me singing it in class, after all). This video is a result of me taking a simple digital camera and aiming it at my computer to try and record the performance my students experienced (so sorry for the crude recording and poor quality).

I have recorded an mp3, and if I have time, I will find a place to upload it for public download, so that other Biology students can listen and study for their tests on cellular respiration. Also, if I have time, I may upload a better version of this video (powerpoint slide show and song), but teachers so rarely have time when we're doing things like writing tests, grading homework, and making parody songs for our students to actually enjoy what they are learning...

Lyrics:

Cell Respiration
It's a long complicated process
That I need to know for a Bio test,
But it turns my brain into a huge big mess

Cell Respiration
It breaks down food to release energy
Food molecules are glucose specifically
You need oxygen to oxidize thoroughly

Cell Respiration (Woo Hoo)
It gives off some carbon dioxide
Also water's made off to the side,
But the ATP is why we got on this ride

Cell Respiration (Woo Hoo)
It's made up of 3 main stages,
But it takes up so many pages,
And to know it all seems to take many ages

Glycolysis (lysis means split)
Is what's first up (in the cytoplasm)
Takes one glucose (6 carbons)
And splits it up

To do this right (it)
Phosphorylates (from)
2 ATP (so)
2 ADP are....made!

Now that the glucose has phosphate
It breaks into 2 molecules that seem like mates
2 NAD+ come and oxidize them,
Which mean they take electrons and hydrogen (gen gen gen)

Add free phosphates
Now we're set
2 ADP (it's really 4)
and 3 carbon...met

Phosphates break off
ATP made...
Left with pyruvate (there's 2 of them)
And they go to the Krebs Cycle

Krebs Cycle, which happens in the mitochondria,
Oh no wait, not really, there's transition step

Let's count the ATP
4 were made, but 2 were spent
That means 2 ATP
were profited in

Glycolysis (woo hoo)
It didn't need any oxygen
2 NADH now have hydrogen
and 2 pyruvate molecules were made in the end

Transition Step (woo hoo)
NAD+ oxidizes pyruvate
1 carbon is lost along the way
And both molecules turn into Acetyl-CoA

Now 2 carbons (carried by Coenzyme A)
Krebs Cycle's next (in the matrix)
4 carbon molecule (already there)
The two connect (now 6 carbons)

Gets oxidized (by NAD+)
1 carbon left (CO2 gone)
Will do this twice (numbers doubled)
4 carbons ...are left

1 ATP (made)
oxidize (by the)
NAD+ (and...)
FADH

Molecule change (no carbon lost)
Atoms rearrange (still 4 carbons)
Looks like the start (wooooooO~~~)
And then we'll do it again

Krebs Cycle repeats twice, because 2-pyruvate
were made in (gly)colysis; let's count it up

We now have (4) ATP (6) CO2 and then these guys
10 NA(DH) 2 FA(DH2) bring electrons to ETC:

Electron Transport Chain
Inner membrane-brane-brane-brane-brane
Of the mitochondria
Proteins in lane-lane-lane-lane-lane

Electrons from NADH
Pass through 3 proteins-teins-teins-teins
Electrons from FADH2
Pass through 2 proteins-teins-teins-teins

As the electrons pass through the proteins pump out
Hydrogen ions called protons to the

Inter-Intermembrane space
A concentrated place (place)
Protons will return through the (A)ATP Synthase

ATP Synthase (ma~~~akes)
32 ATP from returning protons
6 oxygen molecules get the electrons
And they combine to make 6 water with hydrogen ions

Cell Respiration (woo hoo)
Now I know the entire process
If I study I'll do well on the Bio test
And afterwards I'll get a good, good rest

Woo hoo!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Cell Respiration
• Cellular Respiration
• Song
• Cell Respiration Song
• Cellular Respiration Song
• Science
• Biology
• Education
• Biology Song
• Education Song
• Mr. Hsu

[KoopaBrosfan22]

there was only one mistake i saw and that was not 32 ATP but 34 ATP

[scienceteacherhsu]

@KoopaBrosfan22

Actually, during oxidative phosphorylation in the electron transport chain, 32~34 ATP are made (for a variety of reasons that I can't fit into a youtube reply box with its maximum character limit), resulting in a total of 36~38 ATP being made for all of cellular respiration. This is an advanced idea that is more appropriate for AP Biology or College-Level Biology, but the song was written for Honors Biology in High School (as was described in the info box).

[heyaanimerocksheya]

so, what about substrate-level phosphorylation ? ^^"

[scienceteacherhsu]

@heyaanimerocksheya

Substrate-level phosphorylation refers to a type of phosphorylation where phosphates attached to other molecules are added to ADP. This is specifically how ATP is formed in Glycolysis and the Krebs cycle. This is different from oxidative phosphorylation (which happens in the ETC), where free inorganic phosphates are attached to ADP to make ATP.

[mellowout007]

If only my Biology teacher were cool enough to do something like this for my class...

[brownelite10]

exam tommorrow, completely forgot cellular respiration.... step 1 go to youtube

[mintymnm]

Lol I wish my teacher had done this for me my test is today and I can't remember the whole process :(

[XXKyle182XX]

haha good job man, bio is tough!!

[heyaanimerocksheya]

Thank you very much! =)

[saif01711]

Im taking bio 1 in college and listening to this. Great help!

[umida0803]

the person who made this: I. LOVE. YOU.

[IllyMooncat]

Hahahah that was amazing. Thank you!

[evykas70]

I'm in biology at a uni and this cellular resp stuff has been driving me insane!! I have a test on Tuesday and this video has allowed me to begin to make sense of it all!! Thank you so much!!

[onigiriponystaar]

This is awesome.