MUSIC

California Town Drops a Piano Every Year Just for Fun

The Great Piano Drop is held in Winters, California each year, right after someone sings Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces."

Vinyl Record Sales Surpassed Digital Downloads in the UK for the First Time

Looks like music lovers still appreciate the beauty of the B-side.

31 Things You Didn't Know about Holiday Songs

The singer of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" might sound old, but that is Brenda Lee—who was 13 years old at the time.

15 Bizarre Holiday Albums

Because no holiday music playlist would be complete without William Hung’s rendition of ... “We Are the Champions.”

The Story of Ethel Smyth, Breaker of Operatic Glass Ceilings

On December 1, 2016, the Metropolitan Opera premiered an opera composed by a woman. The last time that happened, it was 1903.

Why 'Thriller,' the Most Iconic Halloween Music Video Ever Made, Was Released in December

Believe it or not, Michael Jackson’s landmark "Thriller" video premiered on December 2, 1983—weeks after the holiday it’s now synonymous with.

This Startup Delivers a Live Orchestra to Your Apartment

Groupmuse brings the symphony to you.

Beethoven: How the World's First Rock Star Changed Music Forever

Thumbing his nose at authority and whipping crowds into a frenzy, he changed music forever.

Concert of Long-Lost Stravinsky Work to Stream for Free

This will mark the second-ever performance of the piece.

15 Colorful Lyrics from National Anthems Around the World

The world's national anthems are a mixed bag of patriotism, poetry, and the peculiar.

A Brief History of the Chicken Dance

It's on the dance floor at nearly every wedding today, but the success of "The Chicken Dance" didn't happen overnight.

When Richard Nixon Wanted to be a Rapper

Yes, that Richard Nixon.

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7 Rarely Used Orchestral Instruments

Composers have long pushed the boundaries of classical music by writing parts for new and innovative instruments—but not all of them have ended up a permanent fixture in the orchestra …

Let Oscar-Winning Composer Hans Zimmer Teach You How to Score Movies

Zimmer has written music for 'Gladiator,' 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' 'Inception,' and more.

The Brutal Letter John Lennon Wrote to Paul McCartney Post-Breakup

The cringeworthy artifact sold for $30,000.

12 Famous Artists With Synesthesia

Liszt reportedly used his synesthesia to help with his orchestrations, telling the musicians, “O please, gentlemen, a little bluer, if you please!"

The Strange Custom of Setting Pianos on Fire

Playing a burning piano until it can no longer make music is a tradition that goes back decades.

The Boss hated "Born to Run" so much that he threatened to give up and not release it at all.

13 Musicians Who Hated Their Own Albums

From Bruce Springsteen to Jay-Z, uncover which famous musicians actually hated some of their most celebrated albums.

The Science of Earworms (Lady Gaga, We're Looking at You)

We even have tips for their extraction.

10 Musicians Who Recorded Their Hits in Simlish

Tegan & Sara are the latest artists to sing in Simlish.

Listen to the 42 Songs That Inspired Black Mirror’s “San Junipero” Episode

Among the tunes that inspired the universally acclaimed episode: "Walk the Dinosaur" by Was (Not Was).

A Graveyard Smash: Bobby Pickett, The Man Behind the 'Monster Mash'

Just like the Halloween monsters Pickett lampooned in his songs, "Monster Mash" returns from the dead year after year.

Prince's Urn Is a Small-Scale Replica of Paisley Park

R.I.P., The Purple One.

Watch Blue Man Group's Tiny Desk Concert

This trio of blue men truly rock.

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