{"id":810,"date":"2016-08-29T10:53:06","date_gmt":"2016-08-29T14:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.davideriknelson.com\/sbsb\/?p=810"},"modified":"2016-08-28T18:59:22","modified_gmt":"2016-08-28T22:59:22","slug":"the-millennial-whoop-and-the-formula-for-comfort-formulae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.davideriknelson.com\/sbsb\/index.php\/2016\/08\/the-millennial-whoop-and-the-formula-for-comfort-formulae\/","title":{"rendered":"The “Millennial Whoop” and the Formula for Comfort Formulae"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m interested in artistic formulea<\/a> of all stripes, so my ears perked up when I stumbled across this blog post<\/a> exploring why it is that every pop song I hear as of late seems to feel<\/i> the same, even when they sound<\/i> totally different.\u00a0 <\/span>The key: A little earwormy melodic alternation embedded into the hook.\u00a0 <\/span>Here’s the article’s kick-out\u2014although the whole thing (which is rife with video examples) is well worth your time:<\/p>\n

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[T]he Millennial Whoop<\/b><\/a> evokes a kind of primordial sense that everything will be alright. You know these notes. You\u2019ve heard this before. There\u2019s nothing out of the ordinary or scary here. You don\u2019t need to learn the words or know a particular language or think deeply about meaning. You\u2019re safe. In the age of climate change and economic injustice and racial violence, you can take a few moments to forget everything and shout with exuberance at the top of your lungs. Just dance and feel how awesome it is to be alive right now. Wa-oh-wa-oh.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Having read this, I wondered how persuasive such a simply piece of patterning might be. So, in five minutes I sketched out this little tune and, whaddya know, it sounds like the outro of basically anything I’ve stumbled across while tuning across the dial during the last several long summer car trips:<\/p>\n