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UK national anthem undergoes change now Charles is King

After 70 years of singing ‘God save the Queen’, Brits will be faced with a change to their national anthem, prompted by the shock death of Queen Elizabeth II. With King Charles III to take the throne, the national anthem will change to God Save the King. Though nearly all of the lyrics will stay the same, there will be some key replacements: ‘queen’ with ‘king’, and ‘she’ and ‘her’ swapped for ‘he’ and ‘him’. The change will see the anthem return to its original title, as it was first publicly performed in 1745 after Prince Charles Edward Stuart defeated the army of King George II at Prestonpas, according to the royal family’s <a href="https://www.royal.uk/national-anthem" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>. It became the national anthem at the beginning of the 19th century, with the lyrics changing when a King or Queen takes the throne. Queen Elizabeth II began her reign in 1952, when she was 25, resulting in the lyrics changing from ‘God save the King’ during her father King George VI’s reign to ‘God save the Queen’. Image: Getty Images

Entertainment

Why do old people hate new music?

Why do old people hate new music? – Holly, age 14, Belmont, Massachusetts <hr /> When I was a teenager, my dad wasn’t terribly interested in the music I liked. To him, it just sounded like “a lot of noise,” while he regularly referred to the music he listened to as “beautiful.” This attitude persisted throughout his life. Even when he was in his 80s, he once turned to me during a TV commercial featuring a 50-year-old Beatles tune and said, “You know, I just don’t like today’s music.” It turns out that my father isn’t alone. As I’ve grown older, I’ll often hear people my age say things like “they just don’t make good music like they used to.” Why does this happen? Luckily, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=MxorsyYAAAAJ&hl=en">my background as a psychologist</a> has given me some insights into this puzzle. We know that musical tastes <a href="https://www.altpress.com/news/why_people_dont_like_new_music_study/">begin to crystallize</a> as early as age 13 or 14. By the time we’re in our early 20s, these tastes get locked into place pretty firmly. In fact, studies have found that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-we-stop-discovering-new-music-around-age-30-2018-6">by the time we turn 33</a>, most of us have stopped listening to new music. Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/10/opinion/sunday/favorite-songs.html">popular songs released when you’re in your early teens</a> are likely to remain quite popular among your age group for the rest of your life. There could be a biological explanation for this. <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4w7kzp/science-has-discovered-why-your-parents-hate-your-music">There’s evidence</a> that the brain’s ability to make subtle distinctions between different chords, rhythms and melodies gets worse with age. So to older people, newer, less familiar songs might all “sound the same.” But I believe there are some simpler reasons for older people’s aversion to newer music. One of the most researched laws of social psychology is something called the “<a href="http://socialpsychonline.com/2016/03/the-mere-exposure-effect/">mere exposure effect</a>.” In a nutshell, it means that the more we’re exposed to something, the more we tend to like it. This happens with people we know, the advertisements we see and, yes, the songs we listen to. When you’re in your early teens, you probably spend a fair amount of time listening to music or watching music videos. Your favorite songs and artists become familiar, comforting parts of your routine. For many people over 30, job and family obligations increase, so there’s less time to spend discovering new music. Instead, many will simply listen to old, familiar favorites from that period of their lives when they had more free time. Of course, those teen years weren’t necessarily carefree. They’re famously confusing, which is why so many TV shows and movies – from “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1327801/">Glee</a>” to “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5164432/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">Love, Simon</a>” to “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7014006/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1">Eighth Grade</a>” – revolve around the high school turmoil. Psychology research has shown that the emotions that we experience as teens <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-high-school-stays-with-us-forever-56538">seem more intense than those that comes later</a>. We also know that <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-high-school-stays-with-us-forever-56538">intense emotions are associated with stronger memories and preferences</a>. All of this might explain why the songs we listen to during this period become so memorable and beloved. So there’s nothing wrong with your parents because they don’t like your music. In a way, it’s all part of the natural order of things. At the same time, I can say from personal experience that I developed a fondness for the music I heard my own children play when they were teenagers. So it’s certainly not impossible to get your parents on board with Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/frank-t-mcandrew-194161">Frank T. McAndrew</a>, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/knox-college-2259">Knox College</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-old-people-hate-new-music-123834">original article</a>.

Health

The role of music in Einstein's thinking

As we marvel at science’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/gravitational-waves-discovered-the-universe-has-spoken-54237">latest extraordinary breakthrough</a>, it’s also an opportunity to ponder what kind of thinker Albert Einstein was. Born two decades before the beginning of the 20th century, what kind of mind was his that could come up with ideas that would have to wait until the second decade of the 21st century to be proven correct? The man responsible for predicting the existence of gravitational waves as the last brick in his <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-einsteins-theory-of-general-relativity-3481">theory of general relativity</a> is so often reduced to a tongue-poking electric-hair-shock caricature: the slightly mad but cuddly genius who is just different to everybody else. The true picture is perhaps less colorful; Einstein was the product of a well-rounded education that, importantly, very much included the arts and humanities. It’s little known that Einstein was an accomplished violinist, and even less known that had he not pursued science, he said he would have been a musician: <blockquote> I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. </blockquote> Looking at the role of music in Einstein’s thinking sheds some light on how he shaped his most profound scientific ideas. His example suggests that in being intimately involved with the scientific complexity of music, he was able to bring a uniquely aesthetic quality to his theories. He wanted his science to be unified, harmonious, expressed simply, and to convey a sense of beauty of form. He confessed to thinking about science in terms of images and intuitions, often drawn directly from his experiences as a musician, only later converting these into logic, words and mathematics. Music of the Spheres Of the many mind-blowing things to consider in the gravitational wave discovery, there’s probably one that would have particularly piqued Einstein’s interest. This incredible sound: <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TWqhUANNFXw"></iframe></div> In converting the gravitational wave into a sound wave, we have the astonishing privilege of being able to hear the echo of a billion-year old explosion from an incomprehensibly distant galaxy. That ripple in space-time took a thousand million years to reach us, hurtling through the void at 299,000 kilometres a second. A solitary bass drum-like thwack represents the literal transposition, emerging from an awe-inspiring cosmic background noise. Adjusted to better suit the human ear, it sounds eerily like a pebble dropped into a bucket of water. It’s strange to think that dropping a pebble in water produces essentially the same rippling sound effect as colliding super-black holes a billion light years away in time and space. Strange but also fitting; it partially suggests the elemental power of sound, linked as it is to movement, a signal of life, dynamism and creation. Whether it’s clapping hands, a resonating violin string, or black holes 30-times larger than our sun spinning around each other at 100 times a second, something is going to get displaced. In the first two actions, displaced air molecules bump up against neighbouring air molecules. The vibration continues as a wave until hitting something than can absorb or stop it, such as an ear drum. In the cosmic example, it is space and time which are displaced, creating a different kind of wave, one that can travel through a vacuum for aeons. Einstein, apart from being overjoyed that his prediction had been confirmed, would have been fascinated by the sound of that gravitational ripple. According to Einstein himself, sound, in the form of music, gave him more pleasure than anything else in life. Far more than a diversion or hobby, music was such a part of the man that it seems to have played a role in his scientific working processes. Einstein’s second wife Elsa told the story of him one day appearing totally lost in thought, wandering to the piano and playing for half an hour while intermittently jotting down notes. Disappearing into a room for two weeks (emerging for the odd piano session), he then surfaced with a working draft of the theory of general relativity. Of course, piano playing and the theory of general relativity are not related in any direct or tangible sense. On one level, the story suggests that for Einstein, piano playing had the same effect walking has for many people. Ambulatory thinking processes release creative juices. Beethoven knew it, as did apparently <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/habits-not-hacks/201407/beethovens-daily-habit-inspiring-creative-breakthroughs">the ancient Greeks</a>, not to mention <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/walking-helps-us-think">many generations of writers</a>. But there were deeper levels to the science-music relationship in Einstein’s mind. There’s some evidence music played a role in the very shaping of his most important scientific discoveries. To understand how, it’s important to know something about Einstein’s musical background, as well as his two favourite creators of music; the composers J.S. Bach and W.A. Mozart. Violin lessons We tend to forget the youthful Einstein was not only a looker, but an almost bohemian type whose violin playing was a well-known and celebrated aspect of his public persona. Einstein could often be found onstage performing string quartets with some of the era’s greatest musicians, acquitting himself with aplomb if not distinction. The range of intellectual stimuli Einstein gained from playing music, and its impact on his visionary approach to science, should probably not be underestimated. It wasn’t by chance that Einstein’s two most beloved composers represented the most celebrated practitioners of a particularly favoured approach within European classical music: tonality in the service of formal structure. Tonality is a concept, much like gravity, that (almost) everyone knows about instinctively, with or without specialist training. Music with a “tonal centre” has existed for about half a millennium, and can be heard in music emerging from the Italian Renaissance, through to the popular, film and TV music of today. In fact the gravity analogy is usually extended into metaphor when explaining tonality: it is music that has a gravitational centre, a pitch that sounds most stable, more like the “home base” than any other pitch – the sun in a solar system of pitch-planets. The other pitches “orbit” around the tonally central pitch, with varying degrees of gravitational pull toward the centre. Some are weaker and further away, others are close and feel the pull more strongly. Most people hearing the Preludio from Bach’s Partita for Violin No. 3 would be able to identify this central pitch (called “the tonic”) simply by listening to the opening and then humming whatever note sounded the most important. Of course, things can always get a lot more complex, and the real story is what Bach and Mozart were able to build within this system of order and balanced forces. Bach’s music is synonymous with the art of musical counterpoint; a way of layering different melodies, (anywhere between two to five is common enough), so that they retain independence, yet work together in a unified way. This clip of Bach’s fugue for Organ in C minor BWV 542 depicts the complexities of counterpoint in such a way that non-readers of music will appreciate. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4WhPUqpaRp4"></iframe></div> One melody, or “voice” becomes, two, then three, then eventually four. The “architecture” metaphor is easily apparent - the music feels so beautifully constructed, complex and ornate yet balanced and proportioned, like a cathedral or palace (or indeed a scientific formula). It was probably Mozart, however, who was even closer to Einstein’s heart. His formative musical years were proximate to a “back to Mozart” movement in Europe, a reaction to the perceived decadence and musical indulgence of Wagner and his <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-wagners-ring-cycle-der-ring-des-nibelungen-20475">monumentally long operas</a>. At a time when Wagner had stretched the tonal system to its limits, foreshadowing its collapse in European art music of the 20th century, Mozart’s image was re-polished and deemed to embody an approach that unified balanced architectural perfection with beauty of expression. The finale of Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, K551 (appropriately nicknamed “Jupiter”) provides a handy example of what Einstein saw in this music. Apart from the music’s exhilarating exuberance, the fourth movement is noteworthy for combining the most sophisticated formal design of Mozart’s era (late 18th century sonata form) with the most sophisticated texture of Bach’s (early 18th century fugue). Einstein would have probably especially enjoyed the extraordinary musical structures Mozart creates in the final minutes of the Jupiter, its coda. After a suspenseful pause, and turning some of his melodies upside down just for fun, Mozart takes five musical themes (like melodies but shorter, fragmented) from earlier sections and layers them all on top of each other, narrowly avoiding cacophony through the complex science of musical construction. Much like the mathematics involved in relativity, it’s actually quite difficult to follow what happens here in real time. The coda starts around 10:24, but the whole movement should really be listened to. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/prvBEXbnDR0"></iframe></div> Despite the calculation involved in music like that of the Jupiter, learned complexity was never a means unto itself for these composers. Mozart has a reputation for expressing more than most composers while using the fewest notes. The vulnerable beauty of economically expressed meaning can be heard in the slow movement from the A Major Piano Concerto K488. It’s music such as this the led to now rather clichéd notion that Mozart appeared not to “create” his music, but discovered it ready made. Einstein sought a similar purity, economy and harmoniousness of vision for his theories. What relevance does this musical footnote have at a moment when we are celebrating the scientific breakthrough of the century? I believe it’s an opportunity to broaden our understanding of the ways in which this particular mind of apparent genius worked, to contemplate what kind of lessons can be learned today. What stands out is Einstein’s multi-dimensional approach to thinking. He saw complementarity between disciplines, and wouldn’t dream of siloing Science and the Humanities in separate bins. As the importance of science and technology in combating inexorable environmental catastrophe becomes ever more incontrovertible, the importance of initiatives such as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science,_Technology,_Engineering,_and_Mathematics">STEM</a> educational grouping appears self-evident. But it’s clear from Einstein’s example that innovation in STEM involves modes of thinking that can come from the arts. For Einstein, it was the notion that the architectural and formal beauty he found in music could inform the inspiration and design of his scientific theories. Music inspired and guided him; it stimulated parts of his brain that could not be accessed through sitting at his desk. It gave him a sense of patterns, feelings, hunches, intuitions – all manner of sensual information that could be described as ways of thinking that don’t involve words. Some have suggested STEAM, so as to include the Arts in the grouping. Or STREAM, to include Reading and Writing. Wouldn’t it be great though if all human intellectual endeavours were simply treated equally? Einstein used as many parts of his mind as he could to experience and interpret the world, to create knowledge. And yet again, it’s been proven that he’s not a bad example to follow. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/liam-viney-175637">Liam Viney</a>, Piano Performance Fellow, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/good-vibrations-the-role-of-music-in-einsteins-thinking-54725">original article</a>.

Entertainment

Why some people love music and others don't

Think of your favourite piece of music. Do you get shivers when the music swells or the chorus kicks in? Or are the opening few bars enough to make you feel tingly? Despite having no obvious survival value, listening to music can be a highly rewarding activity. It’s one of the most pleasurable activities with which people engage. But in a <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.01.068">study published today</a> in Current Biology, Spanish and Canadian researchers report on a group of “music anhedonics” – literally, those who do not enjoy music. This is an intriguing phenomenon, and we presume very rare. Importantly, these people are not “<a href="http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/206851">amusic</a>” – an affliction that often results from acquired or congenital damage to parts of the brain required to perceive or interpret music. In this study, the “music anhedonics” perceive music in the same way as the rest of the population. Nor are they people who generally don’t enjoy pleasure – they are not depressed, nor highly inhibited, and they are just as sensitive as other people to other types of non-musical rewards (such as food, money, sex, exercise and drugs). They simply don’t experience chills or similar responses to pleasurable music in the way that other people do. They’re just not that into music. I’ve got chills – they’re multiplying When we listen to pleasurable music, the “<a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/dopamine">pleasure chemical</a>” dopamine is <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6129/216.short">released in the striatum</a>, a key part of the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1196/annals.1390.002/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false">brain’s reward system</a>. Importantly, music activates the striatum just like other rewarding stimuli, such as food and sex. During anticipation of the peak – or “<a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v506/n7489/full/506433a.html">hotspot</a>” as music psychologist <a href="http://slobodajohn.wix.com/johns">John Sloboda</a> calls it – in the music, dopamine is released in the dorsal (or upper) striatum.<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" class="license"></a> During the peak, when we experience chills and other signs that our body’s <a href="http://psychology.about.com/od/aindex/g/autonomic-nervous-system.htm">autonomic nervous system</a> – responsible for regulating involuntary body functions – is being aroused, dopamine is released in the nearby ventral striatum. So what’s going on in the brains of music anhedonics? The authors offer a neurobiological explanation. While many types of pleasurable stimuli activate the same broad reward circuit in the brain, there are some differences depending on the type of stimulus. It is possible that the pattern of brain regions specifically activated by music pleasure, including the connection from auditory regions which perceive music to the reward centres, are slightly different in these individuals than in other people. This isn’t unusual as we know that there can be enormous differences in how rewarding (and potentially addictive) other rewards such as food, sex, money and drugs can be to different individuals, but it is rare to get no pleasurable response to these rewards. Is the story more complex then? Bittersweet symphony Music is a complex phenomenon – it affects us in multiple ways, and is used for many purposes. While pleasure is a popular reason for music listening, we are also drawn to music for other reasons. Sometimes the music isn’t pleasant at all. Our attraction, our need, and sometimes perhaps dependence on sad, angry or even frightening music flies in the face of evolutionary theory – why seek out something emotionally negative? Insight into our uses of music is however being achieved via music psychology – a rapidly expanding field which draws on research across numerous domains including cognitive neuroscience, social psychology and <a href="http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F11573548">affective computing</a> (the science of human-computer interaction where the device can detect and respond to its user’s emotions). In a <a href="http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199695225.do">study</a> involving more than 1,000 people, Swedish music psychologist <a href="http://www.oru.se/Intern/Organisation/Institutioner/Musik/Konferenser/CV/Alf%20Gabrielsson.pdf">Alf Gabrielsson</a> showed that only a little over half of strong experiences with music involve positive emotions. Many involved “mixed emotions” (think nostalgic or bittersweet love songs), and about one in ten involve negative emotions. ‘Non-positive’ can be good We listen to music that makes us feel like this for many reasons. We can use it to help express how we’re feeling – sometimes this might make the problem worse (such as when we use music to ruminate), but other times it helps to give voice to an emotion we otherwise could not communicate. As a result, we may feel more emotionally aware or stable afterwards. We also use music to solve problems, to look at our situation in a different light, to energise us or to relax us, and often to avoid or distract us – all well-known strategies for managing or regulating emotions. Music can also help us connect to others. Even if we don’t get a buzz from the music normally, when we listen with others, the enhanced social connectivity can be highly satisfying. A <a href="http://pom.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/05/01/0305735612440615">2012 study</a> showed that individuals who listened to music with close friends or their partners showed significantly stronger autonomic responses than those who listened alone. We might better empathise with the emotional or mental states of others, and at times, music feels like a “virtual friend”, providing solace and comfort when needed, and perhaps even stimulating release of the stress reducing and affiliation hormone <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/oxytocin">oxytocin</a>. All these uses of music can be beneficial for our “<a href="http://www.academia.edu/3179324/Eudaimonic_Well-Being_as_a_Core_Concept_of_Positive_Functioning">eudaimonic well-being</a>”; in other words, for enhancing our engagement and purpose in life, rather than just our pleasure. They also involve a distributed set of connected brain regions other than just the reward circuit. This means that these positive effects of music may be preserved even when the typical pleasure response is not experienced. Another feature of music that distinguishes it from many other rewarding stimuli is that it is an artform. And as an artform, it can be appreciated aesthetically, in an intellectual or analytical – rather than emotional – manner. We can listen to a piece oozing with tragedy such as Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor or Trent Reznor’s Hurt – listen below – but feel awe and beauty in the sophisticated score of the composer and perfect execution of the performers. This might explain why some of the music anhedonics in this study still reported feeling some pleasure to music, even when their bodies weren’t along for the ride. Reward circuitry is also activated by aesthetically beautiful stimuli, but other frontal brain regions involved in aesthetic judgment are also activated. It may be possible then for music anhedonics to still appreciate and enjoy music, even if their reward brain circuitry differs a little from those of us who can experience intense physical responses to music. And of course, music anhedonics might still find music a useful way to express or regulate their own emotions, and to connect to others. Or are music anhedonics also music “aneudaimonics”? In fact, we know so little about this fascinating, previously “hidden” phenomenon that this study opens the door for so many more studies – which is rewarding all of itself.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/24007/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nikki-rickard-110017">Nikki Rickard</a>, Associate Professor of Psychology, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/chills-and-thrills-why-some-people-love-music-and-others-dont-24007">original article</a>.

Entertainment

Music collectors are seeking out rare albums that you can't stream

As of the third quarter <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/244995/number-of-paying-spotify-subscribers/">of 2019, music streaming giant Spotify had 113 million paid subscribers worldwide</a> — but it’s still missing some famous albums that many listeners feel they can’t live without. And in today’s digital world, it can be expensive and difficult to get a physical copy of those missing albums. Music streaming dominates paid music consumption in the <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/10185/music-consumption-in-the-us/">United States</a> and <a href="https://musiccanada.com/resources/statistics/">Canada</a>. But services like Spotify and Apple Music can’t just upload whatever music they’d like. Legal disputes, sample clearance issues — when permission can’t be obtained for the use of part of a song in a new song — and rights-holders withholding music can all get in the way of music being available on your streaming platform of choice. And that can make the music even more difficult and more expensive to get your hands on physically. Legal disputes between <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/musicians-v-record-labels-famous-feuds/">artists and their record labels have been happening for decades</a>. Disputes can keep music from ever coming out at all, in which case consumers don’t know what they’re missing — but they can also take music that consumers already love out of circulation. Rare $130 cassette If you’re a fan of the hip-hop group De La Soul, you might have noticed that its 1989 album 3 Feet High and Rising is missing from paid subscription streaming services. This is due to <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2019/03/de-la-soul-3-feet-high-and-rising-streaming-spotify-tidal.html">disputes between the group and its label, Tommy Boy Records.</a> <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304142/original/file-20191127-112526-uxlosu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="" /> If your ‘90s dubbed De La Soul tape has broken down, a new cassette today may cost $130. Mike B in Colorado/Flickr De La Soul said in an <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wearedelasoul/photos/a.631626713540839/2309714252398735/?type=3&theater">August Facebook post</a> that it that was unable to reach a streaming agreement “and earn Tommy Boy’s respect for our music/legacy.” The dispute has led to Tommy Boy delaying the release of that album on streaming services. The album is not being widely reissued, so few copies are available in any physical format for fans who can’t stream one of their favourite albums on their favourite streaming service. There is a copy of <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/3-Feet-High-Rising-Vinyl/dp/B00CJF9SZC/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">the vinyl LP of 3 Feet High and Rising selling online for nearly $300</a>. A cassette is available for more than $130. Even the CD is selling for more than $100. Taylor Swift delays release of album Rights-holders, whether they are the artist or not, can also choose to withhold music from streaming services. Taylor Swift has famously done this, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/9/15767986/taylor-swift-apple-music-spotify-statements-timeline">first to fight for music’s value, then to fight for better streaming royalty rates</a> and then delaying the release of <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-to-withhold-reputation-from-streaming-services-197389/#:%7E:targetText=Taylor%20Swift's%20new%20album,the%20specifics%20with%20various%20platforms.">her 2017 album Reputation on streaming services</a>. She made Reputation available only for digital download and on CD at first. But rights-holders withholding music can sometimes get more complicated. Blackground Records — owned by Aaliyah’s uncle Barry Hankerson — controls the masters of most of the late singer’s music and has <a href="https://www.complex.com/music/2016/12/aaliyahs-music-isnt-online-and-her-uncle-barry-hankerson-is-the-reason-why">not made it available on streaming services</a>. Aaliyah <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/aaliyah-1979-2001-192667/">died in a plane crash in 2001 at the age of 22</a>, not long after the release of her platinum-certified self-titled album. Michael Greaves, who manages royalties for a music company based in Toronto, said in a September interview that he thinks Hankerson is “trying to look for the best deal … building up the value,” as Taylor Swift did. But others, including Greaves, who is also a former DJ, have argued that there is an emotional component to Hankerson withholding the Blackground music. Rock band Tool also famously <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/after-years-of-resisting-rock-band-tool-is-finally-entering-the-streaming-age">didn’t put all of its music up on streaming services until Aug. 2, 2019,</a> just before the Aug. 30 release of its newest album, Fear Inoculum. Whether these rights-holders are using profiteering tactics, the music is increasing in value because it’s not available on paid streaming services and there are limited physical copies. On Amazon.ca, the CD of <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/One-Million-Aaliyah/dp/B000002JWP">Aaliyah’s One In A Million is selling for as much as $189</a>. “I have those albums, I got them when they came out. I’m lucky that way,” says Greaves. Blackground also controls the rights to the master recordings of singer Jojo’s first two albums, which it has not released on streaming services. Jojo wound up <a href="https://www.wmagazine.com/story/jojo-re-release-albums-new-music-interview">suing Blackground, re-recording those albums and releasing them on streaming services herself</a>. Unfortunately, Aaliyah is not alive to do the same. Download delays are ongoing Despite advances in music technology and administration, sample clearances can still be an issue, keeping music from being released or forcing it to be removed from streaming services. It’s common for rappers and hip-hop artists to release “<a href="https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/rmx446/the-real-difference-between-a-mixtape-and-an-album">mixtapes</a>” — free releases which were once distributed on cassettes but are now commonly distributed on Soundcloud. Mixtapes often contain samples whose permissions haven’t been legally granted, which keep them from being available on streaming services such as Spotify, where rules around sample clearances are more stringent than on Soundcloud. The artist known as Chance the Rapper, for instance, went through the process of clearing all of the samples on his 2013 mixtape Acid Rap, which went live on streaming services last summer — <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8518032/chance-the-rapper-juice-acid-rap-streaming-services">but he couldn’t get the sample on his track Juice cleared</a>. According to the artist’s website, <a href="https://www.chanceraps.com/shop/acid-rap-vinyl-pre-order">the vinyl pre-order of the mixtape is sold out and the website says it is shipping this fall</a> — however, it’s unclear if it has already shipped. It’s also unclear if the sample on Juice will be cleared for the vinyl release — but if it’s not, there’s no doubt that the not-so-legal cassette with the original track listing will be worth much more. Music administration has come a long way, but it’s also become more complicated. As <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8297506/drake-nice-for-what-lauryn-hill-ex-factor-samples-kehlani-cardi-b">artists sample samples of samples</a>, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/watch-dj-khaled-explain-how-infant-son-executive-produced-new-lp-116467/">babies are given producer credits</a> and <a href="https://www.thefader.com/2019/10/07/lil-nas-x-cardi-b-sued-copyright-infringement-rodeo-2019">copyright infringement lawsuits over popular songs</a> seem to be frequently in the news, it’s unlikely that every album under the sun will be available to us at the press of a button any time soon. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/marina-eckersley-857932">Marina Eckersley</a>, Dalla Lana Fellow in Global Journalism, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-toronto-1281">University of Toronto</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/music-collectors-seek-out-rare-albums-not-available-on-streaming-126488">original article</a>.

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Roxette singer Marie Fredriksson dies aged 61

Marie Fredriksson, frontwoman of Swedish pop-rock band Roxette, has died at the age of 61 following a long illness. The singer-songwriter passed away on Monday after “a 17-year long battle with cancer”, her management team said in a statement. “You were the most wonderful friend for over 40 years,” her Roxette bandmate Per Gessle said in the statement. “I’m proud, honoured and happy to have been able to share so much of your time, talent, warmth, generosity and sense of humour … Things will never be the same.” Fredriksson was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2002. She underwent treatments and survived, but had health problems as a result of radiation therapy, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/10/roxette-singer-marie-fredriksen-dies-aged-61">The Guardian</a> reported. She was able to continue performing until 2016, when her doctors advised her to focus on her health. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LlVI7ZNiFlI"></iframe></div> Debuting as Roxette in 1986, Fredriksson and Gessle achieved success with the single Neverending Love. The duo went on to receive international recognition with The Look, followed by Listen to Your Heart, It Must Have Been Love and Joyride. Roxette’s albums have sold more than 80 million copies worldwide. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> Marie Fredriksson 😢 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Roxette?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Roxette</a> - It must have been love <a href="https://t.co/b0puf5qDuA">pic.twitter.com/b0puf5qDuA</a> — Alfredo Velazco (@alfredovelazco) <a href="https://twitter.com/alfredovelazco/status/1204474359961837569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2019</a></blockquote> Fredriksson is survived by her husband Mikael Bolyos and their two children, Josefin and Oscar.

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Singing helps relieve stress according to top psychiatrists

One of the UK’s leading psychiatrists has said that people who are feeling stressed should consider joining a choir. Professor Sir Simon Wessely made the announcement in a keynote speech at a recent conference on the subject of mental health among students. “The risk is not just ineffective solutions, but the real possibility that our solutions may actually be contributing to the problem,” he said, according to <a href="https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/feeling-stressed-join-a-choir/">Classic FM.</a> He went on to say: “I would love to see trials of volunteering, peer support, sport, drama, choir and so on – that’s the research I believe we need.” It’s not the first time that he has criticised mental health initiatives that are offered at universities across the country. “There are things that aren’t disorders at all that students habitually get – exam stress, loneliness and so on – all of which can be problematic. But we shouldn’t go round automatically saying ‘Oh you have a psychiatric disorder, you need psychiatric or mental health or professional health,” he said to <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2018/06/29/universities-may-fuelling-mental-health-crisis-leading-psychiatrist/">The Telegraph</a>. “Loneliness is a major problem for the current student population,” Prof Wessely said. “There is quite a lot of evidence that says that the solution may not be to see a counsellor, but it may be to join a choir.” “If you’re going to raise awareness in order to encourage people to seek professional help, you have to make bloody sure the services are there to deal with it,” he said . “Otherwise what you do is add to disappointment, frustration and anger of the people with the problems and add to the likely burn out and retirement of people trying to help [such as GPs].”

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How music is used to frame our daily routines

The concept of “home” refers to more than bricks and mortar. Just as cities are more than buildings and infrastructure, our homes carry all manner of emotional, aesthetic and socio-cultural significance. Our research investigates music and sound across five settings: home, <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=zcMuMglzyzkC&oi=fnd&pg=PA190&ots=atQw4trFNS&sig=35Ok_TO3mJYXgm3mGRt_8bFfZ0Q#v=onepage&q&f=false">work</a>, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/soin.12232">retail spaces</a>, private <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/S0163-2396(2010)0000035015/full/html">vehicle travel</a> and <a href="https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=200907280;res=IELAPA;type=pdf">public transport</a>. We found our interview subjects often idealised home along the lines of what <a href="http://www.losquaderno.professionaldreamers.net/?p=1106">Rowland Atkinson terms an “aural haven”</a>. He suggests, although “homes are … rarely places of complete silence”, we tend to imagine them as “refuge[s] from unwanted sound” that offer psychic and perceptual “nourishment to us as social beings”. We explored the ways in which people shape and respond to the home as a set of “<a href="http://www.professionaldreamers.net/images/losquaderno/losquaderno10.pdf">modifiable micro-soundscapes</a>”. Through 29 in-depth interviews, we examine how people use music and sound to frame the home as a type of “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2095141?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">interaction order</a>”. Erving Goffman coined this term to capture how people respond to the felt “presence” of an other. That presence can be linguistic or non-linguistic, visual or acoustic. It can cross material thresholds such as walls and fences. Goffman <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=EM1NNzcR-V0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=behaviour+in+public+places&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwic9JaW6-XlAhV-73MBHRilB4oQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=work%20walls%20do&f=false">wrote</a>: <blockquote> The work walls do, they do in part because they are honoured or socially recognised as communication barriers. </blockquote> Cultivating sonic havens through music As we detail in our recent <a href="https://tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14036096.2019.1686060">essay in Housing, Theory and Society</a>, the type of listening that most closely matches the idea of the home as an aural haven is bedroom listening – by young people in particular. We found that, as well as offering “control” and “seclusion”, the bedroom gave listeners a sense of “transcendence” and immersed them in “deep” listening. One interview subject said: <blockquote> When I get a new album … I like to experience [it] by … lying down on the floor… I’ll turn the lights off and I’ll just be engaging with the music, my eyes won’t be open. </blockquote> Another reported putting on headphones to listen to special selections of music, despite not needing to. “Headphones… [is] a more intimate … kind of thing”, even in a bedroom setting. When it came to music in shared spaces and in relation to neighbours, our interview subjects seemed both aware of music’s visceral powers and keen to respect the territorial or acoustic “preserves” of others. One young female sharing a house with her mother carefully curated the type of music played, and what part of the house it was played in. Her choices depended on whether her mother was home and whether she had shown interest in particular genres. All respondents who lived in shared households expressed some kind of sensitivity to not playing music at night. Another lived by herself in an apartment complex of five. She took deference towards neighbours seriously enough to “tinker away” on her piano only when she was sure her immediate neighbour wasn’t home. She “didn’t play the piano much” inside her flat and was only prepared to “go nuts” playing the piano in halls and other non-domestic settings. Music as a bridging ritual Another of our findings accorded with the microsociological focus on how people organise <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226981606/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i10">time</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0029344204/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i6">space</a> in everyday life. We found evidence, for example, of how music was used to wake up, or to transition to the weekend, or as a “bridging ritual” between work and home. One interview subject remarked that he is “dressed casually anyway” when he returns from work, so his mechanism for shifting to home mode is to listen “to music … pretty much as soon as I get home … unless I’m just turning around and going straight somewhere else”. In other words, he associated the boundary between home and non-home with music and the listening rituals of returning home. One of the themes in academic literature about media and the home is that electronic and digital media <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/no-sense-of-place-9780195042313?cc=au&lang=en&">blur the boundary between the inside and outside of the home</a>. There is no doubt radio, television and now various digital platforms bring the world “out there” into the immediacy and intimacy of our own domestic worlds. But, as <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780203033142/chapters/10.4324/9780203033142-8">Jo Tacchi noted of radio sound</a>, those sounds can also be used to weave a sonic <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0038026118825233">texture</a> of domestic comfort, security and routine. We also found interesting sonic continuities between our homes and how we make ourselves at home in non-domestic settings. As <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=KEHjTYnT-MUC&q=Locked+in+our+cars#v=snippet&q=Locked%20in%20our%20cars&f=false">Christina Nippert-Eng writes</a>: <blockquote> Locked in our cars, commutes offer the working woman or man the legitimate equivalent of a teenager’s bedroom, often complete with stereo system and favourite music. </blockquote> In short, sonic havens are simply “places where we can retreat into privacy”, inside or outside our literal homes.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126188/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michael-james-walsh-147733">Michael James Walsh</a>, Assistant Professor Social Science, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/eduardo-de-la-fuente-161803">Eduardo de la Fuente</a>, Honorary Fellow, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wollongong-711">University of Wollongong</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/sonic-havens-how-we-use-music-to-make-ourselves-feel-at-home-126188">original article</a>.

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Music therapist creates playlist to calm the mind

It may seem like we are living in an age of anxiety, where feeling worried, upset and stressed has become the norm. But we should remember that anxiety is a <a href="https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/about-anxiety/#.Xc6FEi10fq1">natural human response</a> to situations. It comes when we are not sure what is going to happen, or when we feel under threat. And even mild anxiety can have a negative effect on our ability to lead a productive life. It can interfere with being able to enjoy the simple things in life. When we experience anxiety, our heart and breathing rates increase and many other systems in our bodies <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/effects-on-body#1">experience overload</a>. Anxiety affects our general physical health as well as our emotions. In my work as a music therapist, I’ve noticed the impact music can have on anxiety. For example, in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIdtMOd8k8A">guided imagery sessions</a>, the therapist uses specially selected music and the client is invited to describe what they are feeling and what images the music conjures up. It’s amazing what insights can be gained from simply allowing yourself time to listen and talk about what you see in your mind’s eye. These may be as simple as becoming more aware of how music can affect emotions, or be used to explore past experiences or future dilemmas. It can also be used to find a place of comfort and a secure base where <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmt/article-abstract/36/1/39/914646?redirectedFrom=fulltext">physical and emotional balance</a> can be found. A <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/relaxing-song-best-weightless-marconi-union-youtube-surgery-anxiety-a9011971.html">recent experiment</a> explored whether certain kinds of music can reduce anxiety during a complex task and concluded that some music is better at doing this than others. <a href="http://theconversation.com/surprising-ways-to-beat-anxiety-and-become-mentally-strong-according-to-science-77978"></a>Also, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmt/article-abstract/48/3/264/1002764?redirectedFrom=PDF">a study</a> based on measuring physiological and emotional responses suggests there are certain qualities in music that are better at helping people relax. The speed of the music should be relatively slow, the melody should be simple, and the beat and harmony should not hold too many surprises. Other factors, such as the complexity of the music and – surprisingly – familiarity with the piece, were not so important. In fact, knowing a piece too well was found in some cases to be counterproductive. The genres most likely to support relaxation are classical, soft pop and certain types of world music. These are found to largely contain the musical elements necessary to help a person relax. Press play With these musical elements in mind, here are eight suggested pieces of music that meet these criteria: 1 <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/ambient-1-music-for-airports-184712/">Ambient 1: Music For Airports</a> by Brian Eno. This soundscape provides a wash of musical effects that echo the rhythm of our physiological functions, leaving space for us to attune to the slow tempo of the music. The album is described in <a href="https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/brian-eno/ambient-1-music-for-airports">one review</a> as “the kind of music one might hear in heaven”. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vNwYtllyt3Q"></iframe></div> 2 Pieds-en-L'Air, from <a href="https://arielmusic.co.uk/product/capriol-suite/">Capriol Suite</a>, by Peter Warlock, a composer and former music critic. Known for his unconventional lifestyle, he died in 1930, aged 36. His musical legacy includes this soft and slow classical piece with a melody reminiscent of songs we may have heard as children. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZMyS1G8NWnY"></iframe></div> 3 <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/56FjSa3QWnDE6CxjFTp9rH">Om Namah Shivaya</a> by Deva Premal. The vocals of Premal and supporting music made by her partner Mital hark back to evocative chants from times past. The slow pace and almost hypnotic music combined with her clear vocals feel very supportive. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eUqe31ojZBU"></iframe> 4 <a href="https://www.smoothradio.com/features/adele-someone-like-you-lyrics-meaning-facts/">Someone Like You</a> by Adele. While this hugely successful song explores the issue of loss, the slow tempo and cool accompaniment is found by many to offer a sense of calm and reflection. It has <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2012/02/someone-like-you-makes-us-cry-scientists-explain-why.html">been claimed</a> that the piece’s emotional strength is due to small, unexpected changes in the melody or “ornamental notes”, which create a melancholic tension. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hLQl3WQQoQ0"></iframe></div> 5 <a href="https://www.classicfm.com/composers/einaudi/music/i-giorni/">I Giorni</a>, by Ludovico Einaudi, an Italian pianist and composer who has written numerous film soundtracks. This piano piece, with its repetitive motifs and steady tempo, evokes a dreamlike state with moments of light and brightness. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Uffjii1hXzU"></iframe></div> 6 <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/in-paradisum-9780193418042?cc=gb&lang=en&">In Paradisum</a>, by Gabriel Fauré, a French composer who gained great popularity in his lifetime, but suffered from deafness in his later years. In this piece, from his Requiem, the choir and organ accompaniment provide a feeling of serenity. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6-i1ESIRKdA"></iframe></div> 7 <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Stopover+at+Djibouti&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8">Stopover at Djibouti</a> by Anouar Ibrahem, a Tunisian oud player and composer. He is widely acclaimed as an innovator in his field, fusing Arab classical music, folk music and jazz. This world jazz piece has hypnotic motifs that can seem almost meditative. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c2S8LpvZrnQ"></iframe></div> 8 <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&ei=hq7OXekQpYbV8A_vxaUw&q=stefan+nilsson+composer+wilmas+tema&oq=stefan+nilsson+composer+wilm&gs_l=psy-ab.3.0.33i22i29i30.2182.3289..4456...0.0..0.99.402.5......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i22i30.I3sNgC11uJY">Wilma’s Theme</a> by Stefan Nilsson, a Swedish composer and pianist who is well known in is home country. This piece, which seems somehow familiar, has a simple melody and harmonies that provide a safe landing place. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ytBW9x6Zvcc"></iframe></div> This list offers some suggestions of music that could be used to help people relax. A favourite of mine, which I haven’t included, is the slow movement from JS Bach’s Double Violin Concerto. It never fails to give me a sense of feeling safe and grounded, something that can be so important when we may be feeling anxious. It should be said, though, that many <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0218017">studies</a> emphasise the importance of finding your own selection of music that works for you. Whatever your musical taste is, you have the edge on any prescribed playlist in finding what is best for you.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121655/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/elizabeth-coombes-754445">Elizabeth Coombes</a>, Senior Lecturer in Music Therapy, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-wales-1586">University of South Wales</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/anxiety-a-playlist-to-calm-the-mind-from-a-music-therapist-121655">original article</a>. </div>

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Why you turn down the radio when you're trying to park your car

You’re driving down an unfamiliar street on a clear spring evening. You’ve been invited to a friend of a friend’s party, at a house you’ve never been to before. Tracking the street numbers, you see you’re getting close, so you (almost automatically) turn the radio down. Finally, with all that music out of the way, you might actually be able to see the house. Why is it that Cardi B must be silenced so you can better see the address of your party? For that matter, why do we have a convention to read silently when in a library? One response might be: “When we need to concentrate a little more, like when we’re looking for a house in the dark, we often try to get rid of distractions so we can focus.” This answer is intuitively appealing. It’s also exactly the kind of answer cognitive psychologists try to avoid. The words concentrate, distractions, and focus all point towards something (attention) that is left undefined. Rather than detailing its properties and how it works, we just assume people intuitively know what it means. This is a little circular, like a dictionary using a word in its own definition. Hashtag nofilter When you have a problem that seems inseparable from intuition, one way to get a handle on it is to a use a metaphor. One of the most important metaphors for attention was provided by psychologist Donald Broadbent in 1958: <a href="http://www.communicationcache.com/uploads/1/0/8/8/10887248/d_e._broadbent_-_perception_and_communication_1958.pdf">attention acts like a filter</a>. In his metaphor, all sensory information – everything we see, hear, feel on our skin, and so on – is retained in the mind for a very short period simply as physical sensation (a colour in a location, a tone in the left ear). But when it comes to bringing meaning to that sensory information, Broadbent argued, we have limited capacity. So attention is the filter that determines which parts of the torrent of incoming sensation are processed. It might seem like this broad description of a filter doesn’t buy us much in terms of explanation. Yet, sadly for Broadbent, he gave just enough detail to be proven incorrect. A year after the publication of Broadbent’s book, the psychologist <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1080/17470215908416289">Neville Moray found</a> that when people are listening to two simultaneous streams of speech and asked to concentrate on just one of them, many can still detect their own name if it pops up in the other stream. This suggests that even when you’re not paying attention, some sensory information is still processed and given meaning (that a mass of sounds is our name). What does that tell us about how this central bottleneck of attention might act? Radar love One answer comes from <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225765926_Divided_attention_between_simultaneous_auditory_and_visual_signals">a remarkable 1998 study</a> by Anne-Marie Bonnel and Ervin Hafter. It builds upon one of the most successful theories in all psychology, <a href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/signal-detection-theory">signal detection theory</a>, which describes how people make decisions based on ambiguous sensory information, rather like how a radar might detect a plane. One of the basic problems of radar detection is to work out whether it is more likely that what is being detected is a signal (an enemy plane) or just random noise. This problem is the same for human perception. Although apparently a metaphor like Broadbent’s filter, signal detection theory can be evaluated mathematically. The mathematics of human identification, it turns out, largely match those of radar operation. A perfect circle Bonnel and Hafter recognised that if people have a finite amount of attention to divide between vision and hearing, you could expect to see a particular pattern in certain experiments. Imagine attention as an arrow of a fixed length that can swing back and forth between sight and hearing. When it’s pointing entirely towards sight, there’s no room for any focus on hearing (and vice versa). But if a little attention is taken up by hearing, that means there is less directed towards sight. If you graph this relationship, the tip of the arrow will draw a neat circle as it swings from one to the other. Sure enough, the data from their experiments did indeed form a circle, but only in a certain case. When people were asked simply to detect whether a stimulus was present, there was no trade-off (paying more attention to vision did not change hearing performance and vice versa). It was only when people were asked to identify the specific stimulus that this circle appeared. This suggests that while do we indeed have a limited capacity to process information, this is only the case when we’re processing the information for meaning, rather than being aware of its presence. Our <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25222469">own research</a> suggests this pattern indicates some deeper constraint at the heart of the way we perceive the world. The circle represents a fundamental limit on processing. We can never leave that circle, all we can do is move forwards or backwards along it by choosing to focus our attention. When our visual task becomes difficult – like finding a house number in the dark rather than simply scanning the road – we move along that circle to optimise the signal from our visual system. In many cases, we can only do that by turning down the input to our auditory system, by literally turning down the radio. Sorry, Cardi B.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126263/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/simon-lilburn-871974">Simon Lilburn</a>, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722">University of Melbourne</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/philip-smith-879796">Philip Smith</a>, Professor of Psychology, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-melbourne-722">University of Melbourne</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/turn-down-for-what-why-you-turn-down-the-radio-when-youre-trying-to-park-your-car-126263">original article</a>.

Entertainment

Elton John reveals furious row with Tina Turner in new autobiography

Sir Elton John has revealed in his new autobiography Me about the tough times he went through with singer Tina Turner. The two legends united for a joint tour in 1997, but tensions quickly rose and eventually Elton told Tina to “shove her song up her f***ing a**e”. In an extract from the book, which has been serialised in the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7551955/Elton-Uncensored-Tinas-tantrum-simply-best.html">Daily Mail</a>, Elton revealed that he was particularly upset after some suggestions from Tina. The suggestions included swapping his Versace for Armani outfits so he would look “less fat” and that he should update his hairstyle. “I got off the phone and burst into tears: ‘She sounded like my f***ing mother,’ I wailed at David.” Things didn’t get better in rehearsals. “The subsequent debate about whether I knew how to play Proud Mary became quite heated, before I brought it to a conclusion by telling Tina Turner to stick her f*****g song up her a**e and stormed off,” Elton added. “I’ve thrown plenty of tantrums in my time, but there are limits: there’s an unspoken rule that musicians don’t treat their fellow musicians like s***. However, Elton has had time to reflect on why Tina was acting like that. “Maybe it was insecurity on her part. She’d been treated appallingly earlier in her career, suffered years and years of being ripped off, beaten up and pushed around. Maybe that had an effect on how she behaved towards people,” he said. Later, once Elton had calmed down, he went to Tina’s dressing room to apologise. The argument made the pair realise that they had different performance styles, as Elton preferred to improvise, and Tina wanted to rehearse every detail.

Entertainment

5 great songs almost ruined by their original titles

These songs were almost named something completely different! <div class="Maincontent"> 1. ‘Hey Jude’ was ‘Hey Jules’ When John and Cynthia Lennon split in 1968, Paul McCartney felt so bad for their five-year-old son, Julian, that he drove out to the suburbs to console him. By the time he arrived, McCartney had written the boy a ballad called ‘Hey Jules’ – a name he later obscured before sharing the song with the world. 2. ‘Mrs. Robinson’ was ‘Mrs. Roosevelt’ While scoring The Graduate, director Mike Nichols turned his lonely eyes to Simon and Garfunkel. Paul Simon was too busy touring to write, but he had been tinkering with a tune called ‘Mrs. Roosevelt’, a tribute to Eleanor Roosevelt and the glorious past. Nichols agreed to use it if Simon agreed to change the title. He did. 3. ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ was ‘Vampires In Love’ Bonnie Tyler’s wrenching ballad about “love in the dark” was almost much darker. According to lyricist Jim Steinman, “I actually wrote that to be a vampire love song … Its original title was ‘Vampires in Love’ because I was working on a musical of Nosferatu.” 4. ‘Tutti Frutti, aw rootie’ was ‘Tutti Frutti, Good Booty’ Frustrated in the studio one day, struggling artist Little Richard started hammering the nearest piano and belting out a raunchy tune he used to play in southern clubs. Producer Bumps Blackwell liked what he heard but eventually swapped ‘good booty’ for a slang expression meaning ‘all right’. The rest, as they say, is aw rootie. 5. ‘Iron Man’ was nearly ‘Iron Bloke’ Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi had just written one of the greatest rock riffs of all time, but he needed lyrics. Ever inspired, vocalist Ozzy Osbourne posited that the riff sounded just like “a big iron bloke walking about.” For months, ‘Iron Bloke’ remained the song’s working title. <div class="at-below-post addthis_tool" data-url="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/inspirational/5-Great-Songs-Almost-Ruined-by-Their-Original-Titles"> Written by Brandon Specktor. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/inspirational/5-Great-Songs-Almost-Ruined-by-Their-Original-Titles">Reader’s Digest</a>. </div> </div>

Entertainment

Huh? Wha? A guide to keeping your hearing

<div class="postIntro">We live amid a cacophony of daily noise but, as we get older, many of us find that some sounds - such as the telephone ringing - become more difficult to hear. Fortunately, there are many ways to prevent and overcome such problems, so you’ll be able to enjoy conversation, music and all the sounds you love for years to come.</div> <div class="postIntro"> What would the world be like without sound? All of us can imagine to some extent what it would be like to be blind – we simply have to shut our eyes. It’s much more difficult to imagine being unable to hear speech or music or the dawn chorus, or even the clatter when you drop a pan or your own ‘ouch’ when you stub a toe. There may be sounds that you would rather not hear – the throbbing music leaking from a fellow passenger’s headphones, the road drill outside your office window, the car alarm that goes off at two o’clock in the morning, your nextdoor neighbour’s lawnmower disturbing a lazy summer afternoon in the garden… yet wouldn’t it feel strange if you couldn’t hear them? Follow on for our self-test questionnaire to find out if you have a hearing problem. <div class="at-below-post addthis_tool" data-url="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/conditions/hearing/huh-wha-guide-keeping-your-hearing">Have you got a hearing problem?</div> <div class="at-below-post addthis_tool" data-url="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/conditions/hearing/huh-wha-guide-keeping-your-hearing"> Do you have difficulty hearing or following what is being said in the following situations? <ul> <li>Listening to the television when the volume is adjusted to suit someone else.</li> <li>Talking on the telephone.</li> <li>Having a conversation with someone in a busy place, such as a street, shop or restaurant. Having a conversation with several people in a group.</li> <li>Listening to someone against a background noise, such as a whirring fan or running water. Having a conversation when you can’t see the other person’s face full on.</li> <li>Talking to women or children – even though you can hold conversations with men without any difficulty.</li> </ul> Do you often: <ul> <li>Ask people to repeat what they’ve said?</li> <li>Misunderstand what people say?</li> <li>Agree or nod even when you’re not sure what’s been said?</li> <li>Feel that other people mumble when they talk?</li> <li>Turn up the radio or television to a volume that others say is too loud?</li> <li>Have to watch other people’s facial expressions or lip movements to understand what they say?</li> </ul> Minor degrees of hearing loss = intense frustration The world is, by and large, such a noisy place that relative calm and silence – which are important for our general wellbeing – have become rare treats to be relished. But as we get older, the world may become uncomfortably quieter if certain important sounds are more difficult to hear – for instance, the telephone ringing, a grandchild crying or the best moments of a favourite symphony. Even minor degrees of hearing loss can cause intense frustration –when you have to strain to hear what other people are saying, miss crucial spoken information such as station announcements, or feel left out in social situations because you can’t follow conversations if there’s a lot of background noise. Yet, even if a certain amount of hearing loss is inevitable as we grow older – and it’s by no means certain that it is – there is much that can be done to protect this vital sense and there are many causes of hearing loss that can be treated. In this section you will learn all about your ears and the remarkable process of hearing. You will find out why balance disorders may result from ear problems and about other symptoms, such as tinnitus (a persistent, irritating sound in the ears), which can accompany them. Because you’re concerned enough about your senses to be reading this, you will no doubt want to take steps to preserve your hearing and your enjoyment of the sounds of life – for life. Measuring sound levels Sound is measured in decibels – a term derived from the Latin for ‘ten’ plus the name of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, and shortened to dB. Any sound-measurement scale has to include a huge range of sound intensities, from a ticking watch to a jet aircraft taking off – a difference of 200,000,000,000 times – so scientists use a logarithmic or ‘log’ scale, which means that every increase of 10 dB represents a sound that is ten times as loud. Whether noise causes hearing loss depends both on the intensity of the sound and the length of exposure. Everyday noise, rated On the decibel (dB) scale, 0 dB is near-total silence, but 10 dB is ten times more powerful, 20 dB is 100 times more powerful, 30 dB is 1,000 times more powerful, and so on. A hair dryer at 80 dB is a hundred times as loud as normal speech at 60 dB. A rock concert booming out at 120 dB is a million times as loud as normal conversation. Decibels (dB) Sound 0 Near silence 20 Ticking watch, rustling leaves, quiet room at night 37–45 Computer hum 50–65 Dishwasher, washing machine 60 Normal conversational speech Intrusive 65 Average city traffic Difficult to concentrate 70 Television, busy office, noisy restaurant, vacuum cleaner Annoying 80 Hair dryer, alarm clock, heavy traffic, shouting Hearing impairment on prolonged exposure 84 Train 85–90 Leaf-blower 90–95 Lawnmower, busy pub 90–100 Motorcycle 95–140 Loud car stereo 100–120 MP3 portable music player Painful even on brief exposure 110 Chain saw, pneumatic drill, nightclub/disco, baby crying 110–120 Ambulance siren, jet aircraft on take-off 130 Thunderclap, machine gun Possible irreversible hearing loss 119–140 Heavy-metal rock band 164 .357 Magnum pistol Unnatural noise If our ears are designed to detect and interpret sound, why is it that noise can be so harmful? Surely, being sensitive to noise is what ears are for? Well, not quite. Our ears evolved to pick up biological sounds, not the roar of engines and the din of amplified electronic sound. Our remote ancestors needed to hear relatively quiet noises that could be crucial for survival, such as the approach of a wild animal that could be hunted for food or might be intent on eating you. The loudest sound was probably the odd thunderclap, and even occasional loud noises were interspersed with long periods of relative silence. Check your hearing How is your hearing coping with the cacophony of the modern world? If you want to do a quick self-assessment, you can take a simple hearing test online that was produced by the University of New South Wales (<a rel="noopener" href="http://newt.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/hearing.html" target="_blank">www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/hearing.html</a>). Is hearing loss inevitable? Most medical professionals believe that age-associated hearing loss, known as presbyacusis, is to an extent inevitable. But studies of a Sudanese tribe called the Mabaan, who live in quiet rural surroundings, show that they have much better hearing than Westerners – indeed, even older members of the tribe have better hearing than 20-year-olds living in industrial societies. What’s more, among the Mabaan there is little difference between the hearing of young people and the tribal elders. Apart from their quieter life, the Mabaan people’s excellent hearing may be influenced by their diet – a factor discussed in the next chapter. Meanwhile, all the evidence seems to suggest that it is well worth protecting ourselves and our children from the potentially deafening effects of loud noise. Top tips for avoiding noise damage <div id="page8" class="slide-show"> <div id="test" class="slide"> <div class="slide-description"> The more prolonged your exposure to noise and the higher the volume, the greater your chance of hearing loss, but once the exposure ceases no further damage will be done. If you notice hearing loss after exposure to loud noise, it will usually (but not always) improve in the following hours or days. Here are ten ways to limit avoidable noise as much as possible, and safeguard your ears when exposed to unavoidable noise: <ul> <li>Limit the time that you spend listening to noise for entertainment.</li> <li>Reduce volume levels on stereos, TVs and iPods.</li> <li>If you use an MP3 or iPod, wear in-ear filters to cancel out background noise.</li> <li>Wear proper earplugs or earmuffs whenever you cannot avoid exposure to loud noise, for example when mowing the lawn or using power tools; cotton wool and other homemade plugs are ineffective.</li> <li>When in a noisy environment, try to go elsewhere for regular short breaks.</li> <li>Distance diminishes the effective decibel level that reaches the ear. Get as far away as possible from unavoidably loud sounds – don’t sit or stand next to loudspeakers at a concert, for example.</li> <li>If you are provided with earmuffs at work, use them.</li> <li>Keep your car windows closed when driving on busy roads.</li> <li>Reduce outside traffic and other noise in your home by, for example, installing double glazing, hanging heavy curtains or planting trees or shrubs between you and the road.</li> </ul> Written by Reader's Digest. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/conditions/hearing/huh-wha-guide-keeping-your-hearing">Reader’s Digest</a>. </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Entertainment

4 ways to spot concert ticket scams

As your favourite band or artist comes to a city near you, it can be harder to get your hands on tickets due to demand. The bargain hunters among us will turn to the next best place for tickets: online marketplaces like Carousell, Craigslist or Gumtree. But as anyone who has ever spent time on these sites will know, you need to exercise a great deal of caution or you could end up poorer with nothing to show for it. Heed these 4 warning signs that you could be dealing with a scammer, and save yourself some disappointment and some money! 1. The tickets are cheaper than retail While there may be genuine cases where a legitimate seller will need to offload his tickets (for example, a work emergency that prevents him from going to the concert), it’s not realistic to expect him to incur a significant loss, especially if the tickets are for sold out concerts. If someone is offering deeply discounted tickets, keep scrolling! You are dealing with a scammer. 2. The seller doesn't want to meet Alarm bells should ring if the seller doesn’t want to have a face-to-face meeting and wants to get the deal done quickly through an online funds transfer, promising to mail the tickets after you’ve paid. We’re willing to bet that you will never receive your tickets or hear from him or her ever again after you’ve transferred the money. If you’re one of the lucky few who has found a genuine seller, always insist on a face-to-face meeting in public to complete the transaction. However, there is still a possibility that the tickets are fake or duplicates so buyer beware. 3. Opt for physical tickets If you’re buying tickets from a seller on an online marketplace, make sure you receive printed physical tickets and not PDF copies or e-tickets. The scammer may have sold the same e-ticket to several buyers, which means you won’t be able to use them. 4. Read the reviews Does the seller have any reviews or is he a new member? Does he have other listings? Sellers who are new and don’t have anything else up for sale may be scammers looking to make a quick buck off the naïve and vulnerable. Stay vigilant and happy concert going! Written by Siti Rohani. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/how-spot-concert-ticket-scams">Reader’s Digest</a>.

Entertainment

Why are we seeing so many music documentaries lately?

Music documentaries about famous singers and musicians are quickly becoming the norm. This is due to movie directors and actors bringing life and providing nostalgia to those who watched the musicians grow up. It also brings music to a new audience who is interested but might not have been born when the musicians were in their prime. It appears that fans can no longer resist a peek into the backroom world that their favourite musicians inhabited. However, Gennaro Castaldo, of the record label trade association the British Phonographic Industry, isn’t surprised. “A compelling synergy exists between movies and music,” he told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jul/21/why-music-documentaries-are-all-over-our-screens-beyonce-bob-dylan">The Guardian</a>. “With a slew of highly anticipated music documentaries either out, or due for release soon, fans can get close to the icons they love, from Led Zeppelin and Leonard Cohen to Beyoncé and PJ Harvey, so we can expect another surge in sales and streams.” He credits the success of Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman to the surge in sales and streams, despite claims that these films are fictionalised and not a realistic account of what the rock stars went through. “The phenomenal success of recent biopics celebrating the work of Queen, Elton John and Abba underline just how fantastic a medium film is for music – culturally but also commercially in terms of the huge global reach it can provide at the cinema and then in the home,” said the BPI’s Castaldo. “Movies provide the perfect emotional context for a piece of music that help to enhance its power and to profoundly resonate with the audience. “In the process, this can reawaken the public’s love of classic repertoire, or of a particular artist, and encourage the next generation of fans to discover music that is new to them.” However, film critic Nick James says that a documentary that is strong on sentiment doesn’t always work. “I prefer a documentary to a rock biopic anyday, but I’m wary of nostalgia,” James said. “Marianne & Leonard is heartfelt and honest, but it’s still to a degree in thrall to the ‘sexual revolution’ whose utter destructiveness it chronicles. [Leonard] Cohen comes out of it badly, but we probably need to see those feet of clay.” Fans are responding with their wallets, and it’s looking like that’s the way that companies are going to go: fictionalised accounts of their favourite musicians instead of authentic and gritty stories about their imperfect heroes.

Entertainment

"I don't know what's more upsetting": Wife turns recording of husband's snoring into a hit song

What would you do if you could no longer stand your partner’s snoring? A woman has come up with a daring solution – record the snoring sound, turn it into a song and release it on popular music platforms around the globe. After getting fed up by the noise her husband Dave made every night, the English woman turned the recorded the sound of his snoring into an “'80s movie-style dramatic theme song” she titled Dave Don’t Snore. The song has become an unexpected hit, with the streaming numbers continuing to climb. The woman made her husband Dave a <a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/DuckMischief/status/1139300333426020353" target="_blank">certificate</a> when the snoring song passed 30,000 streams on music platforms in June. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> I don’t know what’s more upsetting, that my wife uploaded my snoring to spotify, that 44,000 people have listened to it, or that she took the time to release an instrumental version! <a href="https://t.co/EfBktLpDXy">pic.twitter.com/EfBktLpDXy</a> — Dave (@DaveApnea) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaveApnea/status/1151049562523611137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2019</a></blockquote> “I don’t know what’s more upsetting, that my wife uploaded my snoring to Spotify, that 44,000 people have listened to it, or that she took the time to release an instrumental version!” Dave wrote on Twitter in July. <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xIso1MH8L8Q"></iframe></div> At the time of writing, the song has received more than 154,488 streams on Spotify and over 62,000 plays on YouTube. This week, the song reached number 17 in the Singapore Viral 50 chart on Spotify. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> No. 17 and CLIMBING in Singapore on <a href="https://twitter.com/Spotify?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Spotify</a> 🚀🔥🤭 (<a href="https://twitter.com/DaveApnea?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DaveApnea</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DistroKid?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DistroKid</a> ) <a href="https://t.co/UiSCE8AhB1">pic.twitter.com/UiSCE8AhB1</a> — Duck Mischief (@DuckMischief) <a href="https://twitter.com/DuckMischief/status/1158000995047235586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2019</a></blockquote> The viral song also fuelled more follow-ups Dave Also Plays a Mean Flute and Dave Found His Old Synthesizer.

Entertainment

Space Oddity at 50: The novelty song that became a cultural touchstone

When the 22-year-old David Bowie penned Space Oddity, a song that would ultimately become a <a href="https://bowiesongs.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/space-oddity/">recognised</a> classic, he was a burgeoning pop artist without a record deal. A folk singer without a gig, a sometime mime, and a purveyor of <a href="https://youtu.be/NUiboPRPOzo">ice creams</a>. His first serious relationship, with the actress <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/01/david-bowie-girl-mousy-hair-muse">Hermione Farthingale</a>, was in free fall. It was December 1968, and Bowie’s manager Kenneth Pitt was collating a promotional film to pimp his client’s wares to London television and film producers. He requested Bowie pen a “special piece of new material” to contemporise the otherwise retrospective nature of the film. And then, on Christmas Eve, astronaut Bill Anders captured his iconic photograph of Earth from the Apollo 8 spacecraft while circumnavigating the Moon. The Earthrise image was still resonating in the public’s imagination when Bowie retreated to his room in Clareville Grove, London to write his space cabaret. Composing on a 12-string Hagstrom guitar with a little sonic weirdness from a Stylophone given to him by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Bolan">Marc Bolan</a>, he came up with Space Oddity. A blatant commercial object, a “pragmatic” turn by a fledgling artist, the song would become an anthem for space exploration for decades (and for TV news obituaries on the occasion of Bowie’s <a href="https://youtu.be/mH3-HV2WDdQ">death</a> in 2016). Space Oddity tells of an astronaut Major Tom, launched into space in a manner akin to the Apollo missions. Yet in this instance all does not go according to plan and he is left adrift in the abyss of space, “floating ‘round my tin can, far above the Moon.” At the time it was considered a “novelty song” to hang alongside other opportunists riding the vapor trails of the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-was-the-saturn-v-58.html">Saturn V</a>. (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/29/fashion/watches-omega-speedmaster-moonwatch-anniversary.html">Omega</a> watches, <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/apollo-11-anniversary/os-ne-apollo-11-tang-20190704-ahrgsi5hmfdunfy4ldazrgvkr4-story.html">Tang</a>, <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/first-energy-bar">Space Food Sticks</a> etc). Bowie was acutely aware of the commercialisation of the space exploration story, of course. “You have really made the grade, and the papers want to know whose shirts you wear,” exalts ground control as Tom hurtles towards the heavens. Eschewing the typical pop song template, Bowie designed the piece as if it was a dramatic play. “I think I wanted to write a new kind of musical,” he <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2015/12/david-bowie-and-enda-walsh-musical-lazarus-reviewed.html">reflected</a> in 2002, “and that’s how I saw my future at the time.” The song – one of his earliest and perhaps most outrageous musical assemblages – is also indicative of the artist he would become, a restless creative magpie perched by the wireless, plucking phrases and vocal stylings from the inbound radio waves. The definitive version, recorded in late June 1969 at Trident Studios, was pressed and released as a single within three weeks – on July 11 – to leverage the hype of the impending Apollo moon landing. It also sealed a new recording deal with Mercury Records. Bowie was back. However, his long-time producing partner <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Visconti">Tony Visconti</a> refused to work on the song, citing it as a distasteful departure from the singer’s hippie folk leanings. Visconti’s unease led him to recommend <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gus_Dudgeon">Gus Dudgeon</a> (who would later work with Elton John) as producer. The song’s adventurous orchestration and unsettling harmonics owe much to Dudgeon’s ambition. Through resonance, tone and unexpected harmonic shifts Bowie and Dudgeon achieved a meta-pop song full of cultural and musical references. There are lyrical and tonal references to the Bee Gees’ <a href="https://youtu.be/S43YhQ_eGTw">New York Mining Disaster 1941</a> while an acoustic passage signposts <a href="https://youtu.be/gP3-TU6xPvc">Old Friends</a> by Simon & Garfunkel. Even the metallic chimes of the Stylophone recall the pulsating intro of the Beatles’ <a href="https://youtu.be/t1Jm5epJr10">I Am The Walrus</a>. This was music for space, both inside and out, an experimental sonic palette that would open up a whole <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613762/space-music-drugs/">new genre</a> of musical art direction. Of course, Kubrick’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/">2001: A Space Odyssey</a> hangs heavily over proceedings. The two works are not only linked by name, but by their respective critiques of the cultural zeitgeist of “space fever”. A sense of melancholia and detachment permeates Bowie’s recording. Yet, Major Tom’s predicament – floating in a tin can far above the world – is perhaps not the perilous event we might suspect. He seems quite OK with it all. Even his observation that there is “nothing I can do” comes across as somewhat of a relief. We are never really sure whether the communication breakdown with ground control was accidental or by design. In Norman Mailer’s Apollo 11 chronicle <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/238970.Of_a_Fire_on_the_Moon">Of a Fire on the Moon</a>, he notes that the “obvious pleasure” of the astronaut, “was to be alone in the sky”. Rushing towards the stars Still, in a 1980 <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2017/10/06/555850186/how-ashes-to-ashes-put-the-first-act-of-david-bowies-career-to-rest">interview</a>, Bowie revealed Major Tom’s dilemma was a comment on what he saw at the time as the limits of American exceptionalism: Here we had the great blast of American technological know-how shoving this guy up into space, but once he gets there, he’s not quite sure why he’s there. And that’s where I left him. For such a challenging work, the press reaction in Britain to Space Oddity was largely positive, Tony Palmer, writing in the Observer, appreciated the song’s cynical air at a time when “we cling pathetically to every moonman’s dribbling joke, when we admire unquestioningly the so-called achievement of our helmeted heroes.” Music journalist Penny Valentine’s review for the ensuing album, which would feature Space Oddity as the lead track, observed that Bowie had captured “the rather frightening atmosphere we all live in as the backdrop to his songs.” Indeed, come July 1969, the promise of the sixties and the hippy trip of the free love movement were a few festivals and a bunch of ghoulish murders away from coming to an end. The sense of being adrift like Major Tom was not just a fantasy construction any more. The song’s television debut would be on July 20 when the BBC aired the track during the Apollo broadcast, albeit after the Lunar Module had safely touched down. A scenario that even surprised Bowie – “of course, I was overjoyed that they did”. Despite its contrived beginnings, Bowie designed a cultural touchstone for a historic moment of human engineering and blind courage. Even 50 years hence, he appears to us fully formed on Space Oddity as a moonstruck balladeer and completely in synch with the times. The immaculately dressed changeling who would go on to hit the glam rock jackpot with his alien stage persona <a href="https://youtu.be/3qrOvBuWJ-c">Ziggy Stardust</a>. A character who captured the abrasive temperament of the moment as he straddled the jet-trails of our collective rushing towards the stars. Written by Mitch Goodwin. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/space-oddity-at-50-the-novelty-song-that-became-a-cultural-touchstone-120071">The Conversation</a>.

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Pink Floyd guitar sells for world-record price at auction

The legendary guitar belonging to Pink Floyd frontman David Gilmour has sold for $5.7 million at auction. It is now the most expensive guitar of all time. Gilmour raised over $30 million for charity after auctioning off more than 120 lots from his personal collection. The sale took place at Christie’s auction house in New York City and included iconic instruments played by Gilmour throughout Pink Floyd’s history. The legendary “Black Strat” Fender Stratocaster guitar, which was used on the recording of the band’s hit albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979), was the standout item and sold for the jaw-dropping $5.7 million. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> "It's very hard to know how much I will miss it." David talks about his iconic Black Strat, ahead of its sale through <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristiesInc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChristiesInc</a> next month in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GilmourGuitars?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GilmourGuitars</a> charity auction. <a href="https://t.co/CA7anqH9ej">pic.twitter.com/CA7anqH9ej</a> — David Gilmour (@_DavidGilmour) <a href="https://twitter.com/_DavidGilmour/status/1129086403000901637?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">16 May 2019</a></blockquote> Proceeds from the auction will go to the charity ClientEarth, which funds environmental lawyers and experts in the fight against climate change. "The global climate crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity will ever face, and we are within a few years of the effects of global warming being irreversible," Gilmour said in a statement. "We need a civilised world that goes on for all our grandchildren and beyond in which these guitars can be played and songs can be sung." Other stand out items sold at auction included Gilmour’s Martin D-35 acoustic guitar, which sold for more than $1 million and his 1955 Gibson Les Paul, which was famously used for the guitar solo on Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2).

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Baz Luhrmann is making a biopic about Elvis Presley

Baz Luhrmann has decided to create a biopic about musical legend Elvis Presley. Luhrmann is known for his stylised work on Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatbsy. Five actors battled it out to get the top spot of playing Presley, with big names such as Ansel Elgort, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Miles Teller, Austin Butler and musician slash actor Harry Styles fighting for the part. However, it has recently been announced that the man who will play the King of Rock is Austin Butler. Butler announced the news on his Instagram. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz8sg24Bw6y/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz8sg24Bw6y/" target="_blank">“You have made my life complete, and I love you so”</a> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/austinbutler/" target="_blank"> Austin Butler</a> (@austinbutler) on Jul 15, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT </div> </blockquote> Tom Hanks is already on board the project as Col. Tom Parker, who is the legendary manager who controlled every aspect of Presley’s life. The film is described as focusing on the late entertainer’s rise and fall, with a major aspect of the film focusing on his relationship with Parker. As a manager, Parker helped build Presley’s career from nothing, but was also said to be extremely controlling. It was also said by <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/07/elvis-presley-movie-baz-luhrmann-ansel-elgort-miles-teller-austin-butler-harry-styles-tom-hanks-1202640766/">Deadline</a> that he took half of Presley’s earnings home for himself. Luhrmann has been developing this project with his wife Catherine Martin since finishing on The Great Gatsby in 2013. The pair are set to co-produce the biopic.

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How the film “Yesterday” was able to use so much of The Beatles music

The film Yesterday goes into the story about how a struggling songwriter is losing his passion for music and he gets hit by a bus. Upon awakening, he realises that he is the only one in the world who knows who The Beatles are and uses their discography to rise to fame. However, many people were surprised that the film managed to get some of the most recognisable songs from the band into the film. Surely, that would’ve cost a fortune. Danny Boyle, the film’s director, had a plan. The production company behind the film had a deal with Apple and Sony which allowed screenwriter Richard Curtis and Boyle to choose up to 18 songs and even switch their picks when they were shooting and editing the film. After all, there’s no point having a joke hinge off a niche Beatles song. The audience won’t get it. Curtis explained this to <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-yesterday-beatles-songs-20190707-gehxkurakngldohru2waj3o4hu-story.html">NY Daily News</a>: “For the jokes to work it has to be songs people recognize… if Jack sat down at the piano in that Ed Sheeran scene and plays “Not a Second Time,” most people won’t know it’s the Beatles.” The scene in question is where the main character of the film is working with Ed Sheeran and singing “Hey Jude”. Sheeran has a brainwave and suggests changing it to “Hey Dude”. Boyle told <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8512779/danny-boyle-yesterday-the-beatles-interview">Billboard</a> what happened when they obtained the rights. “Apple and Sony are very picky about not only who uses the band’s music but how it is used. Working Title did that first because there’s no point in spending money on a film like Yesterday unless you can guarantee you’ve got the music. It made for a top-heavy budget -- the costs for the songs were very expensive, a substantial part of the film’s budget. But they made a clever deal, allowing us the freedom to change songs up to the last minute.” Billboard estimated that it cost $10 million for the songs to be featured in Yesterday. However, Boyle also did his due diligence and reached out to Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the widows of George Harrison and John Lennon about his intentions for the film.

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Pink Floyd guitar sells for world-record price at auction

Baz Luhrmann is making a biopic about Elvis Presley

How the film “Yesterday” was able to use so much of The Beatles music

News

Property

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Information

Keep up to date

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UK national anthem undergoes change now Charles is King

Why do old people hate new music?

The role of music in Einstein's thinking

Why some people love music and others don't

Music collectors are seeking out rare albums that you can't stream

Roxette singer Marie Fredriksson dies aged 61

Singing helps relieve stress according to top psychiatrists

How music is used to frame our daily routines

Music therapist creates playlist to calm the mind

Why you turn down the radio when you're trying to park your car

Elton John reveals furious row with Tina Turner in new autobiography

5 great songs almost ruined by their original titles

Huh? Wha? A guide to keeping your hearing

4 ways to spot concert ticket scams

Why are we seeing so many music documentaries lately?

"I don't know what's more upsetting": Wife turns recording of husband's snoring into a hit song

Space Oddity at 50: The novelty song that became a cultural touchstone

Pink Floyd guitar sells for world-record price at auction

Baz Luhrmann is making a biopic about Elvis Presley

How the film “Yesterday” was able to use so much of The Beatles music

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