"D.N.A." was a song written and performed by A Flock of Seagulls

A Flock of Seagulls

A Flock of Seagulls are an English New Wave band originally formed by brothers Michael "Mike" Score and Alister "Ali" James Score , with Frank Maudsley , Michael Kuby , H.J...

 from their debut effort, A Flock of Seagulls (album)

A Flock of Seagulls (album)

A Flock of Seagulls is the eponymous debut album by the Liverpudlian New Wave band A Flock of Seagulls. It was released in 1982 on Jive , and featured the international hit single "I Ran ," which reached the Top 10 in the U.S. and New Zealand, as well as #1 in Australia. The song "Space Age Love...

.

The track incorporates the band's trademark heavy synthesizer

Synthesizer

A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...

 sounds, while also integrating skilled arpeggios, layered bass lines and multiple effects. The production techniques borrowed some from the Wall of Sound

Wall of Sound

The Wall of Sound is a music production technique for pop and rock music recordings developed by record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, California, during the early 1960s...

 although it is distinctly a stereo effort.

The band earned a Grammy award in 1983 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. As with the entire album, the song has a futuristic feel, and is part of the alien

Extraterrestrial life

Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...

 theme of the concept album

Concept album

In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

. The track has been described by lead singer Mike Score

Mike Score

Mike Score is the keyboardist, guitarist, and lead singer for the New Wave band, A Flock of Seagulls.-Career:...

 as "warning of the dangers of science". Upon distinguishing the band with the award, at least one official at the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS, is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its...

 remarked the song was "distinctive among other acts of the time...for its scope and ambition."

Song appearances

• was used in the The Ongoing History of New Music
  The Ongoing History of New Music
  The Ongoing History of New Music is a Canadian radio program, produced by Corus Entertainment's ExploreMusic division in Toronto. The program, hosted by Alan Cross, is syndicated to several other radio stations, mostly but not exclusively Corus-owned, across Canada.The Ongoing History chronicles...
  
  episode "Alt-Rock's Greatest Instrumentals" from 2003