Mental Floss

MUSIC

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People love to complain about today’s music. All the lyrics are too bland, repetitive, and racy. So thank goodness we have a canon of treasured composers to fall back on! You know, guys like Mozart. He wrote songs with substance.

Lucas Reilly




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It was 50 years ago this week that the Beatles first landed in the U.S. and set off a wave of Beatlemania from coast to coast with their historic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. By the end of the 1960s, their music had spread worldwide, not only in th

Arika Okrent


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Classical music seems to have a reputation for being straight-laced, stuffy, and obsessed with rules. But over the centuries, hundreds of composers have tested the boundaries of musical expression in strange and unique ways. Here are ten prime examples.

College Weekend


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There are some Christmas songs that don't get a lot of attention because they're dark, even by non-holiday song standards.

Danny Gallagher
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Peter Jackson's latest J.R.R. Tolkein-based film, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug hits theaters today. But Tolkein's books haven't just inspired films. Here's a look back at a few Hobbit- and Lord of the Rings-inspired musical moments.

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The Beatles performing on stage in 1963.

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr are remembered for their instrumental roles in launching the British invasion and bringing the aesthetic of rock and roll to new frontiers with everything from electronic effects to sitars.

Kenneth Partridge, Meg Boeni


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If you’re the type of artist that cares more about the art than the money and fame, then hiding your identity is the best way to keep your audience’s attention on the art rather than the superficial. Here are 11 stories behind masked bands.

Rudie Obias
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Could it be true? That the summer’s biggest hit is not really a Robin Thicke original? There's controversy brewing over “Blurred Lines.”

Stacy Conradt








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You know how you occasionally hear an awesome turn of phrase and immediately think, “That would make the best band name? These people did the same thing, but the difference between us and them is that they actually went on to name a band.

Stacy Conradt