PODCAST · arts
Song Appeal
by Hunter Farris
What tools can a pop song use to affect us psychologically to make us like the songs more? We'll take a look at everything from music theory, to linguistics, to rhetoric, to applied psychology.
Episodes
-
Twitter Announcement
Not really an episode. Just a quick announcement.
-
"We Will Rock You" by Queen - Season 3, Episode 07
How powerful is a really good rhythm? In this episode, Isaac Wu helps us learn how the Testing Effect made "We Will Rock You" more memorable. You can find this episode at SongAppealOfficial.com/WeWillRockYou or by searching for Song Appeal on your favorite podcasting app. You can help support…
more -
"Style" by Taylor Swift - Season 3, Episode 06
What happens when we don't get what we want? Why do we like surprises? In this episode, Claire Arthur helps us see how "Style" by Taylor Swift plays with our expectations to musically surprise us, and how that makes the song more enjoyable. You can find this episode at…
more -
"Unwell" by Matchbox Twenty - Season 3, Episode 05
How much does it really matter which notes a song uses? And how can predictability be a good thing? In this episode, Claire Arthur helps us learn how "Unwell" by Matchbox Twenty sets up expectations through its notes and its intervals, and how it fulfills those expectations. You can find the full...
-
Themes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe - Season 3, Episode 04
How can music change what we think of an experience? In this episode, superhero expert Peter Coogan helps us learn how the MCU themes can be more powerful by being more forgettable. You can find this episode's transcript, references, and links to hear the themes at SongAppealOfficial.com/MCU. You...
-
"Lost Woods" from Ocarina of Time - Season 3, Episode 03
How much does it really matter which key a song uses? In this episode, 8-bit Music Theory, Ongaku Concept, and Ian Straehley help us learn how the "Lost Woods" theme uses the sound of Lydian to give us a feeling of optimistic anxiety. You can find the full transcript for this episode, the...
-
"I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by Whitney Houston - Season 3, Episode 02
When we’re listening to a song, how much does the tune’s structure really matter? In this episode, Bryn Hughes and Anja Cui help us dive into a classic music psychology experiment to show why we like "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by Whitney Houston. You can find the full transcript...
-
"Mr. Brightside" by The Killers - Season 3, Episode 01
How does "Mr. Brightside" keep its melody interesting while staying on the same note? Learn how in this episode, with the help of Bryn Hughes, Jeremiah Tabb (from the Hype Harmony podcast), and Matthew Scott Phillips (from the Music Student 101 podcast). You can find the full transcript for this...
-
"One Week" by Barenaked Ladies - Season 2, Episode 18
Why do we like "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies? In this finale to Season 2, we wrap up and expand the last few episodes of this season by take a look at how "One Week" gives us novel tunes, then familiar tunes, so it can take advantage of the fluency heuristic to make us like the song more. You…
more -
"Demons" by Imagine Dragons - Season 2, Episode 17
Why do we like "Demons" by Imagine Dragons? In this episode, we take a look at how the melody focuses on false sequences to create a sense of relative novelty, and how relative novelty makes a song more memorable. You can find the full transcript for this episode, references, and a link to hear…
more -
"Silent Night" - Season 2, Episode 16
Why do we like "Silent Night"? In this episode, we'll take a look at how silences make music more enjoyable. You can find the full transcript for this episode, references, and a link to hear the song at SongAppealOfficial.com/SilentNight. You can help support this show on Patreon at...
-
"What Child Is This" - Season 2, Episode 15
Why do we like "What Child Is This?" In this episode, we'll take a look at how the song changes its brightness and what makes a song bright or dark. You can find the full transcript for this episode, references, and link to hear the song at SongAppealOfficial.com/WhatChildIsThis. You can help...
-
"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"
Why do we like "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"? In this episode, we'll take a look at what sequences are, how they're used in this song, and how they fuse familiarity and novelty so we can get the benefits of both. You can find the full transcript for this episode, the shownotes, and a link to…
more -
"Life & Death" from Lost - Season 2, Episode 13
What makes "Life & Death" sad? And why do we like sad music? In this episode, we'll take a look at how our minds learn that certain music represents certain ideas, and we'll look at how our brains respond to the mediant chord, the minor third, and a good controlled cry. Special thanks to David...
-
"Stay" by Zedd & Alessia Cara - Season 2, Episode 12
Why do we like "Stay" by Zedd and Alessia Cara? In this episode, we'll take a look at how the song repeated itself to trigger the mere exposure effect without needing to be played over and over. You can find the transcript for this episode, the shownotes, and a link to hear the song at...
-
"Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon - Season 2, Episode 10
Why do we like "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon? In this episode, we'll take a look at how what this song does to make its title line more memorable through a principle called the "Von Restorff effect". You can find the full transcript for this episode, the shownotes, and a link to hear the...
-
The Twilight Zone - Season 2, Episode 08
Why is The Twilight Zone theme scary? In this episode, we'll take a look at what each interval in the song does to us psychologically to musically represent the feeling of being stuck in a living nightmare, with some help from Jeremiah Tabb, the host of the Hype Harmony podcast. You can find the...
-
The Halloween Theme - Season 2, Episode 07
What makes the Halloween theme unsettling? In this episode, we'll take a look at a few of the psychological effects of 5/4 time. You can find the full transcript for this episode, the shownotes, and a link to hear the theme at SongAppealOfficial.com/Halloween. We just reached our first Patreon...
-
The Friday the 13th Theme - Season 2, Episode 06
Why is the theme from Friday the 13th scary? In this episode, we'll take a look at the psychology and linguistics behind why "ki ki ki" sounds dangerous and evil. You can find the full transcript for this episode, the shownotes, and a link to hear the theme at…
more -
Jaws Theme - Season 2, Episode 05
What makes the Jaws theme scary? In this episode, we'll dive into how leitmotifs, low notes, accelerandos, and dissonance combine to make us feel like the shark is going to attack. You can find the full transcript for this episode, the shownotes, and a link to hear the song at...
-
The Animaniacs Theme - Season 2 Episode 04
How can a song prepare us for an experience? In this episode, let's take a look at how the lyrics to the Animaniacs theme help us prepare for the show. And in the process, let's see how a song can be better doing the opposite of what previous episodes have recommended. You can find the full...
-
"Carryin' the Banner" from Newsies - Season 2 Episode 03
How much can a melody tell us about the character who's singing the song? In this episode, we'll take a look at how the melody from "Carryin' the Banner" shows us that the Newsies aren't experienced and aren't united. You can find the full transcript for this episode, the shownotes, and a link to...
-
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band - Season 2 Episode 02
How much does it really matter how a song tells its story? In this episode, we'll hear how Dr. Paul J. Zak discovered a crucial difference neurological difference between "The Devil Went to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band and "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes. You can find the...
-
The Community Theme Song - Season 2 Episode 1
How much does it really matter what key a song is in? Welcome to the Season 2 Premiere of Song Appeal, where we'll take a look at exactly how Community's Mixolydian theme song prepares us for a show that's both wacky and heartfelt. You can support Song Appeal on Patreon at Patreon.com/SongAppeal....
-
"Wherever You Will Go" by The Calling - Episode 015
Why do we like "Wherever You Will Go" by The Calling? In this episode, we explore how the song uses tension and release to make us enjoy the song more. You can find the full transcript for this episode, the shownotes, and a link to hear the song at SongAppealOfficial.com. You can also support…
more -
"All the Pretty Girls" by Kenny Chesney - Episode 014
Why do we like "All the Pretty Girls" by Kenny Chesney? In this episode, we take a look at how it uses two writing tools called "anaphora" and "epistrophe" to make the lyrics easier to remember. You can find the full transcript for this episode, the shownotes, and a link to hear the song at...
-
"The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey - Episode 013
Why do we like "The Middle" by Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey? In this episode, we'll take a look at how it feels like it has energy without taking any of the traditional routes to making a song energetic. You can find the full transcript for this episode, the shownotes, and a link to hear the song...
-
"Perfect" by Ed Sheeran - Episode 012
Why do we like "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran? In this episode, we take a look at a few things that can make a song romantic, from its rhythm, to its speed, to the order of the chords. You can find the transcript for this episode and the shownotes at SongAppealOfficial.com/PerfectEdSheeran. You can also...
-
"Something Just Like This" by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay - Episode 010
Why do we like "Something Just Like This" by The Chainsmokers and Coldplay? In this episode, we take a look at how songs make themselves esasy to sing along to through lyrics that are easy to predict and easy to process. You can find the transcript for this episode, the shownotes, and a link to...
-
"Big Yellow Taxi" by Counting Crows ft. Vanessa Carlton - Episode 006
Why do we like "Big Yellow Taxi" by Counting Crows ft. Vanessa Carlton? In this episode, we explore the song's rhetorical structure that leads us to agree with the point of the song. You can find the full transcript for this episode and the shownotes at SongAppealOfficial.com/BigYellowTaxi.
-
"Closer" by The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey - Episode 004
Why do we like "Closer" by The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey? In this episode, we take a look at how it gives us suspense by having as little resolution as possible so that we stick around through the whole song and enjoy it the whole time. You can find the full transcript and the shownotes at...
-
"Some Nights" by fun. - Episode 003
Why do we like "Some Nights" by fun.? In this episode, we take a look at how "Some Nights" uses 1-syllable words to make itself more easily understood so it can overcome the barriers of its unusual song structure. For the transcript and shownotes, visit SongAppealOfficial.com/SomeNights
-
"Just the Girl" by The Click Five and "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne - Episode 002
Why do we like "Just the Girl" by The Click Five and "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne? In this episode, we break down the emotional structure of these songs made up of their highs and lows and how they use the perfect emotional structure to give people a great time. For the transcript and...
-
"Sugar We're Goin' Down" by Fall Out Boy - Episode 001
Why do we like "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" by Fall Out Boy? In this episode, we'll take a look at the emotional power that a really good melody can have as we see how "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" instantly sounds nostalgic by drawing on melodic ideas we've heard all our lives. For the full transcript...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
What tools can a pop song use to affect us psychologically to make us like the songs more? We'll take a look at everything from music theory, to linguistics, to rhetoric, to applied psychology.
HOSTED BY
Hunter Farris
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Song Appeal have?
Song Appeal currently has 34 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Song Appeal about?
What tools can a pop song use to affect us psychologically to make us like the songs more? We'll take a look at everything from music theory, to linguistics, to rhetoric, to applied psychology.
How often does Song Appeal release new episodes?
Song Appeal has 34 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Song Appeal?
You can listen to Song Appeal on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Song Appeal?
Song Appeal is created and hosted by Hunter Farris.
URL copied to clipboard!