How Music Does That

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.

Episodes

How MUZAK Does That

February 13, 2024 • 20 mins

How did wall-to-wall music find its way into every public space? Meet General George Squier.

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Riffing on Each Other

January 7, 2024 • 23 mins

How a few inaccurate jingles came to represent entire cultures.

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Anatomy of an Earworm

December 14, 2023 • 17 mins

After a month at the mercy of an earworm, I found the cure. Then it all went wrong.

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When the Music Doesn't Trust You

October 29, 2023 • 31 mins

The mark of a great film score is knowing when to shut up.

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Unsung

October 15, 2023 • 27 mins

They are some of your favorite artists of all time. And you don't even know their names.

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The King of Space-Age Pop!

September 30, 2023 • 26 mins

HOW MUSIC DOES THAT returns with a Mexican bandleader whose coloristic imagination defined the sound of the space age.

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Clap When You Damn Well Please [Encore]

January 2, 2022 • 26 mins

The revolution starts right damn now.

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The Bagpipe Incident on Which I Thought We Had Agreed Not to Dwell [Encore]

December 8, 2021 • 19 mins

30,000 people. 16 measures. One bad decision.

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The Evolution of Cool [Encore]

November 28, 2021 • 14 mins

The quality of 'cool' in music has deep evolutionary roots in the brain.

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Grooves [Encore]

November 11, 2021 • 16 mins

In Hungary, road plays you!

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Beethoven Was Deaf [Encore]

October 28, 2021 • 26 mins

That's not the amazing part.

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Silence [Encore]

September 29, 2021 • 22 mins

Sometimes the greatest moment in music is the one you don't hear.

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Where Did We Put Vivaldi? [Encore]

September 15, 2021 • 22 mins

After greatness came one bad decision—and then, the forgetting.

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Encore: Stop Practicing, You're Ruining EVERYTHING

September 1, 2021 • 18 mins

Sometimes it's supposed to hurt.

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ENCORE: The Rage of the Third Sons (Carmina Burana)

August 19, 2021 • 22 mins

Eight hundred years ago, they left the church and found the world.

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ENCORE: The Aging White Suburban Music Professor's Guide to Hip Hop

August 3, 2021 • 21 mins

Put on the good Dockers, Chad. We're going in.

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ENCORE: The Bones of Yellow Brick Road

July 14, 2021 • 20 mins

Most covers stay on the surface. Sara Bareilles got down into the bones.

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ENCORE: The Sweet Madness of Big Meters

June 30, 2021 • 18 mins

Let's have a wild time.

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The Worst Song In The World

June 16, 2021 • 17 mins

It could be worse. Just kidding.

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The Man Who Tried to Strangle Film Music in Its Crib

June 2, 2021 • 21 mins

Sternberg didn't like film music—until he needed it.

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How Music Does That

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}How MUZAK Does That

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Riffing on Each Other

Anatomy of an Earworm

When the Music Doesn't Trust You

Unsung

The King of Space-Age Pop!

Clap When You Damn Well Please [Encore]

The Bagpipe Incident on Which I Thought We Had Agreed Not to Dwell [Encore]

The Evolution of Cool [Encore]

Grooves [Encore]

Beethoven Was Deaf [Encore]

Silence [Encore]

Where Did We Put Vivaldi? [Encore]

Encore: Stop Practicing, You're Ruining EVERYTHING

ENCORE: The Rage of the Third Sons (Carmina Burana)

ENCORE: The Aging White Suburban Music Professor's Guide to Hip Hop

ENCORE: The Bones of Yellow Brick Road

ENCORE: The Sweet Madness of Big Meters

The Worst Song In The World

The Man Who Tried to Strangle Film Music in Its Crib

Popular Podcasts

How MUZAK Does That

Riffing on Each Other