Elastica – "Connection" (1994)

 

I don’t understand how the last card is played

But somehow the vital connection is made

For $99, the genetic-testing company 23andMe will send you a vial to spit into so it can analyze your DNA.

By comparing your DNA to that of the zillions of other people who have sent in their saliva sample, 23andMe can figure out which of those people are related to you.

To date, 23andMe has sent me the names of no fewer than 1501 of its customers who are related to me.

The closest relatives that 23andMe has identified are five first cousins, once removed.  

First cousins, once removed are from different generations.  For example, your first cousin’s child would be your first cousin, once removed because you are from different generations.  

Likewise, your parents’ first cousins are your first cousins, once removed.  

Because my mother is only child, I have no first cousins on her side of the family.  But she has a number of first cousins, who are my first cousins, once removed.  

By contrast, my father was one of eight children, so I have quite a few first cousins on my father’s side – which make their children my first cousins, once removed.  All five of the first cousins, once removed I’ve learned about through 23andMe are children of my paternal first cousins.

This chart should clear everything up:

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23 andMe has also given me the names of ten second cousins (people with whom I have a great-grandparent in common), 168 third cousins (people with whom I have a great-great-grandparent in common), and a whopping 1318 fourth cousins (people with whom I have a great-great-great-grandparent in common).

Given that each of us has 32 great-great-great-grandparents, it’s not surprising that I have over 1300 fourth cousins among 23andMe customers alone.  According to my calculations, the average American of my generation has about 50,000 fourth cousins.  (Don’t ask me how I came up with that number – it’s a l-o-n-g story.)

Which means that you very well may be acquainted with one or more of your fourth cousins and not even realize that you’re related.

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Elastica released “Connection” as a single in 1994, which was the year that Britpop really got off the ground.  (Britpop giants Blur and Oasis both released their debut albums that year.)

“Connection” kicks off with a really catchy riff.  Unfortunately, it appears that riff was “borrowed” from “Three Girl Rhumba,” one of the tracks on Wire’s legendary Pink Flag album. 

Click here to listen to “Three Girl Rhumba.”

Click here to see the official music video for “Connection.”

And click on the link below if you’d like to buy “Connection” from Amazon: