Discover the Beat: Top 19 Amazing and Engaging Fun Facts About Music You Never Knew

1. Centuries-Long Concert

Forget binge-watching your favorite shows, try binge-listening to a concert that spans over six centuries: John Cage's "Organ²/ASLSP" is currently being performed in a medieval church in Halberstadt, Germany, taking a whopping 639 years to complete with chord changes happening once in a very blue moon, like a G-sharp scheduled for February 5th, 2022, after 518 days of playing.
Source => latimes.com

2. The Original Beatle

Before Ringo drummed up a storm, another Pete was the beat: Pete Best, the original drummer of the Beatles, played on ten tracks of their early recordings, including the Decca auditions, before being ousted in August 1962. While he may have missed the Fab Four's meteoric rise, he still snagged a hefty payout from the 1995 compilation album, Anthology 1, and earned the nickname of the 'fifth Beatle'.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know Haydn's tomb has two skulls? Find out the bizarre reason and the curious head-napping tale from the 19th century!

=> Fun Facts about Classical-Music

3. Music as Anxiety Cure

Don't tell Big Pharma, but rock n' roll just got prescribed as the newest cure for the blues: Studies show that music can lower anxiety levels more effectively than prescription medications by reducing stress hormones like cortisol, ultimately making it perfect for pre-surgery jams!
Source => magazine.medicaltourism.com

4. Mood-Boosting Retail Music

Retail stores have discovered the magical treasure trove of mood-boosting tunes, turning customers' feet into click-happy dance machines and their wallets into perpetual motion money dispensers: Studies reveal that playing lively, feel-good music in stores encourages shoppers to take their sweet time browsing, with this pleasant atmosphere increasing consumer engagement and ultimately leading to higher sales – cha-ching!
Source => jukeboxy.com

5. Garland and Liberace's Duet

Judy Garland and Liberace walked onto a stage, and the rest is history – with a side of razzle-dazzle, of course: The legendary Judy Garland made multiple appearances on The Liberace Show, captivating audiences with her spectacular vocals, magnetic stage presence, and mesmerizing duets with the piano maestro himself.
Source => yidio.com

6. The Happy Birthday Legal Battle

Gather 'round, birthday enthusiasts, and be serenaded by the sweet symphony of liberation! The notorious "Happy Birthday to You" jingle has been unchained from the shackles of copyright law: Originally written as a children's song by Patty and Mildred J. Hill in 1893, it was later claimed by Warner Chappell Music. However, a federal judge revoked the copyright in 2015, leading to a $14 million settlement in 2016, which set "Happy Birthday to You" free into the public domain, ready for every cake-filled celebration without legal worry.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. McCartney's Space Concert

In a cosmic encore that proved Sir Paul's prowess extends beyond the stratosphere, he gave space travelers a stellar wake-up call, and they couldn't just "Let It Be": In 2005, Paul McCartney made history by becoming the first artist to perform live for the International Space Station crew during his Anaheim concert, with this out-of-this-world gig going down in the Guinness World Records.
Source => vercalendario.info

8. Payola Scandals

They say money can't buy happiness, but in the 1950s, it could certainly buy you some sweet tunes on the radio airwaves, no questions asked: Payola, the shady practice of record companies bribing radio stations to play their songs without disclosure, was rampant in the music industry, leading to congressional investigations in the US in 1959. While regulations try their best to combat this illegal tango, crafty loopholes still manage to keep the dance going, leaving independent artists singing the blues and even facilitating money laundering in some far-flung corners of the world.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

9. Ancient Griffon Vulture Instrument

Before Beethoven, Bach, and The Beatles, there was...the Griffon Vulture Orchestra: Researchers discovered an ancient flute made from a griffon vulture's wing-bone in Germany's Hohle Fels cave, which remarkably aligns with the modern pentatonic scale, emphasizing the timeless universality of music in human cultures.
Source => theguardian.com

10. Hendrix vs. The Who

Before the days of epic guitar battles and flaming out in Guitar Hero, Jimi Hendrix and The Who took things quite literally: At the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, a coin toss led to The Who going on before Hendrix, smashing their instruments in true rockstar fashion. The humble guitar, now fearing its fiery fate, awaited the arrival of Hendrix on stage: In response to The Who's explosive finale, Jimi Hendrix upped the ante by setting his guitar ablaze during his performance, a sacrificial act that launched him and The Experience into American stardom overnight.
Source => faroutmagazine.co.uk

11. Pianos as Status Symbols

Before the days of MTV cribs and home theaters, flaunting your grand piano was the ultimate humble-brag: In the mid-19th century, having a piano in your home was a symbol of status, commonly placed in the most prominent room for all to admire, and even English coal miners could afford them through installment plans, bringing sweet melodies to the soot-coated homes.
Source => bbc.com

12. Music as Torture Technique

Move over, Mozart, and let metal play its part – as a new form of *torturous* symphony: The CIA reportedly used music, particularly metal and country genres, to psychologically wear down detainees during interrogations. Top hits like "Rawhide" by the Blues Brothers played on repeat, aimed at disorienting prisoners and distancing them from their culture. Despite the lack of a standardized torture playlist, its effectiveness as a method of torture remains a topic of debate and discord.
Source => vox.com

13. Mozart's Brain-Boosting Effects

Breaking news: Mozart might just tickle your brain cells into a conga line of creativity! Now, don't go calling him DJE (DJ for Epileptic-geniuses) just yet: Listening to his piano sonata K448 for 10 minutes moderately boosts spatial-temporal reasoning skills in adults for a brief period, and even shows evidence of reducing epileptiform activity in some epilepsy patients, according to EEG recordings.
Source => ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

14. Music Alters Time Perception

Ever felt like you're stuck in a never-ending song that's messing with your internal clock? Time to face the music: Studies show that the presence of music can lead to time overestimation, with positive tunes causing underestimation and negative ones causing overestimation, but the influence of arousal on time perception remains inconsistent.
Source => mdpi.com

15. Music Influences Taste

Who would have thought that dining with Mozart could sweeten your dessert and jamming with The Rolling Stones could make your coffee taste stronger? Turns out, your ears have a savory secret: Music can alter our perception of taste! Researchers have found that high-frequency tunes amplify our awareness of sweet flavors, while bass-heavy beats bring out the bitterness. And be wary of turning up the volume too much – loud music can muffle the taste of sweetness and saltiness, which is why airlines opt to serve good ol' tomato juice on flights, letting the robust flavor cut through the noisy backdrop.
Source => cloudcovermusic.com

16. Cats Prefer "Cat Music"

Forget playing "Here Comes the Sun" for your feline friend – it's time to switch to some "Purr-elude in Meow Major": A University of Wisconsin-Madison study discovered that cats respond positively to "cat music" composed by David Teie, based on their own tempo of purring and nursing, resulting in purring and affectionate behaviors towards the speaker, putting the feline satisfaction all on a tail's wag above their reaction to human tunes.
Source => news.wisc.edu

17. Conductors' Longevity

Batons up and heart rates down: Orchestra conductors have a 38% longer life expectancy than the general population, with maestros like Herbert Blomstedt and Seiji Ozawa still waving their magic wands well into their 80s and 90s – all thanks to the fine art of conducting being an excellent cardiovascular exercise. Take note, the baton does not guarantee immortality, but rather highlights the advantages of being in tune with your heart.
Source => sfcv.org

18. Stroh Violin's Unique Sound

This is no ordinary fiddle, folks – it comes with its own bell, like the megaphone of the stringed orchestra: The Stroh violin, invented in 1899 by John Matthias Augustus Stroh, featured a metal resonator and horn attached to the body for mechanical amplification, making it the perfect tool for early phonographic recordings and providing a unique sound that still resonates with musicians today.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

19. Holographic Pop Star Hatsune Miku

Move over, human pop stars, there's a new virtual diva taking center stage: Hatsune Miku, a holographic Japanese sensation, continues to amass an enormous fanbase in North America despite her creators and backing band rarely performing in her native Japan. This teal-haired, synthesized songstress has transcended her digital origins, spawning comics, video games, and a posse of tuneful cohorts – all while filling venues with vibrant, cosplay-clad fans passionately waving color-changing glowsticks.
Source => arstechnica.com