How Music Does That
Dale McGowan
Music -- just vibrations in the air -- can make you feel heartbroken or elated, peaceful or stabby, inspired to save the whales or to invade Poland. This is HOW MUSIC DOES THAT.Click the website link to subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.
The 1977 Line
One film changed science fiction scoring for good. So far.
The Haunting of Figure 8
Schoolhouse Rock was always great. But the music from one particular episode has haunted us down the years.
How MUZAK Does That
How did wall-to-wall music find its way into every public space? Meet General George Squier.
Riffing on Each Other
How a few inaccurate jingles came to represent entire cultures.
Anatomy of an Earworm
After a month at the mercy of an earworm, I found the cure. Then it all went wrong.
When the Music Doesn't Trust You
The mark of a great film score is knowing when to shut up.
Unsung
They are some of your favorite artists of all time. And you don't even know their names.
The King of Space-Age Pop!
HOW MUSIC DOES THAT returns with a Mexican bandleader whose coloristic imagination defined the sound of the space age.
Clap When You Damn Well Please [Encore]
The revolution starts right damn now.
The Bagpipe Incident on Which I Thought We Had Agreed Not to Dwell [Encore]
30,000 people. 16 measures. One bad decision.
The Evolution of Cool [Encore]
The quality of 'cool' in music has deep evolutionary roots in the brain.
Grooves [Encore]
In Hungary, road plays you!
Beethoven Was Deaf [Encore]
That's not the amazing part.
Silence [Encore]
Sometimes the greatest moment in music is the one you don't hear.
Where Did We Put Vivaldi? [Encore]
After greatness came one bad decision—and then, the forgetting.
Encore: Stop Practicing, You're Ruining EVERYTHING
Sometimes it's supposed to hurt.
ENCORE: The Rage of the Third Sons (Carmina Burana)
Eight hundred years ago, they left the church and found the world.
ENCORE: The Aging White Suburban Music Professor's Guide to Hip Hop
Put on the good Dockers, Chad. We're going in.
ENCORE: The Bones of Yellow Brick Road
Most covers stay on the surface. Sara Bareilles got down into the bones.
ENCORE: The Sweet Madness of Big Meters
Let's have a wild time.
The Worst Song In The World
It could be worse. Just kidding.
The Man Who Tried to Strangle Film Music in Its Crib
Sternberg didn't like film music—until he needed it.
ENCORE: As White as Classical
Classical music isn't that white by accident -- and it can't afford to stay that way.
When You Were Twelve
If you love a song you don't really care about, see if it's from the year you were 12.
When Mind and Music Fall Apart
Can music capture the experience of dementia?
Dickinson's Island, and Other Unholy Monsters
When I was a boy, I sat bored in church, trying to break a code.
The Unwiggled String
Children are taught to fear and avoid this sound. All the more reason to love it.
The Long Way Home in 'Hallelujah'
The lyrics are poetic and evocative. But let's talk about that long trip home.
Black Shanty
Sea shanties grew in black soil.
Where Did We Put Vivaldi?
Antonio Vivaldi was a very big deal -- and then he wasn't. But he had a plan.
TikTok and the Hypnotics
For a few weeks, TikTok forged an unholy alliance of banjo, yodeling, and scientific notation.
TikTok and the Vibe
Sometimes you find the Vibe. Sometimes the Vibe finds you.
Music is Made of Time
The fact that music unfolds over time is key to understanding its unique power.
The Deep Playlist of Generation Z
'Wait a minute - how do YOU know Purple Haze?!'
Yeah, But Why THOSE 4 Chords?
It has to do with monkeys, somehow.
Whose Monkey Chant Is It Anyway?
It's an electrifying cry from the ancient heart of Bali. Or is it?
As White as Classical
Classical music isn't that white by accident -- and it can't afford to stay that way.
The Words Get In the Way
Strip language away, and the human voice becomes a pure instrument of emotion.
Shortcut: How I Solved the Musical Mystery of My Life
One tune tormented me since I was two. I finally figured out why.
The Epitome Trap
Before every music course I teach, I have the same argument with myself.
Minimal.
One of the most powerful stylistic movements in music starts with a simple idea.
The Aging White Suburban Music Professor's Guide to Hip Hop
Put on the good Dockers, Chad. We're going in.
When Ravel Met Ravel
Piano Ravel and Orchestra Ravel are both great. They met only twice.
Clap When You Damn Well Please
There's a reason we don't clap between movements in classical music. It's a bad reason, and we're going to kill it. The revolution starts right damn now.
Silence
Sometimes the greatest moment in music is silence.
The Dead and the Impossible
Mussorgsky asked the impossible. Ravel made it happen.
Grooves
In Hungary, road plays you!
Too Many Notes!
WARNING: This episode contains too many notes.
The Rage of the Third Sons (Carmina Burana)
Eight hundred years ago, they left the church and found the world.
Missing Music
I'm haunted by the music I'll never hear.
Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah
Why do kids in many cultures taunt each other with a falling minor third?
The Jabberwocky of Harry Potter
How the muggle and wizarding worlds collide in the Harry Potter theme.
The Magical Bell Piano
For magic and wonder, there's one go-to instrument.
Stop Practicing, You're Ruining EVERYTHING
This episode is not about Pavarotti.
The Bones of Yellow Brick Road
Most covers stay on the surface. Sara Bareilles got down into the bones.
The Fingerprints of Music
I can name that tune in...one motive.
Beethoven was Deaf
Beethoven composed while deaf -- but that's not the amazing part.
Disoriented
Sometimes meter will mess with your head.
The Sweet Madness of Big Meters
From Sting theory to a wedding in Bulgaria, it's meters gone wild.
Sometimes It's the Little Things
The most captivating piece by the most famous composer you've never heard of.
The Mellotron
It was a middle-class party trick. Then it changed rock and roll.
Simplicity, in Three Pärts
When music is stripped down to its essentials, every note matters.
The Gnome
'The Gnome' is a creepy masterclass in orchestration.
Mister Rogers and the Musical Easter Egg
Fred Rogers hid a geeky musical inside joke in his theme song.
Isn't It Iconic?
A computer has chosen the most iconic song ever. Time for the human rebuttal.
Wolfie's Alarm Clock (The Leading Tone)
One note has been teasing you, making promises to you, and leading you home your whole life.
The Bagpipe Incident on Which I Thought We Had Agreed Not to Dwell
30,000 people. 16 measures. One bad decision.
When Pianos Land in Oz
Oh, little piano piece. You're not in Kansas anymore.
Hating Your Golden Goose
There's a reason so many songwriters hate the one that made them famous.
I Coulda Been Peter Best
So I wasn't going to be John Williams. But I had one Hail Mary left.
I Coulda Been John Williams
Just in time for the Oscars, I found my abandoned dream in a box.
Yes, 'Stairway' Was Stolen... Just Like Everything Else
The 'Stairway' lawsuit was based on a modern myth about how music is created.
Two Kinds of Hurt
Johnny's gonna be fine -- but I'm worried about Trent.
Dissonance is Delicious
Music without dissonance is like a rollercoaster without hills. It's light rail.
The Pokémon Suicide Song
From the Satanic Panic to Pokémon, a creepy folklore often bubbles under our music.
Surprise Part 2 - The Rite of Spring
Beethoven lit a fuse that burned for 89 years. This was the boom.
A Brief History of Surprise (I)
Whether music surprises you depends on where your ears have been.
The Music That Broke My Heart
Without lyrics or even a descriptive title -- nothing but vibrations in the air -- this piece brings people to tears. Here's how.
Every Note is a Chord
It's a hidden key to music's emotional power. And it's not all that hidden.
The Moment I Surrendered to John Williams
I had never felt so tangibly dropped into another world.
Shortcut: The Most Hopeful Music in the World
Even starting this piece was an act of pure optimism. Now to finish it.
Cage Unlocked
Silence is just the beginning.
The Masterpiece I Never Heard Of
In which two little kids knew a big thing I didn't know. And I'm okay with that. No really.
Let's Get Sad with Galileo's Dad
A gorgeous technique to unify emotion in music has been passed down from the Renaissance to Radiohead.
When Truman Touches the Wall
From a Bach fugue to Diana's funeral to Truman's wall, this technique is the music of finality.
The Strange DNA of a Surf Song
The edgy, powerful electric guitar tune that kicks off Pulp Fiction has a long and surprising history.
The Evolution of Cool
The quality of "cool" in music has deep roots in the evolution of the brain.