ODE TO A CENTIPEDE / Buckner & Garcia / 80's Arcade Pop

🏛️ The Story Behind "Ode to a Centipede" Rounding out the legendary Buckner & Garcia arcade tribute collection, "Ode to a Centipede" (often simply referred to as "Ode") takes listeners deep into the mushroom forest. While other tracks on the Pac-Man Fever album were high-energy pop, this track captured the frantic, creeping tension of one of Atari’s most intense shooters. 🕹️ Arcade Trivia & Fun Facts: The Trackball Revolution: The song celebrates Centipede, the 1981 masterpiece designed by Dona Bailey and Ed Logg. It was one of the first major hits to use a trackball for 360-degree movement, a detail reflected in the song’s swirling rhythm. Iconic Soundscapes: Like its sister tracks, "Ode" features authentic sound effects pulled straight from the arcade board—including the distinct "pinking" sound of the bug being shot and the frantic beat that speeds up as the centipede nears the bottom of the screen. A Different Vibe: Fans often point to "Ode" as having a slightly more atmospheric and "story-driven" feel compared to the pure dance-pop energy of "Pac-Man Fever." The Golden Era: Released during the height of the 1982 craze, this song helped the Pac-Man Fever album reach Gold status, cementing Buckner & Garcia as the official poets of the pixelated age. Keep your eyes on the mushrooms and your hand on the trackball—the segments are dropping fast! 🍄🐛💥 LYRICS The centipede multiplies and divides Comes after you from every side, Faster and faster, row by row, He starts from the rocks to get you from below Oh, oh, Centipede, you can't run away! Centipede, you can't run away! You can't run. You can't hide. I'm coming to get you. Here I come! The centipede twists and bends, The spiders are his only friends, If you can get them before they get you They go back to the top and you start on rack two! Oh, oh, Centipede, you can't run away! Centipede, you can't run away! You can't get away, little centipede I'm right behind you. Don't try hiding behind the mushrooms. I see you! Oh, oh, Centipede, you can't run away! Centipede, you can't run away! The spiders can't help you now. I'm gonna get ya. Go ahead and run your little legs off. Do you have Nikes for all of 'em? The centipede multiplies and divides Comes after you from every side, Faster and faster, row by row, He starts from the rocks to chew from below Oh, oh, Centipede, you can't run away! Centipede, you can't run away! I understand now You want to play hide-and-seek, don't you? I'll play with you. Come out, come out, wherever you are! Oh, oh, Centipede, you can't run away! Centipede, you can't run away! Come here, little centipede. I'm gonna chase you down now. You can't fool me by changing colors. Here I come! © 1981 Words and Music by Jerry Buckner & Gary Garcia BGO Music Inc