Phil O'Keefe Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/...2i9?li=AAa0dzB I came across this rather interesting article and thought I'd share it and get everyone's take on it. Apparently they took "best songs" lists from places like NME and Rolling Stone and ran them through analytical software to compare their key, BPM, chord variety, lyrical content, timbral variety, and sonic variance. The result of their study? Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana took top honors. John Lennon’s “Imagine” was second, and U2’s “One,” Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” filled out the rest of top five. What do you think? Can something like this really be determined scientifically? What about the individual listener's emotional response? Do you think the songs they came up with make sense, and if not, why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted September 24, 2015 Members Share Posted September 24, 2015 I don't know. The software can see certain traits, I suppose. Regardless, although we could pick songs we feel are more iconic, it actually didn't do too badly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted September 25, 2015 Members Share Posted September 25, 2015 If "Louie, Louie" wasn't on the list, it's invalid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted September 25, 2015 Members Share Posted September 25, 2015 But...people do like variations and unexpected twists and turns. Think Led Zeppelin going from heavy metal to acoustic guitars in the space of a few measures. And frankly, listen to Taylor Swift's songwriting. It doesn't follow a formula, which I think is a big reason for her success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share Posted September 25, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share Posted September 25, 2015 I think it's a constant balancing act between being too familiar and predictable ( = boring) and too unpredictable and unexpected ( = too confusing). Get the balance just right, and you wind up with happy listeners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rasputin1963 Posted September 25, 2015 Members Share Posted September 25, 2015 If those were the winners, their candidate pool was pretty slim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted September 25, 2015 Members Share Posted September 25, 2015 Science is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chordptrn Posted September 26, 2015 Members Share Posted September 26, 2015 Never liked Nirvana. They got it wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted September 26, 2015 Members Share Posted September 26, 2015 Well, I have a computer, so...let's see...abracadabra, mumbo jumbo...0010001010... and the most iconic song of all time is: Hey, it's one of mine! What an amazing coincidence!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AlamoJoe Posted September 26, 2015 Members Share Posted September 26, 2015 Never liked Nirvana. They got it wrong. They actually grated on my nerves while they were a band and the long worship period after Cobain took early retirement. It's just been in the last few years that I actually started hearing the merit in their music. Obviously coming from a deep well of personal pain. But I've grown to actually like a lot of their material. "Heart shaped box" is my personal favorite. Really good tone....Nicely constructed. They had talent, I was just too old to hear it at the time. I'm younger than that now. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mark L Posted September 26, 2015 Members Share Posted September 26, 2015 That's just the opinion of one piece of analytical software. It's like the opinion of one person. Meh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted September 26, 2015 Members Share Posted September 26, 2015 That's just the opinion of one piece of analytical software. It's like the opinion of one person. Meh... The analytical software was probably programmed based on the opinion of one person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bookumdano4 Posted September 26, 2015 Members Share Posted September 26, 2015 What happens when rap/hip hop is routed through the software? What happens when "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro is run through the software? Blue screen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted September 26, 2015 Members Share Posted September 26, 2015 What happens when "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro is run through the software? Blue screen? Worse than that. The computer automatically disconnects the power supply as a means of self-preservation. As for rap if the computer is running Windows 10, Cortana interprets it as dictation so you end up getting a printout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mark L Posted September 26, 2015 Members Share Posted September 26, 2015 The analytical software was probably programmed based on the opinion of one person. Exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Notes_Norton Posted September 27, 2015 Members Share Posted September 27, 2015 I don't think a computer can do that at all. At least not in the near future. Too many variables in people's personal tastes and sophistication. As mentioned, predictability vs. surprises. It's like playing with a cat using a toy at the end of a string. If you let the cat catch it too easily, it gets bored. If you never let it catch the toy, it gives up - bored again. But different cats have different levels of that. Same with people. Some people can listen to a one-chord song with a simple repetitive melody and never get bored. Others need a symphony to keep their interest. I would say the most iconic song of all time would be the first movement of Beethoven's fifth symphony. Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Anderton Posted September 27, 2015 Members Share Posted September 27, 2015 I would say the most iconic song of all time is...whatever any given listener thinks is the most iconic song of all time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AlamoJoe Posted September 27, 2015 Members Share Posted September 27, 2015 I would say the most iconic song of all time is...whatever any given listener thinks is the most iconic song of all time. Craig said it, I believe it, That settles it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members workstation M.I Posted September 28, 2015 Members Share Posted September 28, 2015 Posted here for absolutely no good reason at all: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted September 28, 2015 Author Share Posted September 28, 2015 Beach Ball Of Doom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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