The Most Popular Song In The World

Switched on Pop

Vox Media Podcast Network

Music Interviews, Music History, Music, Music Commentary

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2016

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Nokia ringtone used to be heard more than a billion times per day, making it one of the most popular songs in the world. We tend to consider cellphone rings as somewhat antithetical to music. There is a whole subset of YouTube videos dedicated to the perverse thrill of watching a delicately beautiful musical moment ruined by the harsh cry of a default ringtone. In this episode, we zoom in on one of these annoying melodies to see if there's not some hidden musical craft present in the ubiquitous bleeps and bloops that envelop us. Later, Charlie shares a piece made solely of this sonic detritus, and a data scientist locates surprising musical patterns in a most unexpected source. Featuring:The Nokia TuneThe Beatles - She's So HeavyOne Direction - Live While We're YoungFrancisco Tarrega - Gran ValsLinks:Charlie Harding - Bowl ArrowJonathan Berger's Article in Nautlius: How Music Hijacks our Perception of TimeFamous Cell Phone Rings Played on the Piano by Tony AnnGreg Hochmuth's work Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Lionsgate Plus. The third season of a Lionsgate Plus original
0:05.3	series that the Great is available to stream on Friday July 14 exclusively on Lionsgate Plus.
0:10.8	Follow Catherine the Second, played by Elle Fanning and Peter the Great, played by Nicholas
0:14.5	Holt, as they hilariously attempt to make their marriage work after some seemingly insurmountable
0:18.8	problems, from attempt to murder and the imprisonment of close friends to their never-ending
0:22.7	legal responsibilities. The Great, season 3 is available to stream on Friday July 14 exclusively
0:28.2	on Lionsgate Plus.
0:58.2	Thanks.
0:59.2	Sorry Nate.
1:00.2	Okay. You know what I have to say? You got a lucky break. In this rare instance, we are
1:05.0	actually talking about a cell phone ring, right? The most popular song in the world. No,
1:11.2	really?
1:12.2	Yes.
1:13.2	Think of this as the world in a grain of sound, cribbing from William Blake a little bit.
1:18.6	We're going to go deep into one cell phone ring so deep that you can't imagine how hyper
1:24.4	analytical this is going to get. But hopefully we're going to merge in the other end with
1:30.0	a whole new appreciation of the sounds that occur all around us. You ready, Jack? This
1:36.0	is absurd.
1:37.0	All right. So put your phone on mute and let's go.
1:40.2	Phone.
1:41.2	Phone's on mute.
1:42.2	Let's go.
	...

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