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.
Is there one popular song that you secretly love? C'mon, don't be afraid to admit it. What one song makes you want to sing along, even though your friends can't stand it?
April 30, 2009 -- Birds can boogie to the beat, according to two new studies that found birds, especially parrots, have rhythm and an apparent appreciation for certain songs that compel them to bob their heads, tap their feet and sway their bodies in time to music.
Is there one song that could drive you insane? Recently, Stephen King wrote about "earworms" -- songs that stick in your head -- in his Entertainment Weekly column.
OK, time for a new article...and a new game! The rules of the game are that you need to link your song to the song before and then give an example as to why it links to the song before. Example: Person 1: Heigh Ho (from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves)
In honor of Opening Day, Paste Magazine (I dunno either; I was Googling and just found it) lists the "10 Best Baseball Songs (That aren't John Fogerty's "Centerfield")." I like that qualification, actually, because I've always hated that song.
I have moved a number of comments from another of my articles to this one - there's some stuff I'd like very much to share - images and music - and it didn't fit well where it was. Please come back again and again as I am moved to do this.
ScienceDaily (Mar. 16, 2009) — When a single female is nearby, female antbirds will sing over the songs of their male partners in an apparent attempt to keep their messages from getting through, according to a new report published online on March 12th in Current Biology.
SONGS OF LOVE Songs of Love is a non-profit organization that creates unique songs for children and teens with chronic or terminal illnesses. They do it at no cost to you.
Ain't gonna let no handicap take away my dream Tho...
Love makes us do crazy things sometimes. Here are some songs written and recorded for women. If you can help me fill in the missing letters, or can think of songs I've missed, post em. Adalida - George Strait, one of my husband's favorites Althea - Grateful Dead
The music of the Civil War era was rich in melody, history and lyrics that evoke another era. There were songs for Northerners, songs for Rebs, songs for slaves, and some songs that transcended the tastes of any one group.
The music of the Civil War era was rich in melody, history and lyrics that evoke another era. There were songs for Northerners, songs for Rebs, songs for slaves, and some songs that transcended the tastes of any one group.
It's a musical staple of nursery schools and seniors' fitness classes throughout the English-speaking world. But The Hokey Pokey - the right-hand-in, right-hand-out ditty that sparked a 1950s dance craze - has become the focus of a bizarre controversy in Britain that has drawn i …
There was a minor drama around the BET Honors tribute to Mary J. Blige. Producers reportedly wanted Keyshia Cole to do one of Mary's songs but word is that Blige's husband and manager, Kendu Isaacs, squashed that idea.
While the Great Depression was hardly a feel-good decade, it did leave us a legacy of surprisingly upbeat songs.
The music of the Civil War era was rich in melody, history and lyrics that evoke another era. There were songs for Northerners, songs for Rebs, songs for slaves, and some songs that transcended the tastes of any one group.
In moves that will help shape the online future of the music business, Apple said Tuesday that it would remove anticopying restrictions on all of the songs in its popular iTunes Store and allow record companies to set a range of prices for them.
After nearly 40 years of living life and singing songs together, it's a pretty safe bet to say that Marilyn McCoo doesn't have the "Wedding Bell Blues" being married to Billy Davis Jr.
...as The Fireman for their third and latest release together, Electric Arguments. McCartney entered the studio, without any material, and recorded 13 songs in 13 days...
Bands named after places are dreadful!
Oh, jingle bells Can't you'll tell Viners who are angry, not gay The happy ones sing The mad ones scream Fighting all day through 'nite
Now, I lay no claim to being a bona fide poet, nor have I fashioned a quotation that will be remembered for centuries to come (unless you count "no Hannah Montana until you finish your homework," which, something tells me, is not original to me), but the least I could do is try a …
This time of year, the message of Christmas is presented countless times in various ways throughout the world. Growing in popularity are the living singing tree performances held throughout the United States and as far away as Switzerland.
Sir Paul McCartney has confirmed a 14-minute long Beatles track many thought was a myth does exist - and says he wants the public to hear it.