What Is Fracking? Song Explains Controversial Drilling Process (VIDEO)

"What the frack is going on?" This creative and comprehensive video, "My Water's On Fire Tonight (The Fracking Song)," seeks to explain fracking -- the controversial natural gas drilling technique formally known as hydraulic fracturing -- in a concise and entertaining way.

In this animated Studio 20 NYU video, in collaboration with ProPublica, the history and dangers of fracking are revealed through song, with verses such as:

But there’s more in the water than just H2O/ Toxic chemicals help to make the fluid flow/ With names like benzene and formaldehyde/ You better keep ‘em far away from the water supply

This isn't the first time that environmental activists have gotten creative for their cause. Just recently, climate scientists rapped about climate change.

As Mediabistro's Lauren Rabaino explains, Studio 20's music-video fracking explainer is a great example of how the media can present an extremely deep and complex issue in a fun and simple way to entice people to read more. In this case, the video is an engaging teaser of ProPublica's ongoing "Buried Secrets" investigation into fracking, which includes over 100 articles at this point.

It seems that people concerned about fracking will have to keep looking for creative ways to express their worries, as evidence of the dangerous practice's harm to the environment continues to mount (a scientific study recently linked fracking to flammable water), despite gas companies continually assuring that there are no dangers.

Some small steps have been taken to regulate fracking practices. Wells in Arkansas were shut down to explore a link between fracking and earthquakes in the region, and an investigation was set in place after a fracking wastewater spill occurred in Pennsylvania. But these are all reactive measures. Perhaps with videos like this one, proactive measures can be taken to improve fracking methods.