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‘The Girl From Ipanema,’ Opera and Olympic Comebacks

Opening Ceremony to the 2016 Summer Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (photo: Andy Miah/Flickr)

Never underestimate the power of a global sporting event – aided by a supermodel – to drive interest in a song, artist or composer.

Google Trends shows that worldwide searches for “The Girl from Ipanema” spiked dramatically after Daniel Jobim performed the bossa nova classic during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on Aug. 5, with Gisele Bundchen strutting across the arena in Rio de Janeiro (the graphs may take a moment to appear). Continue reading “‘The Girl From Ipanema,’ Opera and Olympic Comebacks”

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Is It Wrong to Call Classical Music ‘Soothing?’

Credit: Dingzeyu Li/Upsplash

Hilary Clinton was asked last week in an interview on SiriusXM what music she would play if she had her own radio channel. She cited Adele, classic rock, and, for days when she’s buried in paperwork, “soothing” classical music. If an election was based solely on musical tastes, Clinton would get much of the public’s vote: Classical music in popular culture is routinely linked to relaxation, quiet contemplation or sleep.  Continue reading “Is It Wrong to Call Classical Music ‘Soothing?’”