When Placido Domingo and his son, Placido Domingo Jr., set about to put the poems of the late Pope John Paul II to music, they discovered several religious passages, already translated from his native Polish to Italian, that would have made beautiful songs.
When Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States on Jan. 20, Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” sat atop the pop charts. The ode to escapism might not have captured the mood of the whole country (everyone didn’t vote for change, after all), but it definitely reflected the sentiments of most of the musical community.
Most observers of the Academy Awards probably remember “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from the 2005 film “Hustle & Flow” as representing either the nadir of the Oscar best song category — or as evidence that voters from the music branch are open-minded and have eclectic tastes.
"American Idol," which returns Jan. 13 for its eighth season, has generated billions of dollars in revenue, and been watched by millions of people, many of whom have questions about some behind-the-scenes details of the number-one show in the U.S.
Just down the hall from the chemo infusion rooms at Texas Children's Hospital, Jalen Huckabay was about to slip into another world, away from the wearying regimen of pokes, prods and pinches she'd endured since being diagnosed with lymphoma in November.
U.S. military interrogators have often blasted music at detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. According to the British law group Reprieve, these are among the songs they have used most frequently:
“Cease and desist” letters must be a drag to get. But the McCain campaign seems to actively enjoy them. Especially the ones from disgruntled pop stars whose songs have been used to provide a soundtrack to the Republican bid for the White House.
Let the debates begin: VH1 has compiled its list of the 100 greatest hip-hop songs, and Public Enemy's black power anthem "Fight the Power" tops the list.
Barack Obama and John McCain agree on Frank Sinatra.
President Martin Van Buren didn't have MP3s. Or CDs. Or, for that matter, popular bands with wide radio play whose songs he could sample at rallies. This was, after all, 1840.
The head of the U.S. Military Academy thinks it's time to replace the "men" and "sons" in West Point's two most beloved songs with more gender-neutral lyrics.
Barack Obama is closing in on the Democratic nomination for president, but he clinched the race for the best campaign soundtrack long ago — no superdelegates needed.
Continuing their season-long effort to find mentors more appealing to baby boomers than people who actually watch the show, “American Idol” brought in the legendary Neil Diamond this week to work with the remaining five finalists. But unlike Dolly Parton and Andrew Lloyd Webber before him, Diamond got to watch each contestant sing two of his songs instead of one.
Female canaries adore a good old-fashioned love song that abides by rigid musical rules. Mature males always follow the rules. Curiously, young males will go against convention — and rock out to tunes that would not impress the ladies.
It's been an odd spectacle, to say the least. The seventh season of "American Idol" has, predictably, forced its way to ratings domination, bulldozing anything foolish enough to wander into its path. Resting comfortably atop the ratings heap, it continues to generate controversy — Carly Smithson already had a record deal! David Cook is just copying other bands' arrangements! — and maintain its water-cooler bona fides.
In the early days of karaoke in America — say, the Huey ’80s and the Hootie ’90s — the ultimate compliment a singer could get for a good karaoke performance was a standing ovation or a free shot from the bar.
As “American Idol” pointed out in a video clip during Wednesday’s results show, plenty of former contestants have found a post-show life starring on Broadway. Judging from the way the audience voted this week, Carly Smithson shouldn’t plan on joining them.
Wondering about how a certain reality show pulled something off? Have a question about a certain contestant?
In a Nov. 12 story about movie theme songs, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Eddie Vedder wrote "Hard Sun" for "Into the Wild." While Vedder wrote several other songs for the film, "Hard Sun" is a cover of a song by Indio.
Highlights from the Oscar winners for best original song since the 1970s. As asterisk indicates the song also reached the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart:
There was a time around 1997 when no matter where you were — in the car, on the StairMaster, at the dentist's office — you couldn't help but hear "My Heart Will Go On," the soaring Celine Dion ballad from "Titanic."
There are between 92 million and 180 million great tits in cities and natural habitats across Europe, according to BirdLife International (Image: Current Biology/Slabberkoorn)
When it comes to James Bond theme songs, nobody's done it better than Carly Simon — except maybe Shirley Bassey. Some of them endure — especially the signature theme by the John Barry Orchestra, introduced at the start of the franchise in 1962's "Dr. No" — while others have come and gone as quickly as Bond girls.
When Ashley Abernathy was 9 years old and suffering from leukemia, her spirits were lifted by a serenade from David Lee Roth.