Music-Adele

Most of you know I love music. Sometimes I'm a little bit of a groupie...back in the days I have been good lately. Sunday is the grammy's and I love Adele and she is up for a bunch this year.

Then Wall Street Journal on-line has this article about her and Mr. Wilson. Which is Dan Wilson or Dan as I call him. (or my neighbor by the lake or I almost hit Dan one day by the lake) Any way I feel like I really know him and I'm so proud of him.

My love for him started in the mid 90's with Semisonic then grew more personal when I was with Joe. Once we even had dinner next to him - The tables were so close it was like he was eating with us. It was also before we were married so I was paying more attention what he was saying then Joe, but does that really surprise anyone???

Anyway he went on to do solo stuff and we were always up front listening to him - then in 2011 he did a reunion benefit for a guy who was hit while riding his bike in North East Minneapolis - of course I went to that - I think I even posted a video from the show.

My point of this blog is that he co-wrote a song and played the piano with Adele and here is a little bit of the article. The article is about why does Adele's song "someone like you" make you cry. Ah yeah it does...it also explains why people like me like music...it could be worst I could like the sex, drug and food additions. I hope they win big Sunday Night!!!!!!

"Someone Like You" is a textbook example. "The song begins with a soft, repetitive pattern," said Dr. Guhn, while Adele keeps the notes within a narrow frequency range. The lyrics are wistful but restrained: "I heard that you're settled down, that you found a girl and you're married now." This all sets up a sentimental and melancholy mood.

When the chorus enters, Adele's voice jumps up an octave, and she belts out notes with increasing volume. The harmony shifts, and the lyrics become more dramatic: "Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead."

When the music suddenly breaks from its expected pattern, our sympathetic nervous system goes on high alert; our hearts race and we start to sweat. Depending on the context, we interpret this state of arousal as positive or negative, happy or sad.

If "Someone Like You" produces such intense sadness in listeners, why is it so popular? Last year, Robert Zatorre and his team of neuroscientists at McGill University reported that emotionally intense music releases dopamine in the pleasure and reward centers of the brain, similar to the effects of food, sex and drugs. This makes us feel good and motivates us to repeat the behavior.

Measuring listeners' responses, Dr. Zatorre's team found that the number of goose bumps observed correlated with the amount of dopamine released, even when the music was extremely sad. The results suggest that the more emotions a song provokes—whether depressing or uplifting—the more we crave the song.

With "Someone Like You," Adele and Mr. Wilson not only crafted a perfect tear-jerker but also stumbled upon a formula for commercial success: Unleash the tears and chills with small surprises, a smoky voice and soulful lyrics, and then sit back and let the dopamine keep us coming back for more.