Synchro-nicityÿis no longer just a Police record — it’s a craze that is sweeping music fans across the world off their feet.

It all started a few months ago when a Boston radio station announced to the public that Pink Floyd’s album “Dark Side of the Moon” can be substituted for the sound in the classic movie “The Wizard of Oz.”

Dubbed The Dark Side of the Rainbow, Floyd fans have supposedly known about the synchronicity for years, with most of the talk circulating over the Internet. But recent articles in Entertainment Weekly and USA Today have taken its popularity to another level.

So what exactly is synchronicity?

The official synchronicity Web site defines it as the match formed by a piece of visual imagery (video- tape or film) with an unrelated piece of music, which forms a new and different experience from the original intentions of either work.

According to the site, synchronicities are instances where a certain clip, or even a whole movie, are found to fit extraordinarily well with different music, specifically music that evokes a surreal or psychedelic feel intensified by the pairing.

There are dozens of Web sites dedicated to synchronicity — all giving examples of how “Dark Side” and “The Oz” match up. One thing most sites agree on is where to begin the CD and movie — after the third roar of the MGM lion.

Several theories exist on what to do when “Dark Side” ends the first time. While other Floyd records, such as “The Wall,” have been rumored as synchronicities, most web sites suggest repeating “Dark Side.”

Of the hundreds of match-ups reported, the fact that side one of the album is exactly as long as the black and white portion of the film is the most amazing.

Other synchronicities include the lyric “balanced on the biggest wave” being sung just as Dorothy is balancing on the fence and “On The Run” starting just as Dorothy falls off.

Synchronicity experts who have watched and listened many times have also noticed such specifics as Dorothy singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” while often looking up at the planes flying by in the music.

What’s even more amazing than the match ups in “The Dark Side of the Rainbow” is that other synchronicities exist — most of them involving Pink Floyd.

One involves a segment of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001,” subtitled “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite,” and the Floyd song “Echoes” from its “Meddle” album.

Not only do both the song and segment run 23 minutes in length, but it is a published fact that Floyd frontman Roger Waters’ biggest regret was not doing the “2001” soundtrack.

Another reported synchronicity is the classic cult sci-fi film, “Blade Runner,” and Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.”

So did Pink Floyd, one of the country’s most influential rock groups, intentionally synchronize its albums?

Band members and producers say no, but Floyd fans aren’t holding it past the band. Many believe the “Wizard of Oz” synchronicity has something to do with a death that occurred on the set of the movie.

I believe the synchronized albums were planned by members of Pink Floyd. In fact, I believe other legendary musicians have pulled similar stunts.

Here are some synchronicities I tested and found to be quite interesting.

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Michael Keaton’s “Mr. Mom.”

Hansen’s “Middle Of Nowhere” and “Debbie Does Dallas.”

“Rage Against The Machine” and “Bambi.”

Vanilla Ice’s “To The Extreme” and “White Men Can’t Jump.”

Every Amy Grant record and “Trainspotting.”

Led Zeppelin “Four” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”

---

Corey Moss is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale. This column originally appeared in the June 24, 1997 issue of the Daily.