From Science Magazine, June 11, 1999

First it was the early '90s Barbie doll that squealed, "Math is hard." Hardly

the inspiring words a child might need to learn arithmetic, countersquealed the

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), whose protests led Barbie's

maker, Mattel, to pull the math-wimp version off the market and offer buyers a

replacement. Now math teachers are taking on another irreverent pop icon: Jimmy

Buffett, baby-boomer troubadour, has a new album that includes a song called

"Math Suks" with lyrics such as "I'd like to kill the guy who invented this."

The album is currently the fourth leading seller on the Internet.

"Songs such as 'Math Suks' can easily hamper efforts to motivate students to

learn and excel in mathematics," the NCTM wrote in a 17 May statement. "I heard

some young fans calling in to a radio talk show and saying that Buffett is

right," says NCTM president Glenda Lappan. "You can say this song is not

serious, but the damage is there." The National Education Association also

disapproves of the song. Buffett's words pain even some of his math-minded

admirers. "As a university professor who tries to get students to absorb

mathematical concepts, a Jimmy Buffett fan, and the parent of three daughters, I

have to say that I was quite disappointed that Jimmy Buffett stooped to

recording this song," says Marc Feldesman, chair of the anthropology department

at Portland State University in Oregon.

But Buffett, who says he was inspired by graffiti on a bridge in Key West,

Florida, thinks the teachers' complaints, well, suk. "They should get a sense of

humor," the crooner said in a written statement.

From Wikipedia

Most parrotheads claim that this is one of Buffett's worst songs. The song was in

and the National Education Association for its alleged negative effect on

children's education. However, it still seems to be popular among high school students.