Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet has provided a platform for the web's latest sensation - graphical charts that summarize the concepts set out in pop song lyrics.

Since February, a pie chart showing the proportions of things that Rick Astley would never give up in his 1988 chart-topping debut single have been doing the online rounds in emails, blogs and other Web sites (see below).

The initial pioneers have been joined by many, many other contributors and a good "song chart meme" collection has been assembled on boyshapedbox's Flickr account.

As with any creative fad, the results are variable. Some of the charts are quite basic, and some of the lyrical connections verge on the tenuous. But whatever the quality of the imagery, the challenge of working out what the song is remains.

AccountingWEB usually avoids bringing run-of-the-mill Web flotsam to readers' attention, but in this case there is a justification. Because they are translating verbal concepts into visual imagery, the song lyric charts explore new approaches to charts and graphs - many of which were achieved with Excel.

So, while you try and work out what songs some of the illustrations are trying to represent, you can also try and discern how the creators constructed the charts.

Thanks to our UK sister site, AccountingWEB.co.uk for providing this article.