The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature (43 page)
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Authors: Daniel J. Levitin
BOOK: The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature
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p. 271
“. . . love is like jumping off a cliff.”
Tennant, A. (director), J. Lassiter, W. Smith, T. Zee (Producers), and K. Bisch (writer). (2005).
Hitch
[Motion picture]. United States: Columbia Pictures.
“. . . love is like jumping off a cliff.”
Tennant, A. (director), J. Lassiter, W. Smith, T. Zee (Producers), and K. Bisch (writer). (2005).
Hitch
[Motion picture]. United States: Columbia Pictures.
p. 274
“. . . the Romeo-and-Juliet love (I’d kill myself for this person) . . .”
Blue Öyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” is perhaps the first teenage suicide pact song in rock music. Roeser, D. (1976). (Don’t fear) the reaper [Recorded by Blue Öyster Cult]. On
Agents of Fortune
[45rpm record]. Columbia Records.
“. . . the Romeo-and-Juliet love (I’d kill myself for this person) . . .”
Blue Öyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” is perhaps the first teenage suicide pact song in rock music. Roeser, D. (1976). (Don’t fear) the reaper [Recorded by Blue Öyster Cult]. On
Agents of Fortune
[45rpm record]. Columbia Records.
p. 283
“. . . I’ve intentionally avoided becoming distracted by questions such as ‘What are the greatest/most popular songs of all time?’ or . . . ‘What are the most
influential
songs of all time?’ ”
The RIAA, a recording industry lobbying group, along with the National Endowment for the Arts, sponsored a Greatest Songs of the Twentieth Century project in 2001, and voted “Over the Rainbow” as the top song, followed by “White Christmas.” Such lists are not just subjective, but can yield bizarre results. Is “Fight for Your Right (To Party)” by the Beastie Boys (#191) four songs better than Cole Porter’s “Night and Day” (#195)? What kind of list puts “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (#8) above “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ” (#9). And how did “Achy Breaky Heart” (#258) beat out “All Along the Watchtower” (#365) and “How High the Moon” (#317)? Arlen, H., and Harburg. E. Y. (1939). Over the rainbow [Recorded by Judy Garland]. On
Over the Rainbow
[LP]. Pickwick Records. Berlin, I. (1940). White Christmas [Recorded by Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds]. On
Holiday Inn
[LP]. (1942). Beastie Boys. (1986). (You gotta) Fight for your right (to party!). On
Licensed to Ill
[CD]. Def Jam Records. Dylan, B. (1967). All along the watchtower. On
John Wesley Harding
[LP]. Nashville, TN: Columbia Records. Hamilton, N., and Lewis. M. and (1940). How high the moon [Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra]. On
How High the Moon
[45rpm record]. Columbia Records. Porter, C. (1932). Night and day [Recorded by Fred Astaire]. On
Night and Day: Fred Astaire: Complete recordings Vol. 2 1931-1933
[CD]. Naxos Nostalgia. (2001). Norworth, J. (1908). Take me out to the ball game [Recorded by Harry MacDonough]. On
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
[Wax cylinder]. Victor Records. Spector, P., B. Mann, and C. Weil. (1965). You’ve lost that lovin’ feelin’ [Recorded by the Righteous Brothers]. On
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
[45rpm record]. Philles Records. Von Tress, D. (1992). Achy breaky heart [Recorded by Billy Ray Cyrus]. On
Some Gave All
[CD]. Mercury Records.
“. . . I’ve intentionally avoided becoming distracted by questions such as ‘What are the greatest/most popular songs of all time?’ or . . . ‘What are the most
influential
songs of all time?’ ”
The RIAA, a recording industry lobbying group, along with the National Endowment for the Arts, sponsored a Greatest Songs of the Twentieth Century project in 2001, and voted “Over the Rainbow” as the top song, followed by “White Christmas.” Such lists are not just subjective, but can yield bizarre results. Is “Fight for Your Right (To Party)” by the Beastie Boys (#191) four songs better than Cole Porter’s “Night and Day” (#195)? What kind of list puts “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (#8) above “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ” (#9). And how did “Achy Breaky Heart” (#258) beat out “All Along the Watchtower” (#365) and “How High the Moon” (#317)? Arlen, H., and Harburg. E. Y. (1939). Over the rainbow [Recorded by Judy Garland]. On
Over the Rainbow
[LP]. Pickwick Records. Berlin, I. (1940). White Christmas [Recorded by Bing Crosby and Marjorie Reynolds]. On
Holiday Inn
[LP]. (1942). Beastie Boys. (1986). (You gotta) Fight for your right (to party!). On
Licensed to Ill
[CD]. Def Jam Records. Dylan, B. (1967). All along the watchtower. On
John Wesley Harding
[LP]. Nashville, TN: Columbia Records. Hamilton, N., and Lewis. M. and (1940). How high the moon [Recorded by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra]. On
How High the Moon
[45rpm record]. Columbia Records. Porter, C. (1932). Night and day [Recorded by Fred Astaire]. On
Night and Day: Fred Astaire: Complete recordings Vol. 2 1931-1933
[CD]. Naxos Nostalgia. (2001). Norworth, J. (1908). Take me out to the ball game [Recorded by Harry MacDonough]. On
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
[Wax cylinder]. Victor Records. Spector, P., B. Mann, and C. Weil. (1965). You’ve lost that lovin’ feelin’ [Recorded by the Righteous Brothers]. On
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
[45rpm record]. Philles Records. Von Tress, D. (1992). Achy breaky heart [Recorded by Billy Ray Cyrus]. On
Some Gave All
[CD]. Mercury Records.
Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint:
Pages 1-2. “Homegrown Tomatoes.” Words and music by Guy Clark. Copyright © 1983 by EMI April Music Inc. and GSC Music. All rights controlled and administered by EMI April Music Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Page 5. “O Kazakhstan.” From
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
. Words and music by Sacha Baron Cohen, Erran Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Daniel Greaney, Anthony Hines, Patton Oswalt, Todd Phillips and Jeffrey Poliquin. Copyright © 2006 by T C F Music Publishing, Inc. and Fox Film Music Corp. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
. Words and music by Sacha Baron Cohen, Erran Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Daniel Greaney, Anthony Hines, Patton Oswalt, Todd Phillips and Jeffrey Poliquin. Copyright © 2006 by T C F Music Publishing, Inc. and Fox Film Music Corp. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Page 5. “Dirt Bike.” Words and music by John Linnell and John Flansburgh. Copyright © 1994 by TMBG Music. All rights on behalf of TMBG Music administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.
Pages 72-73. “If I Had a Rocket Launcher.” Written by Bruce Cockburn. Copyright © 1984 by Golden Mountain Music Corp. (SOCAN). Used by permission.
Page 87. “Log Blues.” From
The Ren & Stimpy Show
. Words and music by Charlie Brissette and Christopher Reccardi. Copyright © 1993 by Nickelodeon, Inc. All rights administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203. International copyright secured. All rights reserved.
The Ren & Stimpy Show
. Words and music by Charlie Brissette and Christopher Reccardi. Copyright © 1993 by Nickelodeon, Inc. All rights administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203. International copyright secured. All rights reserved.
Page 128. “At Seventeen.” Words and music by Janis Ian. Copyright © 1975 (renewed 2003) by Mine Music Ltd. All rights for the U.S.A. and Canada controlled and administered by EMI April Music Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Page 129. “Death Is Not the End.” Written by Bob Dylan. Copyright © 1988 by Special Rider Music. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Pages 130-31. “The Revolution.” Words and music by David Byrne. Copyright © by Moldy Fig Music, Inc. Used by permission.
Pages 186-87. “Natural Science.” By Neil Peart. Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. Copyright © 1980 by Core Music Publishing. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.
Page 230. “Happy Together.” Words and music by Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon. Copyright © 1966, 1967 by Alley Music Corp. and Trio Music Company. Copyright renewed. International copyright secured. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Page 233. “Cupid’s Got a Brand New Gun.” Words and music by Michael Penn. Copyright © by 1989 Bucket Brigade Songs (BMI). All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Page 235. “Paralyzed.” Written by Rosanne Cash. Copyright © 1990 by Chelcait Music (BMI), administered by Bug. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Page 275. “I’m Not in Love.” Words and music by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman. Copyright © 1975 (renewed 2003) by Man-Ken Music Ltd. All rights controlled and administered by EMI Blackwood Music Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Pages 285-87. “The Randall Knife.” Words and music by Guy Clark. Copyright © 1983 by EMI April Music Inc. and GSC Music. All rights controlled and administered by EMI April Music Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank the musicians and academics who generously let me interview them for this book: Jonathan Berger, Michael Brook, David Byrne, Ian Cross, Rodney Crowell, Don DeVito, Jim Ferguson, David Huron, Joni Mitchell, Sandy Pearlman, Oliver Sacks, Pete Seeger, and Sting. I am grateful to McGill University for providing me with a stimulating and supportive environment in which to work. My editor, Stephen Morrow at Dutton, was indispensable in bringing this book to reality. It has been a joy and a comfort to work with him, and he has contributed greatly, from the initial concept for
The World in Six Songs
(which was his) through every stage of the writing and editing. My superb agent, Sarah Chalfant, along with Edward Orloff and everyone else at the Wylie Agency, provided guidance and support throughout. Thanks to Duttoners Erika Imranyi, Christine Escalante, and Susan Schwartz for taking up the slack on details too numerous to mention, and to Lisa Johnson, Beth Parker, Andy Heidel, Sarah Muszynski, Marie Coolman, and Mary Pomponio for helping my work reach a wider audience. To Kathy Schenker, Tracy Bufferd, Dave Whitehead, and Michael Hausman: Thanks for your unflappable way of making difficult things easy.
The World in Six Songs
(which was his) through every stage of the writing and editing. My superb agent, Sarah Chalfant, along with Edward Orloff and everyone else at the Wylie Agency, provided guidance and support throughout. Thanks to Duttoners Erika Imranyi, Christine Escalante, and Susan Schwartz for taking up the slack on details too numerous to mention, and to Lisa Johnson, Beth Parker, Andy Heidel, Sarah Muszynski, Marie Coolman, and Mary Pomponio for helping my work reach a wider audience. To Kathy Schenker, Tracy Bufferd, Dave Whitehead, and Michael Hausman: Thanks for your unflappable way of making difficult things easy.
My students read drafts of this book and provided helpful advice: Vanessa Park-Thompson, Mike Rud, and Anna Tirovolas. Bianca Levy performed tireless and rigorous background research on both the science and the music sides, making many helpful and insightful suggestions. My girlfriend was a tremendous source of emotional support and gave generously of her time to listen to and comment on successive drafts of the manuscript, making it immeasurably better. This book would not be what it is without her. Thanks also to the following for their thoughtful reading of the manuscript and helpful comments: Professors Jamshed Bharucha (Provost and Department of Psychology, Tufts University), Dennis Drayna (National Institutes of Health), Charles Gale (Department of Physics, McGill University), Frederic Guichard (Department of Biology, McGill University), David Huron (Department of Music, Ohio State University), Jeff Mogil (Department of Psychology, McGill University), Monique Morgan (Department of English, McGill University), Frank Russo (Department of Psychology, Ryerson University), Barbara Sherwin (Department of Psychology, McGill University), Wilfred Stone (Department of English, Stanford University), and my friends Len Blum, Parthenon Huxley, and Jeff Kimball. In all that I’ve done over the past twenty years, I’ve found great inspiration from Lew Goldberg (Oregon Research Institute), a rigorous scientist, challenging mentor, and dear friend. I’ve also benefited enormously from reading and interacting with Oliver Sacks, Daniel Dennett, Roger Shepard, Michael Posner, David Huron, and Ian Cross. It is by standing on the shoulders of these giants that I have been shown things I didn’t know existed.
Index
abstraction
accent structure
Adams, Bryan
adaptability
Adderley, Julian Edwin “Cannonball”
African American culture
African music
alliteration
Alsea River Band
altruism
Alzheimer’s disease
“Amazing Grace”
ambiguity
“Amelia”
American Indians
American Music Therapy Association
Amos, Tori
Anderson, Laurie
the Animals
Animaniacs
“Annie’s Song”
“Another Shore”
antiphony
ants
“The Ants Go Marching”
Arcade Fire
the Archies
Aristotle
Aristoxenes
art
and animals
artistic communication
and brain evolution and physiology
and caring
and cave paintings
cognitive operations associated with
impact on human history
and songs
physiological foundations of
and representation
and tool making
as unique human characteristic
The Art of War
(Sun Tzu)
(Sun Tzu)
Aslin, Dick
assonance
“As Time Goes By”
“At Seventeen”
attachment
auditory cortex
Australopithecines
“Autobahn”
Avesta Manthras
“Baa Baa Black Sheep”
babies, cuteness of
Bach, Johann Sebastian
Bacharach, Burt
“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”
Bad Company
Baez, Joan
Balaban, Evan
ballads
“Ballroom Dancing”
“Band of Gold”
“Bangkok Rain”
Baron-Cohen, Sasha.
See
Borat
See
Borat
Barr, John
basal ganglia
the Beach Boys
the Beastie Boys
the Beatles
“Be Careful, It’s My Heart”
Beck, Jeff
Bee Gees
Beethoven, Ludwig van
“Begin the Beguine”
Bellugi, Ursula
Berger, Jonathan
Berlin, Irving
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