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.

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How MUZAK Does That
13-02-2024
How MUZAK Does That
How did wall-to-wall music find its way into every public space? Meet General George Squier.

Episodes

How MUZAK Does That
13-02-2024
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
07-01-2024
Riffing on Each Other
How a few inaccurate jingles came to represent entire cultures.
Anatomy of an Earworm
14-12-2023
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
29-10-2023
When the Music Doesn't Trust You
The mark of a great film score is knowing when to shut up.
Unsung
15-10-2023
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!
30-09-2023
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]
02-01-2022
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]
08-12-2021
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]
28-11-2021
The Evolution of Cool [Encore]
The quality of 'cool' in music has deep evolutionary roots in the brain.
Grooves [Encore]
11-11-2021
Grooves [Encore]
In Hungary, road plays you!
Beethoven Was Deaf [Encore]
28-10-2021
Beethoven Was Deaf [Encore]
That's not the amazing part.
Silence [Encore]
29-09-2021
Silence [Encore]
Sometimes the greatest moment in music is the one you don't hear.
Where Did We Put Vivaldi? [Encore]
15-09-2021
Where Did We Put Vivaldi? [Encore]
After greatness came one bad decision—and then, the forgetting.
Encore: Stop Practicing, You're Ruining EVERYTHING
01-09-2021
Encore: Stop Practicing, You're Ruining EVERYTHING
Sometimes it's supposed to hurt.
ENCORE: The Rage of the Third Sons (Carmina Burana)
19-08-2021
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
03-08-2021
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
14-07-2021
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
30-06-2021
ENCORE: The Sweet Madness of Big Meters
Let's have a wild time.
The Worst Song In The World
16-06-2021
The Worst Song In The World
It could be worse. Just kidding.
The Man Who Tried to Strangle Film Music in Its Crib
02-06-2021
The Man Who Tried to Strangle Film Music in Its Crib
Sternberg didn't like film music—until he needed it.